Joan Murray (skydiver)

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This article is about the skydiver. For other uses, see Joan Murray (disambiguation).

Joan Murray (born 1952[1]) is a bank executive and skydiver who survived falling from a 2.6 mile height.[2]

Biography

Joan Murray lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, and worked for Bank of America. She occasionally skydived before her accident.[3]

Skydiving accident

On September 25[1] 1999, Murray went on a skydive, jumping at 2.7 miles. Her main parachute could not open, and although her backut parachute opened at 700 feet, it quickly deflated. She approached the ground at 80 miles per hour, landing on a mound of fire ants. Doctors believe that the shock of being stung over 200 times by the ants released a surge of adrenaline[4] which kept her heart beating.[2]

Murray suffered serious injuries, shattering the right side of her body and knocking fillings out of her teeth. She went into a coma for two weeks at Carolinas Medical Center;[1] however, after 20 reconstructive surgeries and 17 blood transfusions, she survived.[3]

Life afterwards

Murray continued work at Bank of America after the accident, turning down retirement because of disability. She took physical therapy sessions, and went on a 37th skydive with her two daughters in 2001.[3]

Personal life

Murray has two daughters, Arriane and Carmen.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Beating the Odds". People. 07/25/2002 at 01:00 PM EDT. Retrieved 2013-06-10. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Virtually Useless Information. West Side Publishing. 2010. ISBN 978-1-60553-916-4. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rothaker, Rick (August 5, 2002). "Skydive Survivor is in "People"". Star-News. Retrieved 2013-06-10. 
  4. ↑ "Skydiver Survives 13,000-Foot Fall; Gerardo Flores Plunge Caught On Tape [VIDEO]". International Science Times. February 13, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-10. 
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