SOUTHPORT, N.C. (WECT) - A 36-year-old Southport skydiver was seriously injured Sunday, July 5, after attempting a solo jump.
Anthony Pietrucci, who has nearly 1,000 jumps to his name, fell from between 40 and 100 feet while attempting a technical maneuver. His sister, Hillary Hall, said she feared the worst when she learned of the accident.
“I thought for sure he was paralyzed or dead,” Hall said.
Hall said Pietrucci was diving at Coastal Carolina’s Skydive when the accident happened. She explained that something happened with his parachute while he was traveling at extreme speeds.
“While modern skydiving and tandem jumps remain incredibly safe regulated sports, the advanced solo maneuvers performed by licensed athletes carry a narrow margin for error,” Hall wrote on Pietrucci’s GoFundMe page.
Pietrucci suffered a broken rib, severe internal bleeding, and multiple serious fractures as a result of the fall.
Hall says Pietrucci faces a long road to recovery, but continues to wear a smile on his face.
“I’m here, I’m making progress, I’ll be out soon,” said Pietrucci in a video update Hall sent to WECT.
Pietrucci first went skydiving for his 30th birthday and later relocated to Southport to be closer to the sport. He had been teaching others how to jump.
“The first time he went skydiving was for his 30th birthday,” Hall said. “It just brought back his spark. He was going through kind of a hard time, and he just fell in love with it.”
Hall says an entire community has rallied around Pietrucci, who also worked as a bartender at Whiskey Tango Foxtrot in Wilmington, supporting him as he recovers.
“It’s really cool to see he’s touched so many lives,” she said.
This isn’t Pietrucci’s only recent visit to the hospital, though. Hall said Pietrucci was at the hospital in November for his mother, who suffered three separate brain hemorrhages.
“We did not think she was going to survive,” said Hall.
After her miraculous recovery, she’s now watching Pietrucci’s own miracle.
Pietrucci remains hospitalized with intensive rehabilitation ahead, but Hall said the family is just grateful he’s alive.
“Anthony’s pelvic stabilization/reconstructive surgery was a success!” Hall recently wrote on his GoFundMe page. “He lost quite a bit of blood during the procedure and needed a multi-unit transfusion, but he handled it like a champ, stabilized, and is doing so well that he is officially moving out of the ICU and into a standard hospital room.”
If you want to help Pietrucci or follow along with his updates, click here.