Skydiving Granny

Laverne Everett decided she wanted to jump from an airplane for her 80th birthday. She had never been skydiving and it was something she had desired to do for a long time.The skydiving trip took place, but what followed was not what she had expected. Laverne is happy she did the jump even though it proved to be life threatening.

The harness had slipped

As Laverne squatted in the door way of the plane, she appears she has changed her mind, still the instructor gives her the small nudge she needed. Laverne and the instructor both exit the plane together. He holds onto her as they exit the plane. Once outside the plane, it becomes clear that the Laverne’s harness has almost completely slipped off her shoulders. The instructor continues to hold on to Laverne which is what saves her life. The person doing the video taping of the jump tries to help her get it back on, but was not able to. The instructors parachute opens and both the instructor and Laverne land safely. Laverne because of her precarious position, could not enjoy the scenic ride down. She does say she is not sorry she did it.

Was her gear properly checked

Before a person departs on the plane to do a skydive, they are to be properly fitted for their equipment. The parachute has to be properly folded and the harness should be fastened to fit her size. This should have been checked a few times. A person skydiving is putting their life in the hands of their instructor. Laverne literally did that. Laverne appears to have changed her mind before exiting the plane. I figure that happens a lot in this type of situation. Maybe they sign something stating that the instructor can nudge them out if they get scared. After going through all of that, a person would be disappointed in themselves had they backed out. Skydiving isn’t a perfectly safe hobby. It has it’s risk. Laverne found out very quickly just what they were. Thankfully the instructor was able to carry her down safely.