LAKE WALES, Fla. – One hundred skydivers who linked together in the sky to form a diamond shape with their parachutes believe their formation has broken a world record, but an Arizona man died while preparing for the attempt.
The 100 jumpers were able to join together on a second of two attempts on Wednesday, using their hands and feet to hook up to adjacent parachutes.
The skydivers exited five planes flying at staggered altitudes to execute the formation. The result was a diamond about 200-feet on each side.
The jump was seven years in the making, according to Mike Lewis of Lakeland, one of its organizers.
Lewis identified the man who died in the attempt as Joseph Lambraith, 49, of Gilbert, Ariz.
Lambraith was injured during a practice Saturday when his foot became entangled in the cord of another parachute and he spiraled to the ground. The other jumper released the chute and used his reserve parachute. He was uninjured. Lambraith died Tuesday.
The successful formation was confirmed by four judges from the U.S. Parachute Association and broke a previous record of an 85-way formation, according to The Ledger in Lakeland. No one answered the phone Thursday at the association's office in Fredericksburg, Va.
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