Brit soldier smashes through shocked fella’s roof after parachute fails to open
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A British soldier training in the US had a lucky escape after his parachute failed to deploy causing the serviceman to crash through the roof of a Californian home.
Local police confirmed that the soldier's parachute failed during a training exercise which led to him sustaining injuries from the fall.
It is understood that the soldier was taking part in High Altitude Low Opening, or HALO, jump training exercises, reports Military.com.
HALO jumps are usually associated with special forces' missions where troops free fall for a sustained period of time and then open the parachute at low altitudes.
According to Atascadero Police Department the incident happened on July 6 at 4.55pm in Atascadero after they were alerted by local reports.
The soldier was pictured lying on the floor of a kitchen in his army uniform with specialist military gear alongside him.
In a statement police said: "The parachutist was conscious but stunned with complaints of pain but no visible serious injuries.
"The occupants of the residence were not home at the time and therefore were uninjured."
The British Embassy revealed that the soldier was forced to use his reserve parachute but was only able to do so from a dangerously low level.
A spokesperson for the embassy said: "The parachutist experienced issues in freefall and was required to operate his reserve.
"Although the reserve deployed, the parachutist did not have sufficient height to land on the allocated drop zone, was significantly disorientated and unfortunately hit a local resident's house."
No other service persons were injured in the exercise and the soldier is understood to be recovering well.
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It has not been disclosed which unit the soldier is with or which US troops he was training with.
Last month, corporal Ryan Lovatt was out drinking with his army pals in Poland before he fell 70ft to his death from a hotel balcony.
The 25-year-old was out on an organised trip when bouncers at the club they were at used pepper spray on the group.
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- British Army
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