The Times-Tribune
CORBIN — Times-Tribune Staff Report
1998 South Laurel High School graduate, Justin Hammons, a professional skydiver, remained in serious condition Tuesday at a Dayton, Ohio hospital.
Hammons, 29, living now in Lexington, was injured Saturday in a parachute jump at Middletown, Ohio’s Hook Field.
The incident happened at about 5 p.m. on the first day of jumping season at the airport.
Hammons was a member of Team Fast Trax and was called an experienced jumper with about 2,000 completed jumps.
The Dayton Daily News reported that Hammons apparently made a series of errors in the jump with his parachute open.
He had reportedly made a “hook turn” on his descent which is supposed to allow jumpers to come to a running stop upon landing.
As a result, Hammons reportedly couldn’t position himself correctly and struck the ground at a high rate of speed.
He is a patient at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
The Ohio Highway Patrol and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident.
