Skydiver Listed In Serious Condition At U.Va.

CHARLOTTESVILLE(AP) – A veteran skydiver injured in a tandem parachute jump at the Orange County Airport Sunday was listed in serious condition Monday at the University of Virginia Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Megan Rowe.

Mike Wayne French, 52, of Orange, was airlifted to the Charlottesville hospital following what Virginia State Police spokesman Sgt. Les Tyler called a “hard landing.”

The crash happened at 12:39 p.m.

French’s student skydiver, Carolyn Payne, 18, was taken to Culpeper Regional Hospital Sunday afternoon then transferred to U.Va. early Monday, according to CRH spokeswoman Abra Hogarth.

Payne, a senior at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax County, was released.

According to police, French experienced some sort of parachute malfunction about 200 feet from the ground, forcing the pair to strike a fence before hitting the ground.

Trooper C.J. Horner responded to the incident, which he’s still investigating.