Photo: FaceBook
A 44-year-old mother in Oklahoma is dead after a tragic skydiving accident.
Heather Glasgow died following her first solo skydive on Saturday after her parachute went into a spin and caused her to fall to the ground, according to local officials.
The Sallisaw Police Departmentshared on their Facebook pagethat they are working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of the fall, which is currently described as “an unknown issue.”
Emergency services tended to Glasgow after the incident, according to the SPD; she was then transported to Northeastern Health Systems Sequoyah and later pronounced dead.
“Trying to push myself and jump that afternoon could have ended badly so I’m really glad that I listened to my body,” wrote Glasgow.
Police officials added that she had previously attended two beginner classes at the Adventure Skydive Center in Sallisaw, where the incident occurred.
Adventure Skydiving Center representative Paul Tucker said in a press releaseshared with NBC affiliate KFOR, “The early stages of her skydive were reported as normal, having had a routine parachute deployment without incident.”
“The parachute appeared to be fully functioning and operational as Glasgow executed the parachute maneuvers as instructed during her training. After a short time, witnesses observed her parachute beginning to turn without any corrective action,” the statement added.
Adventure Skydiving Center did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Per KFOR, Adventure Skydive Center personnel are cooperating with local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration to determine the cause of the accident.
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Her cousin Valori Slaughter told the news outlet, “She had just been going through some things and she was like, ‘No, I need to do something for me.’ She needed to feel alive and be alive.”
Glasgow leaves behind two children, KFOR reported.
Slaughter added: “It just felt like her whole life was hardship after hardship after hardship, and she just didn’t have quit in her like she was determined. She wasn’t just determined to survive. She was determined to survive with a smile on her face.”
According to KFOR, the United States Parachute Association said an incident like Glasgow’s is very rare.
source: people.com
