Girl escapes death after parachute fails on birthday

A Texas girl on a dream skydiving trip to celebrate her 16th birthday narrowly escaped death on her first jump when her parachute malfunctioned at 3,500ft and she crashed to the ground.

Trauma surgeon Dr Jeffrey Bender said that Makenzie Wethington hurt her liver, broke her pelvis, lumbar spine in her lower back, a shoulder blade, and several ribs and a tooth in the fall in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

“I don’t know the particulars of the accident, as I wasn’t there. But if she truly fell 3,500ft, I have no idea how she survived,” said Dr Bender, of OU Medical Centre in Oklahoma City.