A base jumper dove off a cliff with a parachute, but lost control of it, landing on rocks and seriously injuring his hip.
The incident took place at the Beachy Head cliff near Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK.
A friend of the wounded man, who was waiting for his turn to jump, acted quickly and leaped off the cliff to help his pal.
The athlete, a trained paramedic, stayed with his friend until a helicopter rescue team arrived.
"A paramedic on board the helicopter treated the base jumper who is believed to have suffered a broken hip and was stuck at the beach close to the Beachy Head Lighthouse," a coastguard spokesman said, cited by media.
Afterwards the man was taken to a contact point in Brighton and then transported to a hospital on Saturday.