LOCAL

Injured skydiver flown from Franklin County crash site after midair mishap

Amber South
Chambersburg Public Opinion

A skydiver was injured this weekend after a mishap in the air resulted in them landing in a wooded area north of Chambersburg.

Emergency responders were dispatched just before 1 p.m. Saturday to the area of Norland Cemetery, 2295 Philadelphia Ave., for a skydiving accident, according to Franklin Fire Co.

A skydiver, who has not been identified, was found on the railroad tracks that run through a wooded area behind the cemetery, according to a post on the fire department's Facebook page. It was reported that the person spun out of control midair before landing on the tracks.

Emergency responders used specialized vehicles to find and rescue a skydiver who landed on railroad tracks in a wooded area behind Norland Cemetery north of Chambersburg on Aug. 19, 2023.

WGAL reported that the skydiver was doing a solo dive but had two instructors nearby. The instructors' parachutes opened properly, but they saw the subject flying away backward toward some trees, according to a report the TV station attributed to the owner of Chambersburg Skydiving Center.

The skydiving center did not immediately respond to a voicemail or a Facebook message on Monday afternoon. A message on the center's voicemail states the office is not staffed on weekdays.

The terrain of the area made for a challenging rescue of the skydiver, Franklin Fire Co. and WGAL reported.

"Due to the steep terrain and limited access issues in the area of the incident, a CSX pickup truck with rail car wheels was utilized to extricate the patient to the hard road," the fire department said.

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A WellSpan Health WellFlight medical helicopter flew the injured skydiver from the scene. WGAL reported the skydiver suffered a broken leg.

Franklin County Regional Airport is just across a field from where the skydiver landed, roughly 2,000 feet away.

Chambersburg Skydiving Center has been at the airport for more than 30 years and hosts thousands of jumps each year, according to its website. Tandem skydiving, accelerated freefall skydiving, static line skydiving and instructor-assisted deployment skydiving are among its offerings.

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.