Ben Cornick is lucky to be alive after surviving a sky-dive which went horribly wrong in Fiji on January 14.
The 31-year-old is an accomplished skydiver with more than 2,500 jumps and was working as an instructor at Skydive Fiji in the South Pacific islands.
During a jump which took place in his spare time, the Welsh skydiver plummeted 12,000 feet and landed on top of a parked van.
Ben received serious injuries which included breaking his femur in three places, as reported by Wales Online.
Doctors in Fiji said he would need to take an emergency flight to a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand according to the news outlet, which would cost roughly £20,000 ($33,126).
Cornick was uninsured so his friends decided to set up a donation page on Facebook to help pay for his surgery.
Thanks to the generosity of complete strangers, they raised almost £50,000 ($82,815) for the flight and Cornick’s medical bills, according to ABC.
“It is amazing, absolutely phenomenal,” said Cornick’s stepmother, Sue Lord. “It is hard to put into words how grateful we are.”
The surgery was successful and Ben took to the page on Tuesday to say he would be having more surgery for a fracture on his hip. He also voiced his gratitude for those who had donated money to helping him.
Image via Facebook
