Man Jumping Off Radio Tower Hurt as Chute Snags
WALNUT GROVE — A parachutist who leaped off a 2,000-foot-high antenna tower was injured when his chute got tangled in a support wire and he plunged into a water-filled ditch.
The unidentified jumper was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stockton, where he was listed in serious condition after surgery for a ruptured spleen.
A second parachutist left the area immediately after making a successful jump at the same time and could not be found, a Sacramento County sheriff’s spokesman said.
Officials said the injured man jumped from a platform on the 2,085-foot structure and his partially open parachute became snagged on a guy wire. The jumper slid about 500 feet down the wire, then fell about 300 feet to the ground. He dropped into about 3 1/2 feet of water in a drainage canal.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
