Skydiving Instructor Sheldon McFarlane Rescues Skydiver Experiencing Seizure Mid-Fall

Sheldon McFarlane, a skydiving instructor, has become an international hero after a video of McFarlane rescuing a skydiver who suffered a seizure mid-jump went viral.

Skydiving Instructor Daring Rescue Goes Viral

The video, apparently taken from a body camera belonging to McFarlane, has received over 12 million views since being posted on March 1. The jump itself, however, occurred in November 2014, when Christopher Jones, 22, was doing a routine dive as part of his training to become a skydiving instructor.

The 12,000-foot jump over Australia appeared to be going smoothly when, at 9,000 feet, Jones fell unconscious and suffered a seizure. In the video, Jones appears to be convulsing uncontrollably, leaving him in an out-of-control free-fall at 124 mph. Luckily, at 4,000 feet, McFarlane was able to get ahold of Jones and pull the cord to open Jones’ parachute.

“I remember up until the point I blacked out and then waking up underneath the parachute at about 3,000 feet. I think I’m fairly lucky,” Jones said after the incident went viral.

Jones has epilepsy but says that he hasn’t suffered a seizure for four years and received a doctor’s approval for his skydiving endeavors.

“He had all the documentation and had been to his doctor; he had been seizure-free for a number of years and believed he had it under control,” explained McFarlane in an interview.

McFarlane is being named a hero by many, but the instructor is adamant that the entire rescue wasn’t “as extreme as it sounds.” The equipment would have deployed a chute one way or another, McFarlane told BBC, but he felt he should open the parachute when he had the chance to ensure Jones had time to prepare himself for landing when he regained consciousness.

“At no time was I worried he was going to hit the ground without a parachute, but given the circumstances and where we were, I thought it would be better to get him under parachute earlier than later,” McFarlane said.

Jones, however, thinks McFarlane is being modest. “He’s a hero. He’s a massive hero,” Jones told ABC News.