The finale at Toledo Elementary School’s end-of-the-year play day was intensified when a skydiver came down too fast and broke his leg yesterday.
Most of the student body of some 350 children didn’t see what was described as a hard landing, because Milton “Mickey” Thomas came to rest behind the band building.
“He kind of hit, rolled and skidded on the ground,” Toledo Elementary School principal Ron Reynolds said this morning.
Thomas, who lives in Thurston County, was taken by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital and then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
He is in the intensive care unit in serious condition.
The demonstration was conducted by Skydive Toledo, based at the nearby South Lewis County Airport.
Skydive Toledo owner-operator Mike Gauger was as concerned about the school children’s possible anxiety as he was about his jumper, who he called a highly-experienced individual.
“It happened in front of a bunch of kids, but fortunately it didn’t happen so close the kids saw it,” Gauger said.
School staff took the children indoors and arranged for Gauger to answer their questions and allay any possible fears.
Thomas was the third of four individuals who parachuted from about 3,000 feet. The other three jumpers landed safely in the grassy field.
He was using a faster-type chute and misjudged about when to “flare” to slow himself down, Gauger said.
Thomas is a U.S. Parachute Association certified coach and tandem instructor, who has logged upwards of 3,000 jumps over 12 years and been with Skydive Toledo for about seven of those years, according to Gauger.
He’s 40 years old and previously lived in Lewis County, according to Gauger.
Gauger said Thomas called him from the hospital this morning just before going in to surgery and said he expected to be in the hospital about a week.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter