Sgt in Army’s Red Devils parachute team plunges 3,500ft to his death after getting tangled in another jumper’s chute
THE Sergeant Major of the British Army’s Red Devils tragically fell to his death during a training jump accident in Spain, reports claim.
Sergeant Dean Walton plunged more than 3,500ft when his parachute became entangled with that of another jumper during an exercise on Friday.
According to , the tragic mid-air collision caused his canopy to collapse – sending him into a severe spin, before he crash landed at high speed at a drop zone.
And despite the tireless efforts of on hand emergency staff, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Since the tragic incident, the jumper who collided with Sergeant Walton in mid-air, detailed the harrowing account on Facebook.
Nimsdai Purja, 39, a former Special Boat Service trooper, said: “Dean and I were conducting canopy handling and stacking drills.
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“We left the aircraft at 15,000ft and were under good canopies by 3,500ft. Dean approached and was positioned at 45 degrees directly behind and above.
“This required deep brakes to stay in position and it is thought due to this Dean’s canopy stalled and collapsed, sending him through my canopy and entangling him within my lines.
“This sent us both into a severe spin and increased our fall rate dramatically. At this point I had no option but to cut away and pull my reserve.”
He explained that Sergeant Dean's canopy had inflated and had subsequently started to descend at a faster rate.
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By the time he had reached the drop zone he had incurred “serious injuries.”
“I conducted life-saving treatment but due to the severity of his injuries I was unable to resuscitate him”, he added in the post.
“I am devastated at the loss of Dean who was super talented and loved what he did.”
According to his LinkedIn Profile, Sergeant Walton has been an esteemed member of the regiment's world-famous parachute display team for 17 years.
He regularly performed at events across the country “co-ordinating the activities of a large team of highly skilled military parachute demonstrators.”
It included a spectacle last summer when he led his colleagues on a performance to mark England reaching the final of the Euro 2020 women’s football championships.
He is survived by his wife Shelby and his one-year-old daughter Stella, .
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In a statement last night the Army said: “It is with sadness that we can confirm the death of Sergeant Dean Walton.
“Our thoughts are with the soldier’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
