Friends of Heath Hateley rally to raise funds after horrific Torquay skydive accident
A Geelong man fighting for life after a skydive attempt turned horribly wrong has been described as a “legend of a human” as friends rally to support him.
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Friends of a Geelong man fighting for life after a skydive attempt turned horribly wrong have described him as a “legend of a human”.
There are fears Geelong man Heath Hateley “might not be able to work again” after he allegedly crash landed at the Torquay airport on Sunday afternoon.
It’s believed the incident was not a parachute malfunction but a hard landing following his solo jump.
Mr Hateley, as of Wednesday, remains in a critical condition in the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious lower body injuries.
His good friend, Cory Varga, has told a GoFundMe page Heath would do anything for anyone.
“He is not in good shape at the moment and the outcome is looking uncertain,” Mr Varga wrote.
“(I) hope we can all come together to try and lessen the blow for him and help him and his family through this rough time.”
The fundraiser has already raised more than $21,500.
Mr Hateley is believed to be an experienced skydiver who has completed many solo jumps in Australia and overseas.
Friends have been paying tribute online in the wake of the freakish accident.
One skydiving companion, Felix Wetterberg, said the incident had “broke my heart”, describing his mate as “strong”.
Steph Smith said she was “honestly still in shock”.
“Heath is a one of a kind and he has a long road ahead of him,” she said.
Victoria Police is not investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall.
Australian Skydive has failed to answer any questions over the accident on Blackgate Rd, despite repeated requests by this masthead.
The Australian Parachute Federation has launched its own investigation.
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Originally published as Friends of Heath Hateley rally to raise funds after horrific Torquay skydive accident
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