Current Date: 01 Mar, 2026
{{entry.title}}

Woman survives skydiving accident, discovers she's pregnant

2005, a woman performing her first solo skydive jump survived a parachute malfunction which caused her to slam face first into a parking lot at 50 MPH. During surgery doctors discovered she was pregnant. She made a full recovery and the baby was fine.

Shayna Richardson appeared fully equipped before she jumped to experience her first 10,000-foot accelerated free fall, or AFF as it is known to skydivers.

Before the jump, she stated on a home-made video, “I’m going to walk out, get OK’d,” appearing ecstatic and in complete control.

But something terribly went wrong. Both Richardson’s main and reserve parachute failed to open properly. The 21-year-old started to fall at a speed of about 50 mph and hit the ground face-first in a parking lot in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Pregnant death dive survivor is now mother of two 1
Photo credit: Mirror

“I didn’t know I had anything wrong with my parachute until a few seconds after I deployed,” she recalled. It opened properly and was fully inflated above my head when one of the steering toggles suddenly snapped loose, sending me into an uncontrollable spin. I had to cut away to what was supposed to be a guaranteed open with my reserve, which only opened partially, because I was unaware of the problem.

The entire descent was caught on camera, and Rich West, Shayna’s boyfriend and a skydiving instructor, could be heard yelling, “Shayna, pump the brake,” in the background.

Her face and pelvis broke like “eggshells,” and doctors had to insert steel plates. She learned she was pregnant for two weeks while she was in the hospital. The unharmed infant is due in June.

Richardson claimed that she submitted to God’s will on the way down.

Pregnant death dive survivor is now mother of two 2
Photo credit: today.com

She said, “I just asked God to take away the pain of the impact, and I let go of my steering toggles.” I told him that I was ready to return home because I didn’t want to endure the suffering.

After that, everything else she recalls is the ambulance. After the impact, she allegedly tried to sit up, but West forced her to stay down and advised her to unwind.

He said, “She spit her teeth out. “I noticed she had lost every tooth,”

Richardson declared, “There is no logical justification for why I survived. “It just comes down to God being involved in that.”

Despite her near-death experience, she intends to skydive once more in August.

She said to Diane Sawyer, “You have got to go for yourself. “You have to experience it once to comprehend.”

Similar Stories
How Being Bugs Bunny Helped This Voice Actor Out of Coma

How Being Bugs Bunny Helped This Voice Actor Out of Coma

Mel Blanc; the voice of Bugs Bunny, had been in a serious car accident that put him in a coma. After many unsuccessful attempts to get him to talk, a doctor asked “Bugs, can you hear me” Mel responded in the voice of bugs bunny, “Whats up, Doc? The doctors used this to lead him out of his coma.

A Pilot Survived 20 Minutes Outside A Flying Jet

A Pilot Survived 20 Minutes Outside A Flying Jet

In 1990, the captain of flight 5390 Timothy Lancaster got sucked out of his own plane when the window of the plane fell off. The crew held the captain’s leg for 30 minutes while the plane performed emergency landing. Everyone survived.

'Press Your Luck' Was Hacked in 1984 by an Ice Cream Man

'Press Your Luck' Was Hacked in 1984 by an Ice Cream Man

in 1984 an contestant made it onto the game show Press Your Luck. He discovered using his stop-motion VCR that the presumed random patterns of the game board were not random and memorized the sequences. On the game he was on, he won 45 consecutive spins. winning $110,237 in cash & prizes.

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

In 2009, Gergely Barki, an art historian, was watching the film Stuart Little (1999) when he spotted an original long-lost painting used as a prop. Called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, this painting was the work of Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény. The painting had been considered lost after World War II.

Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island

Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island

During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored closed to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.

Billy Ray Harris: A Story of Kindness and Honesty

Billy Ray Harris: A Story of Kindness and Honesty

In 2013, a homeless man named Billy Ray Harris discovered a $4,000 engagement ring in this cup. A woman had dropped while giving him some change. He returned the ring to her two days later. To thank him for his honesty, she set up a fund with the goal of raising $4,000 for him. It earned more than $185,000.

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.

Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year

Man uses first-class ticket to eat for free at airport's VIP lounge for almost a year

A Chinese man purchased a First Class Ticket, which included admission to a VIP Lounge with free food. Over the course of a year, he rescheduled over 300 times in order to receive over 300 free dinners. When questioned, it was discovered that he is rescheduling his reservation to another date after eating. He eventually cancelled the ticket and got a full refund.