Jan 27, 2009 5:27 pm US/Pacific
Video Shows Terrifying Lodi Skydiving Mishap LODI, Calif.
Skydiving instructors at the Parachute Center in Lodi braced for the worst as the skydiver descended towards the ground on her eleventh jump.

A Sacramento skydiver has been hospitalized after her parachute tangled into power lines and slammed her into a power pole.

Skydiving instructors at the Parachute Center in Lodi braced for the worst as the skydiver descended towards the ground during her eleventh jump on Monday.

"She came in, started pattern really low," said instructor William Whittenburg. "That's when we knew something was wrong."

The skydiver avoided hitting a nearby freeway, but slammed into something almost as dangerous.

"She basically impacted the pole the same time the parachute did," Whittenburg said. "The parachute caught up in the pole and hung her there."

Witnesses say the skydiver hit the pole so hard, she knocked the door off the power box. Veronica Lara watched the botched landing in horror as the skydiver came down just feet from where she was standing.

"She was screaming bloody murder," Veronica said. "It was making me shake."

Instructors say the skydiver was headed in the wrong direction during landing. Instead of turning back toward the landing area upon her approach, she headed straight toward the freeway and veered off at the last minute, hitting the pole.

The victim is recovering from non-life threatening injuries at the UC Davis Medical Center.

Instructors say the woman had jumped nine times with a partner, but only once by herself before this accident.