A routine skydive in Marstons Mills turned into an airborne waiting game Friday when a jumper wound up tangled in a tree about 30 feet off the ground and a well-meaning bystander climbed up to help. Fire crews arrived to find both perched in the branches and managed to bring them down without any reported injuries.
Firefighters used the department’s aerial ladder and chainsaws to cut back limbs and reach the pair, according to WHDH. The station reported that the rescue unfolded Friday evening in Marstons Mills and that officials confirmed there were no injuries.
The Cape Cod Airfield in Marstons Mills is a small grass strip that hosts local aviation and skydiving operations. The Massachusetts Aeronautics listing on Mass.gov gives the location as 1000 Race Lane, and local operator Skydive the Mills identifies the airfield as its home drop zone.
Why tree landings happen
Wind shifts, off-field drift and last-second canopy problems can shove jumpers away from a planned landing zone. The U.S. Parachute Association advises skydivers who end up in trees to protect their head and limbs and wait for trained rescuers, since the hazards are not over until a jumper is safely on the ground. The USPA’s Skydiver’s Information Manual lays out tree-landing procedures and explicitly warns against trying to climb down while still caught in a parachute canopy.
This latest call is a reminder of how quickly a normal jump can turn into something far more complicated and why specialized rescue crews matter. Local coverage of previous skydiving incidents in Marstons Mills has highlighted just how unpredictable off-field landings can be, per CapeCod.com.
