Pictured: British basejumper's terrified face as his parachute failed to open when he leapt off 1,000ft cliff

  • Matthew Gough, 25, escaped with minor cuts and bruises
  • His parachute got twisted on the way down at Lake Garda, Italy
  • 'I was in total shock that I was alive,' said basejumper
  • Matthew had done 180 jumps around the world and none have gone wrong

By Rob Cooper
PUBLISHED:03:45 EST, 21 May 2013| UPDATED:04:42 EST, 22 May 2013



A terrified basejumper hurtles towards the ground after his parachute failed to open when he jumped off a 1,000ft cliff.

But amazingly Matthew Gough, 25, escaped with only minor cuts and bruises despite crashing into rocks on his way down before landing on the sand.

The daredevil said he thought he was going to die when his parachute got twisted on his way down.
Scroll down for video


Dazed, but alive: Matthew Gough, 25, filmed the jump over Lake Garda, in Italy, on a helmet camera




Leap of faith: Matthew, looking 1,000ft down, jumps over the edge of the cliff with the parachute strapped to his back

Matthew, of Lichfield, Staffordshire, filmed the jump at Lake Garda, Italy, using a camera attached to his helmet.
He has carried out more than 180 basejumps at locations around the world and all of them had previously been successful.



At the end of the video the daredevil can be seen lying on the ground appearing shocked but conscious and not seriously hurt. His parachute is only partially opened.

He had minor injuries to his ankles and knees as well as a bloodied nose.

Horror as basejumper's parachute opens BACKWARDS and TWISTED







Over he goes: Matthew had completed 180 base jumps successfully, as well as 700 sky dives, but this time the parachute failed to open properly and became twisted

Matthew was travelling the world and taking part in extreme sports but flew back to Britain after this jump went wrong.
He was in hospital for around seven hours for tests but was swiftly discharged.

Matthew, who took up the sport after completing over 700 sky dives, recalled the horrifying moment he thought he was going to die.
He said: 'I prepared for the jump, everything felt really good. Then I performed a "track", which means you are flying in a forwards direction.


Down: Just a moment later Matthew Gough crashed into the cliff as he tumbled down over Lake Garda, in Italy

'Everything was going fine and then I pulled the parachute. The problem was the deployment was really slow, it comes down to simple bad luck, nothing else, the conditions were fine, the parachute twisted and when it inflated it was facing backwards.
'Due to the twists I couldn’t control it, I did the best I could with the situation and tried to avoid the cliff but I didn't have the time or the space to avoid the impact.
'When I impacted the first time I started spinning which made the situation worse, the parachute twisted even more before going into a dive and then spiralled towards the ground while I was smashing against the cliff.
'I was trying to think about what to do, but all I could think about was trying to stay alive, I knew the final impact was coming soon and I knew if I hit the floor at the speed I was travelling, I was in a whole lot of trouble.
'I managed to hang off one side of the canopy and get away from the cliff but couldn’t control it still, I didn’t know if I was going to hit the floor or go into the lake.
'I thought both of my legs were broken so I knew I couldn’t go into the lake, plus, I can’t swim which made things even worse.'
He added: 'All I was shouting was "give me something" it was like I was in a gladiator arena faced against ten guys and I was given just a spoon to fight with, I felt I was desperately fighting to stay alive.
'I was trying everything I could to get some kind of control, then I looked down and saw around ten spikes which I believe were used to hang up wet suits.


Drop: What Matthew could see as he went over the edge - but the ground quickly rushed towards him




Crash: Matthew hits the rocks several times on his way down to the bottom as the parachute failed to open properly. Amazingly, he suffered only minor injuries




Ground approaching: Michael said at this point he was convinced he was going to die - but remarkably he suffered only slight injuries



Helmet cam: Matthew, pictured before he went over the edge, used this camera to record footage of te terrifying jump




Crash! Matthew hits the ground but is conscious and talking. He was subsequently rushed to hospital for checks

'At that point I thought I was going to die so the last thing I shouted was "I’m going in" which means I’m dead. I was trying to tell the guys at the top of the cliff what was happening to me.
'The spikeswere around a foot long and there was ten of them, the one right in themiddle brushed my face and went between my helmet and my face and ripped my helmet off, I think it cushioned my fall slightly.
'WhenI hit the floor I was so shocked I was alive, I was thinking, I have seen this stuff on videos but now it is happening to me, I was in total shock that I was alive, that was when the pain set in.'


Dazed: His parachute caught on a row of spikes, Matthew lies on the floor after his jump went wrong. He was injured, but not seriously


Cliff face: The cliff that Matthew Gough jumped from above Lake Garda - and ended up wounded on the ground


Precaution: Matthew is strapped up and wrapped in a blanket as he is put on a stretcher





Hospital: Matthew, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, is put in the back of the ambulance in Italy. He was detained for seven hours while checks were carried out, but was subsequently discharged




Treatment: Although he was put in a neck brace, Matthew Gough had suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the fall

Matthew suffered the fall on April 23 as he travelled the world taking part in extreme sports.
He used to work in sales and marketing but saved up enough money to travel and indulge his adrenaline-pumping hobbies.
Despite his fall, he insists he will still continue to base jump.
Hesaid: 'I feel massively lucky to survive, I have never heard of this sort of thing happening before and especially no one surviving from it.
'Iam still going to base jump but it has made me more aware of the risks,I wouldn’t want this happening to me again and wouldn’t wish it one anyone else.
'Some jumps I may not do, I may avoid the more technical ones but I will carry on jumping, my parents are desperate for me to stop, but I fully accept thedangers of this sport and don’t expect any sympathy.'


Lucky escape: Matthew grins the day after his fall. He flew back home following the incident




Recovery: Matthew back at his home in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where he is resting following his basejump which went wrong in Italy


to see the video go to the link
Read more: British basejumper's terror as his parachute fails to open when he leaps off 1,000ft cliff (...but amazingly he escaped with minor injuries) | Mail Online
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