1 injured when skydivers miss landing zone due to strong wind

DELAND, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Skydivers said they were blown off course by strong winds during a jump in Florida on Thursday. One even landed in some trees, before he fell another 50 feet to the ground.

Archie Stephenson lives near the airport where skydivers take off and land.  He said he saw something he never expected.

“I been here 30 years, and it’s the closest they been to my house,” said Stephenson.

DeLand city officials said it was the "Gator Skydive Team" that routinely trains at Skydive DeLand. The wind pushed them nearly two miles off course from their landing zone.

“We had a couple people land at the high school," explained city spokesman Chris Graham. "We had one land in a tree, think one landed at a nearby intersection. So they were kind of all scattered.”

The skydiver who landed right in the tree suffered serious injuries, possibly a broken arm and pelvis.  That crash landing happened just feet away from power lines. 

“Evidently, the guy cut himself loose or something,” said Stephenson.

Fire Rescue officials treated him on the scene before transporting him to a hospital. The other skydivers were uninjured.

FOX 35 reached out to Skydive DeLand, before the publication of this story, but they had no comment.