A British soldier narrowly escaped death yesterday when his parachute failed during a 15,000ft training jump in California.
Instead of landing in the designated field near Camp Roberts, he crashed through the roof of a bungalow in Atascadero, landing stunned in the kitchen. Photos showed him still in his harness, surrounded by broken tiles and debris.
Neighbor and nurse Rose Martin rushed in to help. “It’s a miracle, really,” she said. “Who lands like that without a parachute and lives?”
The soldier was conscious and taken to hospital with moderate injuries. Amazingly, no one was inside the home at the time, and damage to the house was limited.
Police later confirmed his parachute had failed to deploy properly, but all other jumpers in the exercise landed safely.
