I went skydiving twice when I was 19. The line to my chute was attached to the plane so it would open on it's own which is what they did for students without 10 successful dives. The first time I didn't arch my back when I stepped off of the wing and I went into a barrel roll. The line wrapped around my neck and ripped my helmet right off of my head. The helmet had the radio in it for me to communicate with the instructor to guild me to my landing so I was on my own. The front of my neck was (sorry to be gross) like raw hamburger. They said I was lucky it didn't snap my neck. I was doing this with my roommate and she had a great jump and wanted to go again. We were a bit competitive (remember- we were 19) so as soon as my neck healed- yep, I did it again. This time was better but the line caught under my arm and gave me a little burn. I decided, okay Nikki, enough is enough. So that was the end of it for me. I have to admit it was really cool and the adrenaline rush is amazing but I would NEVER, EVER do it again!
As an aside, a while after this happened, I was taking English Comp in college and had to right a paper on an experience I had had and I wrote about this. I had one of those sadistic instructors that liked for us to read our assignment out loud. After I read mine, a classmate said, I heard all about you! Apparently the skydiving site was using me as an example of what NOT to do in it's classes.
__________________
"If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." — St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226