When my parachute failed: How I survived a fall from 15,000 feet

When Brad Guy went skydiving in his early 20s, his whole family was there to watch.  But when Brad jumped out of the plane strapped to his instructor, the parachute, and the backup chute both failed to open. The pair plunged to the ground at 80km an hour, and miraculously both survived. The fall was terrifying, but recovery is what scared Brad the most.

Despite hitting the ground at around 80kmph, they both survived, but from the first night in hospital Brad started experiencing debilitating night terrors.  Then back at home with his parents for the first four months, Brad sunk into a deep depression and was barely able to leave his room. 

It was the start of physical and emotional recovery that took years and changed Brad and his family forever.

This episode of Conversations was produced by Jen Leake. Executive Producer is Nicola Harrison.

It explores physical injury, skydiving, fear, family, PTSD, nightmare disorder, shame, guilt, trauma, mental breakdown, sexuality, psychology, medication, family history, generational trauma.

To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.