On January 24, a 55-year-old Minnesota woman named Ann Wick tragically died in a skydiving incident. While Wick managed to deploy her parachute, many witnessed how her canopy turned, leading to a fatal landing. Despite the efforts of first responders, Wick was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The incident occurred at Skydive Arizona, located in the city of Eloy, at around 4:06 p.m., according to the
Eloy Police Department. Skydive Arizona themselves shared a statement with PEOPLE, describing the events that eventually led to the woman's death.According to them, everything seemed normal with Wick's jump, as the free phase of the skydive "appeared normal, with the parachute deploying as expected." However, something went wrong during the last stretch leading to her landing.
"Despite the parachute fully deploying as designed, observers noted the canopy was turning," the statement reads. "No corrective actions appeared to be taken by the jumper, nor was the reserve parachute deployed. The injuries sustained during landing proved fatal."
Medical personnel rushed to the Ann Wick and initiated life-saving measures. However, Wick was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of her injuries. The cause of her death is currently under investigation, according to Eloy police. The Federal Aviation Administration will also review the equipment and procedures that may have caused such a tragedy to occur.
Beating The Odds
According to Wick's family, who shared a statement with KSTP, Ann Wick had an inspiring story of overcoming insurmountable odds. When she was 20, she suffered a "major car accident" that led to doctors telling her she wouldn't have any children in the future. Despite this, she had two: Charlie and Rosalie.
In 2010, Ann Wick was diagnosed with late-stage 3 breast cancer. She had to undergo "grueling surgeries" and chemotherapy. Turns out, she beat cancer too, making a full recovery. This motivated her to pursue a nursing degree and to start skydiving.
"Ann was just settling into her career at United here in St. Paul," the statement reads. "She was an avid outdoor activities lover. She had completed hundreds of successful jumps. We received the devastating news Friday night of her accident and we are all still just in disbelief. We know she earned her angels wings and is looking down on her family and many precious friends."
A GoFundMe campaign was set up by Ann's brother, Jeff Wallis, to help cover Ann's children's expenses.
