Red Devils parachutist plunges to his death after getting tangled in another chute

A man has plunged more than 1000 metres to his death after his parachute became entangled with that of another jumper.

The Sergeant Major of a famed British military parachute team has tragically died during a skydiving accident in Spain.

Sgt Dean Walton of the Red Devils plunged more than 1000m to his death after his parachute became entangled with that of another jumper during a training exercise on Friday, The Sun reports.

According to Daily Mail, the tragic mid-air collision caused his canopy to collapse, sending him into a severe spin, before he crash-landed at high speed in the drop zone.

Despite the tireless efforts of emergency staff, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Sergeant Dean Walton passed away following a training accident on Friday, it’s been reported. Picture: Facebook

Since the tragic incident, the parachutist who collided with Sgt Walton 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.

“We left the aircraft at 15,000ft [4500m] and were under good canopies by 3500ft [1000m]. Dean approached and was positioned at 45-degrees directly behind and above.

The Sergeant reportedly suffered fatal injuries after his parachute became entangled with that of another jumper.

“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 Sgt Walton’s canopy had inflated and subsequently started to descend at a faster rate.

Dean Walton was part of the regiment’s world-famous parachute display team for 17 years.

By the time he had reached the drop zone he had incurred “serious injuries”.

“I conducted lifesaving 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.”

He is survived by his wife and one-year-old daughter. Picture: Facebook

According to his LinkedIn profile, Sgt 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, SNBC reports.

In a statement, 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.”

This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission