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Faulty Parachutes Blamed for Fatal US Military Accidents

CC0 / Pixabay / A parachutist
A parachutist - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.04.2023
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An injured US Special Forces serviceman has attempted to sue the parachute's manufacturer over the quality of the product.
At least three members of various branches of the US Special Forces, such as Navy SEALs and Green Berets, have died or sustained injuries during the past several years due to premature parachute deployment.
According to one US newspaper, all of these incidents involved the T-11 reserve parachute, which is worn on the chest and is used if the main parachute fails to deploy for some reason.
One of these incidents occurred last year when Army Staff Sergeant Brycen Erdody got sucked out of the aircraft door when his reserve parachute suddenly opened due to a gust of wind.
The serviceman now risks losing his arm, which got partially severed after he got slammed against the door frame while being dragged out of the aircraft by his parachute.
“Both my first ribs were fractured, my sternum was caved in, my bicep was cut in half, my nerves were pulled from my spine,” Erdod, who has already undergone five surgeries, told the newspaper. “They’ll probably end up having to amputate my arm because there’s no nerve activity and never will be again.”
The Green Beret and his wife have since attempted to sue the parachute manufacturer, a company called Airborne Systems of North America, for “designing a faulty parachute and failing to warn service members about its issues."
In 2019, Air Force Special Operator Staff Sgt. Cole Condiff also got pulled out from an aircraft midflight when a sudden gust of wind caused his reserve parachute to open; the plane was flying over the Gulf of Mexico at that time, and Condiff has never been seen again.
Meanwhile, in 2014, a Navy SEAL named Bradley Cavner perished over California after hitting his head against the door frame while being pulled out of the aircraft by his suddenly activated T-11 reserve parachute.
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