British soldier lost parachute, smashed house roof, fell in kitchen but miraculously survived

A British soldier was saved from death after his parachute failed to fully deploy amid training in California, which made him crash into the roof of a house and fall into the surprised owner’s kitchen.

The paratrooper jumped from a 15,000-foot (4,600-meter) aircraft in a high-altitude opening exercise known as the Halo, which is used by the Special Air Service (SAS) and the Special Boat Service ( SBS) for secret missions in hostile territory. .

But the soldier started to lose control when the parachute did not fully deploy in the skies of Atascadero, California.

Although he managed to deploy his reserve parachute, it was already too late to reach the designated drop zone and he continued his rapid descent to the ground.

Residents of the town about 200 miles northwest of Los Angeles called 911 after seeing it fall before crashing into the house.

“In my opinion, it’s a miracle, really. I mean, who lands like that without a parachute and lives? ”, Rose Martin, one of the neighbors who discovered the soldier, told local media.

“I was shocked. I was like: what?, So I ran to make sure he was okay and I checked him and his eyes were open, but I wasn’t sure if he was had injuries. I didn’t want anyone to move him ”, said Martin, a registered nurse.

The impact left a huge hole in the tiled roof of the bungalow as the soldier fell through the attic and into the kitchen.

One image shows the soldier in a seated position, surrounded by broken tiles and with his parachute still attached. Someone can be seen standing next to him as he removes a glove.

The owners were absent at the time of the incident at 4:55 p.m. on July 6.

The soldier, Dressed in a British special forces uniform, he was pictured in the kitchen surrounded by dust and debris in the house, still held in his harness.

The lines of the parachute crossed the ceiling and the parachute stretched over the tiles.

The soldier suffered only minor injuries during the forced landing and was taken to hospital for treatment.

“It went through the roof, it went through the braids, and there isn’t as much damage to the house. It’s amazing. It is mainly the ceiling, the plasterboard. He dodged counters, appliances, everything “said Linda Sallady, the owner’s mother.

The rest of the training group from nearby Camp Roberts landed safely on the designated airstrip.

“There was a parachuting incident involving a British soldier training alongside American allies in California. The soldier suffered minor injuries and is recovering well, ”the UK Ministry of Defense told UK media.

For their part, Atascadero police said that when he was transferred to hospital, the paratrooper was conscious but stunned, complaining of pain but no visible serious injuries.

“The occupants of the residence were not at home at the time and were therefore not injured”, stressed the authorities.

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