I
Septembe
1999,
Joa
Mu ay,
a
47-yea -old
Ba k
of
Ame ica
executive
f om
Cha lotte,
No th
Ca oli a,
su vived
a
skydivi g
accide t
that
left
he
with
devastati g
i ju ies.
She
had
jumped
f om
about
14,500
feet
whe
he
mai
pa achute
failed
to
ope .
He
ese ve
pa achute
deployed
at
oughly
700
feet
but
soo
lost
its
effective ess.
Mu ay
the
st uck
the
g ou d
at
a ou d
80
mph.
She
la ded
o
a
mou d
of
fi e
a ts
a d
was
stu g
hu d eds
of
times
while
se iously
i ju ed.
Mu ay
late
said
docto s
believed
the
a t
sti gs
could
have
co t ibuted
to
he
su vival,
although
the
exact
medical
expla atio
was
eve
established.
She
spe t
about
15
days
i
a
coma
a d
u de we t
exte sive
t eatme t
befo e
eve tually
etu i g
to
skydivi g.
No th
Ca oli a
woma ’s
14,500-foot
jump
tu ed
i to
a
fight
fo
su vival
Mu ay
had
al eady
made
ume ous
jumps
befo e
the
accide t.
Accou ts
f om
the
time
put
he
p evious
expe ie ce
at
oughly
30
to
35
skydives.
O
Septembe
25,
1999,
she
boa ded
a
pla e
fo
a othe
jump
i
the
Cheste
Cou ty
a ea
of
South
Ca oli a.
She
left
the
ai c aft
at
about
14,500
feet
a d
i itially
had
a
o mal
desce t.
The
da ge
bega
whe
she
t ied
to
deploy
he
mai
pa achute.
It
failed
to
ope
despite
epeated
attempts.
Mu ay
eve tually
tu ed
to
he
ese ve
pa achute.
It
ope ed
whe
she
was
o ly
about
700
feet
f om
the
g ou d.
That
gave
he
almost
o
time
to
co ect
the
situatio .
Mu ay
late
explai ed
that
she
was
holdi g
the
ese ve
cutaway
ha dle
while
t yi g
to
b ake
the
ca opy.
This
se t
he
i to
a
ha d
ight
swi g.
The
ca opy
the
lost
ai
a d
collapsed.
Eve
so,
the
b ief
deployme t
educed
he
speed
f om
about
120
mph
to
oughly
80
mph.Mu ay
the
c ashed
i to
the
g ou d
at
a
estimated
80
mph.
She
late
told
CNN
that
she
st uck
the
g ou d
ho izo tally.
She
believed
that
positio
helped
sp ead
the
impact
ac oss
he
body
a d
gave
he
a
cha ce
of
su vivi g.
The
i ju ies
we e
still
seve e.
She
shatte ed
he
ight
leg
a d
f actu ed
he
femu .
He
pelvis
b oke
i
fou
places
a d
he
hip
socket
was
badly
damaged.
She
also
suffe ed
a
collapsed
lu g,
b oke
ibs
a d
a
shatte ed
elbow.
The
accide t
took
a
ext ao di a y
tu
afte
the
impact.
Mu ay
had
la ded
o
a
mou d
of
fi e
a ts.
The
distu bed
colo y
swa med
ove
he
a d
bega
sti gi g
he
epeatedly.
Co tempo a y
accou ts
epo ted
mo e
tha
200
sti gs.
Mu ay
he self
late
desc ibed
havi g
seve al
hu d ed
fi e-a t
bites.
She
emai ed
badly
i ju ed
o
the
g ou d
u til
escue s
a ived.