Skydiver Paralysed After Near-Fatal Parachute Malfunction

A Middlesbrough skydiver is lucky to be alive after a catastrophic parachute failure left him plummeting towards the ground at 70mph. Kirk Trainor, a seasoned skydiver with nearly 700 successful jumps under his belt, suffered eight broken ribs and a fractured spine during the incident in May. The impact left him permanently paralysed, reliant on a wheelchair for mobility.

The incident occurred during a routine skydive when the mechanism responsible for slowing the parachute's descent failed. Despite the parachute partially deploying, the descent was still fast enough to be potentially fatal.

Friends of Mr Trainor have launched fundraising initiatives to help him access experimental private treatments that could potentially allow him to walk again. These include pioneering stem cell therapy, which involves using a patient's own cells to re-grow damaged nerve fibres in the spinal cord.

Multiple online appeals have been established, including a GoFundMe page that has raised nearly £14,000 in just five days. Another appeal has garnered over £1,340 towards its £6,000 target.

Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Mr Trainor said, "My hand slipped off the toggle that controls the parachute's braking system as I was landing. I didn't have time to react before hitting the ground. I landed feet first, and the force of the impact went straight into my lower spine. My legs just stopped working, and I knew it was serious."

He added, "It feels like being in a motorbike accident, but I'm lucky to be alive. It could have been much worse – people have died in similar incidents."

Mr Trainor's most critical injury is the spinal cord damage, resulting in paralysis from his belly button downwards. He remains in hospital, two months after the incident, recovering from surgery to stabilise his spine.

While NHS options for treatment are limited, private clinics offer experimental therapies like stem cell transplants, which have shown promising results in restoring function after spinal cord injuries. These therapies, however, can be extremely expensive, exceeding £100,000.

Mr Trainor's friends have set up the fundraising appeals to help him pay for a lightweight wheelchair, which will cost around £6,000 and aid his independence. Any surplus funds will go towards funding the experimental stem cell treatment.

The appeals call on friends, family, colleagues, and the wider community to support Mr Trainor's recovery journey, which will undoubtedly be long and challenging. The hope is that with enough support, he can regain some independence and quality of life.