Current Date: 10 Jun, 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
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.

A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water

A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water

On June 10, 1986, two-and-a-half-year-old Michelle Funk fell into an icy creek and was submerged for 66 minutes. When rescuers pulled her out of the water, she was not breathing, had no pulse, and appeared lifeless. The doctors used various techniques to rewarm her blood and bring her back to life. She was successfully resuscitated and went on to lead a healthy life.

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer

In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.

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.

Couple reunites after 60 years apart

Couple reunites after 60 years apart

A Russian couple were reunited after being separated for 60 years. They were married for 3 days when the husband left to join the Red Army. They were unable to find each other until 60 years later when they randomly visited their hometown on the same day.

Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?

Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?

7-ELEVEN is thought to have a lowercase "n" in its logo because the company president's wife believed that a logo with all caps would seem harsh, while a lowercase "n" would make it more graceful.

How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal

How Magic Johnson Missed Out On $7 Billion Nike deal

Magic Johnson turned down a deal with Nike in 1979 that offered him 100,000 shares of stock and $1 for every pair of shoes sold. Instead, he chose Converse, which offered him $100,000 per year. Johnson lost about $5 billion by declining the Nike deal.

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.

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.

'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.