Skydiver survives after plummeting 3,000 feet

Skydiver survives after plummeting 3,000 feet

Published Mar. 9, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

A skydiver miraculously survived after plummeting 3,000 feet to the ground when her parachute became tangled, The Sun reported Tuesday.

Lareece Butler escaped with bruises, a broken leg and concussion after slamming into the ground in South Africa.

The mother of one leaped from a plane with a parachute which opened automatically but suffered problems within seconds of exiting the aircraft.

Her boyfriend watched from the ground in horror as she spiraled downwards before crashing into a field on Saturday.

Skydive manager Joos Vos said Tuesday the novice jumper was very lucky to be alive.

"It should have all run smoothly but she exited the plane in an unusual and unstable position," Vos said.

"This caused the parachute leads to become entangled. Although the parachute did partially inflate, it was rotating and becoming more entangled as she dropped.

"She had been trained to use the emergency procedure but unfortunately she did not and instead fell towards the ground.

"I think she had done one or two parachute jumps before but was certainly not experienced," he said.

Butler, 26, was on a training course at EP Skydiving Club in King William's Town, in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, when the accident happened.

She remained in intensive care where doctors said she was in a stable condition.

Her stepfather Victor Peterson was shocked by her condition.

"The doctor said it was nothing but divine intervention, nothing short of a miracle," he said.

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