Two Florida Skydivers Injured When Parachute Malfunctioned

TITUSVILLE (CBSMiami/CNN) - Two men skydiving in tandem were critically injured after their parachute malfunctioned and they ended up crashing into a tree in front of a home.

The Titusville Fire Department said the men were flown to a trauma center in critical condition on Wednesday morning following a "skydiving incident." Photos show a tree limb lying in the front yard of a house, along with the parachutes.

Wendy Nelms took a video of the men as plummeted toward the ground. Nelms says her son and daughter were skydiving with the group from Skydive Space Center that departed from Dunn Airport.

Nelms' husband, who she says is an Army veteran with parachuting experience, knew right away those involved were in trouble.

"They were flipping in circles going upside down, side to side for about 20 to 30 seconds," Christina Renfroe, who filmed the incident from a nearby dog park, told CNN. "He then deployed his second chute and it caused them to spin, but they were no longer flipping."

A representative answering the phone at Skydive Space Center would not comment and would not confirm the incident took place.

On its website, Skydive Space Center says it offers three types of skydiving: an 11,000-feet jump, Florida's highest jump of 15,000, and the world's highest tandem jump at 18,000 feet. According to its Facebook page, they just resumed operations on May 2 after being closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

The incident is under investigation.

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