Merrick Update?.... The Saga Continues....

[Merrick 0]

Hey guys, we just got back from picking up the kids this morning, logged on, & saw all this... first off I want to thank everyone for all their concern & curiosity... Now, here's what happened.
Pam & I manifested for the bi-plane on Friday morning, her ride was at 9:45, mine was at 9:55, we rushed back, got our gear on, then headed back up to the loading area. Pam took off, then shortly the plane came back after me. I took off & after a short ride he signaled me to start the climb up, I got up to the T-bar & held on tight, he put the plane in a barrel roll, stopping inverted, while I hung off the wing of this thing.... That is the most kick ass exit I've EVER done! He took the pictures then signaled me to release, the freefall was uneventful & I pulled at about 2500ft. The Landing area for the Helicopter & Bi-plane had been set up away from everything else, so I located the area & began to set up for my landing, I was keeping everything really conservative (simply because I’m not a very aggressive pilot). I turned on to my final approach at about 250 ft, and at about 100 ft or so the 20 knot wind that was making my straight in approach rather slow completely disappeared at about 100 ft, the canopy dove, I noticed the change, & started my flare accordingly… However, just a little late (no big deal, I’d done that many times before), I pulled my legs up to my chest & began to plane the canopy out, my right leg was dragging the ground a little, then all the sudden *SNAP*…. It felt like something had just reached up & grabbed my toes. It actually wasn’t that bad of a landing, & I think if the area had been smooth I would have just pulled up to my feet & it would have been uneventful. So that’s it, one metal plate & seven screws later & sitting here with my leg propped up telling my side of things on dz.com. Seriously tho, I talked to several highly experienced people at the convention that said it wasn’t in the same area as in previous years & upon inspecting the landing area they opted not to make a bi-plane or helicopter jump at all this year. There was one other broken leg, a broken wrist, & one other injury that I know of in that area. It was very rough & not very well prepared. I’m not pointing fingers, cuz obviously my first mistake was not checking it out before I made the jump.
So, for my week I guess I score a 1:1:25…. 25 being: first WFFC, first bi-plane jump, first broken bone, first skydiving injury, etc…etc…etc…
Thanks again guys! "If words were wisdom, I'd be talkin' even more.."

[Michele 1]

Sorry about your leg. And sorry about all that pain. Hope you heal well and quickly!
ciel bleu-
Michele

[Iflyme 0]

Merrick, sorry to hear about your leg! I'm just glad it wasn't any worse... your landing injury is VERY similar to the one my buddy got at the Kamloops boogie... everything going fine until is foot caught on a rock or something -- and SNAP. When it was time to come back home after the boogie, we carried him to the plane, and he flew home in a cast... bummer! Hope Pammi provides lots of excellent TLC

[Viking 0]

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So, for my week I guess I score a 1:1:25….

hey atleast you got a little lovin before you went down Remember when Sex was safe and skydiving was Dangerous?

[SkyDekker 1,465]

Sorry to hear about the broken leg, hope it heals well. Hopefully the meds are working very very well....
SkyDekker

[Grogs 0]

Hey, sorry to hear about that Merrick. I hope you heal up soon. I know several guys who've done the same thing, some of them up in the 5000+ jump range. When you're swooping in, that little 1 inch obstacle can get you in a hurry.

[Pammi 0]

It was a pretty freaky deal. We got there Thursday night and went looking around then partying. I got totally trashed in the entertainment tent as a storm rolled in, then we got up the next morning to get started on our jumps.
After my bi-plane (it ROCKED! although it nearly slipped off when I first fell out of the seat..lol) I landed on my ass as usual and was brought back by our tent so I could re-pack. A few seconds later an ambulance leaves going in the direction that I just came from. I freak a little, but tell myself, "No, it wouldn't be Merrick..don't think that way." About 10 mins later a woman comes up to me, "Are you Pam?" Yeah.....she gets this look on her face like she didn't want to tell me something...I about freaked out right there. I was actually incredibly relieved when she said he broke his leg or ankle, and that he was coherant enough to send the message for me not to worry. I rode with him to the hospital in the ambulance which was rough because I could see he was really hurting, but all that mattered was that he was there, still with me.
Spent the day and night up there, came back to the dropzone, and drank a couple of beers to relax, then slept a couple of hours until I went back to the hospital to spend another day. I *did* go and do one jump that day, a 6-way attempt out of the CASA while he was sleeping that afternoon and was puking anymore from the morphine. Called right after, he said they were letting him out, and hurried back to pick him up. We went back out to WFFC to look at jumpsuits and toodle around a bit with the golfcart we rented for him, then stayed at a really nice hotel that night so he'd be comfortable. He didn't last long in the heat and was still hurting pretty good.
He was so sweet tho...he went out with me the next day and sat around all afternoon in a cart while I did a couple more jumps. It was VERY slow Sunday so manifest took a while, but I got a helicopter jump and tried the Mullins King Air.
I didn't do a balloon because that was to be OUR jump together and I didn't want to try everything that he never got to at once. I'll wait for him and we'll do our first balloon together. He was such a great guy about it all, and everyone at WFFC were amazing!!! I don't know how many people, a sweetheart named Lori in particular who spent a lot of time and effort helping not only us but others who'd been hurt, who really took care of us. Including the Sis…she was so sweet and understanding…driving me back and forth into town and just being there while I whined about how freaked out I was that it really had hit home that something could’ve happened to one of us.
ANYWAY…it was still fun seeing it all and everyone. I had a great time, got in four jumps which wasn’t bad at all considering and came home just slightly skinned up from my last landing on the runway (OW! When will I friggin’ learn to land dammit?!?!)
I’m sorry I missed seeing Skymonkey there though!!!
Blue skies all, and for heaven's sake...safe landings!
P
Oh, and I tell Merrick this is what he gets for making fun of MY landings! Bwahaha! Since he doesn't drink, I drank his share of the free beer, but not nearly enough! :)
Merrick's SCR Ceremony

[Jessica 0]

ARGH! You poor thing! Well, hope you heal up fast.

[mattb 0]

ouch - bummer that you are hurt but it sounds like you have a great sweetie taking care of you.
get well soon

[mouth 0]

Merrick...glad you are going to be ok. When do they think you'll be up and around again??
Pammi...keep a close watch on him and give him lots of TLC. We don't want his numbers to totally bottom out!!

[Divadiver 0]

Merrick:

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one metal plate & seven screws later

Ouch!! Man, does that sound bad!! What a trooper you are!! Hope you're feeling better in no time!
We know you'll recover quickly, after all you have the best care provider there with you!
Are you looking at 6-8 weeks before you're able to jump again?
Diva

[Divadiver 0]

Merrick:
On second thought, yeah, yeah, that's your version of the story!! I seem to remember something mentioned about a week or two ago . . .
Pammi, did he take your shampoo and hide it???
Diva

[Pammi 0]

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"Are you looking at 6-8 weeks before you're able to jump again?"

Well, the surgeon said that I'd have this "initial" cast on for at least a month, but I still have to follow up with an Ortho now that we're home. Who knows, in a perfect world I'll be back in the air by mid-October.... Who knows tho...LOL Drugs are working great, and my baby is absolutely wonderful thru all this, so I'll be back in the air as soon as the Doc says, "go for it stupid!" lol
Everyone really was great, Freaksis, Lori that coordinates with the hospital, & especially Pam. It was really cool meeting a few of the dz.comers, we met Lewmonst, diveout, billvon, & a few others. I really missed meeting Skymonkey tho, I was hoping to get some good shots of him swooping & milk his bad-ass canopy pilot mind for knowledge. lol Thanks again for all your support guys, man I REALLY feel for those that are REALLY hurt, like sinister.. Man, I still can't imagine being out for 6 months, dude that really sucks. Anyway, wish all of us gimps a speedy recovery, & hopefully we'll see you in the skies soon!
Merrick
Merrick's SCR Ceremony

[Dutchboy 0]

Sorry to hear about your landing. I did a helicopter jump and noticed the rough landing area when I got tripped off my feet by the soy beans. I got a bit of road rash on my leg (wearing shorts), but not nearly as bad as what happened to you.
Sorry I missed everyone at the convention as well. We certainly had a fun and interesting trip.
The Dutchboy
http://www.geocities.com/ppolstra

[freaksister2 0]

I am just glad that Merrick didn't get hurt any worse than he did. It really sucks for him though. He was a real trooper, however! He insisted Pam and I jump and still have fun. He did really great on Sunday, riding around in the golf cart all day!! I can't imagine what a personality I might have had if it was me that got hurt! If you look at things realistically, it is more logical that either Pam or I would be hurt, considering our "landing history"!! hehe Just goes to show you can't predict some injuries in this sport.
That landing area was weird as hell. I made two helicopter jumps and didn't stand up either one of them. The two jumps I made at the regular landing zone at the Quincy airport were perfect no-wind surfs ending in stand-ups! So I don't know whether it was the landing area, or just ME and being anxious about that heli/bi-plane landing area.
BTW, Merrick mentioned the other injuries that occurred over there, and in addition to his ankle and the broken wrist...there was a spinal injury from a butt landing that resulted in a jumper being paralyzed. BUMMER :(
Sis (get better soon so we can all go jump again, Merrick my bro!!)

[freeflir29 0]

"one metal plate & seven screws later"
Hey....thats enough for a starter wind chime. I know a few people that have the professional version...LOL
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[BenW 0]

Way to GO Merrick!!
Sorry to hear about the break! Get well soon, and just to make you feel better, I'm off out on my little brother's CR125 for a couple of hours out in the backwoods!
Ben.

[freefallfreak 0]

Merrick,
I know your foot hurts but consider this...cut your foot off...replace it with a roller skate...then ya don't have to worry about running out your landings...tee-hee...and you only have to buy one shoe so it'll be cheaper than buying a pair when you wear out the bottom of the old one...later, dude...
FFF

[lewmonst 0]

hey merrick, sorry about the leg man. that blows.
i made 3 helicopter and 1 biplane jump,and they were all awesome. yeah there wasn't much grass on the landing area, either dirt or beans.... i definately wouldn't recommend barefoot, but whoever skipped those jumps becuase of the landing area was chicken shit and missed out. wasn't that biplane awesome. after i let go of the t bar, he dove next to me in headdown, then under me in freefall (i told him to geek my camera) really close too, it's sweet video. then as i was under canopy trying to figure out where to land, he buzzed me again, close enough to make my canopy breathe... it was awesome. fleehop was just cool like that. i jumped tevas all week, no problems. biplane photo is on my website click on lew below to see it.
heal fast - hook it
lew

[freeflir29 0]

Lew, Is that a really bad spot or is it just the W.A. lens on the camera?
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[RemiAndKaren 0]

Clay,
the landing area for the biplanes and choppers is ways away from the airport (something about doing jumprun on a chopper at the same place where a load jumps from above you every 1 or 2 minute aint to good an idea)
Remi

[freeflir29 0]

"something about doing jumprun on a chopper at the same place where a load jumps from above you every 1 or 2 minute aint to good an idea"
What are you talkin about? We used to do that in the military all the time....Oh wait....I see your point....LMAO
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[lewmonst 0]

clay,
what remi said....
last year the chopper landing area was a field closer to the road, and it was about half a football field with grass... for some reason this year we were back off the road in a smaller landing area, no grass, chopped beans. and yeah, the chances of someone from the regular altitude jumps hitting a chopper below them is really good considering there are almost always people in the air, and the chopper on a good day was running back to back, and lingered at 5,000ft. for a few minutes before the jumps...
smack, or should i say... chop chop chop....
anyway, it's all about the alternate landing areas. although i had a couple great hook turns into the main landing area, surfed all the way accross and scared myself.
who knew i could run that fast
lew

[freeflir29 0]

Yeah...I know all about seeing choppers in free fall. It seems Army helicopter pilots dont bother to read NOTAMs. There's a standing NOTAM for all aircraft to avoid the area of the Raeford DZ yet quite often you get pairs of 58D's or AH-64's crossing the danm field at 300Ft. Pretty annoying.....
"I used to know a girl...She had two pirced nipples and a black tattoo"-Everclear
Clay

[freaksister 0]

Good pic, Lew! It was cool meetin' ya, wish I had more time to hang out and make a few jumps with you though!
I heard manifest calling you because they had your alti...what's up with that? Did you lose it?
Sis (Lew is very color-coordinated by the way...all green and purple! Ever her hair has green in it! Pammi was all pink. You girls and your color coordinating! I didn't match SHIT! LOL)
Before you judge me, take a look at you...