‘A miracle’: Man learning to walk again after surviving skydiving accident

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    LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WLKY) — A man dropped thousands of feet into a Hardin County field after his parachute got tangled this month while skydiving.

Doctors say his survival is nothing short of incredible.

From the moment he enters the room, it’s clear Phoenix McWilliams is a fighter. With his sister behind him and his nurse alongside him, McWilliams is determined to learn to walk again.

Thursday is his third day of physical therapy at UofL Health’s Frazier Rehab, just 11 days after his accident.

McWilliams said he tried staying calm when his parachute became tangled.

“A lot of stuff goes through your head when you’re up there trying to survive,” McWilliams said.

Moments later, he was crashing into a field. A little girl heard his cries for help and rushed to get her parents.

McWilliams remembers her mother running to him and her telling me, “We’re going to sit here and pray and my husband is going to get help and we’re going to pray until somebody shows up.”

His initial jump was at 4,200 feet and it was not until around 1,000 feet he realized his back up parachute was not an option.

“It’s absolutely a miracle. I’m beyond surprised he doesn’t have worse injuries than he honestly does,” Dr. Joshua Heath, with Frazier Rehab, said.

Heath credits his patient’s survival in part to the shape he was in and the progress he’s made to his positive attitude.

Meeka McWilliams is grateful for her brother’s team and the Hardin County family that rushed to help. She is hoping to track them down.

“For him to fall out of the sky in the middle of nowhere and to have people instantly come to his rescue, I think that’s amazing, and I want to thank them not just for me but for my entire family. Had they not found him, there’s no telling where we would all be,” McWilliams said.

But now, less than two weeks later, her brother is on the road to recovery and determined not to leave the hospital in a wheelchair.

“I think it’s just important to walk — period. I’m just happy to walk,” Phoenix McWilliams said.

Doctors say if his progress continues, he could be released from Frazier as soon as July 10.

Those with information about the family that helped McWilliams are asked to email Lauren Adams at Laurenadams@hearst.com.

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