{"id":58327,"date":"2025-02-25T09:40:51","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T09:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=58327"},"modified":"2025-03-03T09:16:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T09:16:35","slug":"dont-chop-your-fingers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/dont-chop-your-fingers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Fingers Away From HARM!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Cautionary Tale…<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many manufacturing industries educate their employees about hand safety, especially when they have to work around heavy machinery. We don\u2019t tend to talk about hand safety too much in skydiving, other than to recommend not<\/em> wearing rings that can get hooked on things and to wear gloves when it\u2019s cold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, there is a type of hand injury that can happen very quickly in skydiving, with very little in the way of safe options to resolve the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many of us put our hands on our risers while our main canopies are opening? Probably most of us, so check this out\u2026 if you have a violent line twist in your risers, and your hands are on those risers, it’s possible for the twist to trap your finger or fingers. There is a LOT of tension on your risers in this scenario, and you will not be able to get your finger out\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

…just ask Camilo…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camilo Garc\u00e9s Duque <\/em>deployed at around 4,000 feet after an uneventful movement jump only to have a ghost-pepper-spicy deployment with an unstowed right toggle on his Comp Velo 90, loaded at 1.9:1. As the canopy started to inflate, his hands were gripped on the risers, ready to use them if needed to manage the opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camilo Garc\u00e9s Duque <\/em>with both hands on his risers as the canopy is deploying<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As parachutes often do, his canopy did the unexpected, initially turning right as it was still inflating (in the direction of the unstowed brake). Camilo pulled his left rear riser to counter the turn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note, his left middle finger is through the excess brake line of the stowed brake\u2026 we\u2019ll come back to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pulling the left toggle to counteract the twist \u2013 note the brake line wrapped around Camilo’s finger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On full inflation, the canopy finally did as it was being told; the combination of the unstowed right brake and left rear riser input whipped it sharply back to the left to create a line and riser twist, trapping Camilo\u2019s left middle finger in the twist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The canopy twists and wraps around both hands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the canopy added a few more twists and started to dive, he reached higher into the risers with his right hand, resulting in a very brief but undoubtedly terrifying moment where his right hand was trapped as well. This is the stuff of true skydiving nightmares!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Camilo yanked his right hand free and kept his wits; he knew this canopy was definitely not landable, so he had to cut away even though he worried the finger trap would keep the main attached to him. With his finger still trapped, about 10 seconds after the twist started, he did about the only thing he could do\u2026 he pulled the cutaway handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camilo’s Optimum reserve opens with line twists, which Camilo kicks out of<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

the stuff of true skydiving nightmares!<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The main released cleanly and the reserve deployed immediately into line twists, which he was able to kick out of after several seconds of working that problem. Only then did he take a look at his left hand to realize the brake line looped around his finger, and\/or the edge of the departing main riser, had sliced off part of his finger!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Camilo realizes he’s lost part of his fingertip in the cutaway!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Despite the pain from his injury, Camilo was able to fly his Optimum reserve to a comfortable stand-up landing on the DZ. Unfortunately, the doctors were not able to save his fingertip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good news: After a little time off to heal, he went right back to jumping, starting with fun jumps and video jumps, and now tandems again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proper respect to Camilo for breaking off and deploying at a smart altitude of 4,000 feet, leaving himself time to deal with a terrible issue while still having time and altitude to land safely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video <\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Watch Camilo’s video to see the drama unfold…<\/p>\n\n\n