A skydiving teacher and student who were jumping in tandem were seriously injured when their parachutes failed to open over Titusville, Florida, sending them spiraling toward the ground.
Brevard County Fire Rescue responded to the fall at about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday and found the two skydivers on the front yard of a home, according to the Titusville Fire Department. Both were airlifted to trauma centers with serious injuries.
The Titusville Police Department is investigating the incident.
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Video of the fall shows the two, who were harnessed together, spinning as they accelerated toward the ground.
They landed on a tree first, and then grass, NBC affiliate WESH in Orlando reported, adding that both of the skydivers were conscious when paramedics arrived.
“We thought at first it was a stunt. But when they started coming toward the ground we could tell that something wasn’t right because of how fast they were going,” said witness Joshua Graham.
The jump was arranged through Skydive Space Center, according to WESH. The center, which says it is the “home of the world’s highest jumps” at 18,000 feet, reopened on May 2 following a closure due to the coronavirus, according to its Facebook page.
The center did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News on Thursday morning.
