Skydiver survives seizure during jump (Video)

A scary video of a skydiver surviving a seizure mid-fall, and landing safely, was posted on the internet Sunday and has gone viral on social media.

The YouTube video, which has been viewed more than 1 million times in less than a day, shows Christopher Jones, 22, losing consciousness and having a seizure during the 3600-metre jump above Pinjarra in Western Australia.

Skydive master Sheldon McFarlane, who was wearing a camera helmet, grabbed hold of Mr Jones thousands of metres above the ground and pulled open his parachute.

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West Australian Skydiving Academy chief instructor Robin O’Neill said Mr Jones was at an advanced stage of a training program and was halfway to becoming a licensed qualified jumper.

“Traditionally we do not entertain people with epilepsy to learn how to skydive,” Mr O’Neill said.

“Christopher got through our screening process because he had a letter from his treating specialist that specifically said his condition was under control and she considered him fit to skydive.”

Mr O’Neill said he had written letters to the specialist “questioning her rationale”.

Mr Jones regained consciousness before he hit the ground and made a controlled landing. No ambulance had to be called, but he was not allowed to continue in the program

“And the sad thing is I don’t think he can even drive a car any more,” Mr O’Neill said

The skydiving school has been inundated with calls from all over the world since Mr Jones uploaded his copy of the video on Sunday.

“We didn’t know it was getting uploaded to YouTube but it has aroused interest from all over the world,” Mr O’Neill said.

“We’ve had calls from America, the Middle East, everywhere.”

Agencies/Canadajournal