Teen in Skydiving Mishap Says She Blacked Out

A 16-year-old North Texas girl who plummeted more than 3,000 feet to the ground in a skydiving accident in Oklahoma says she panicked then blacked out after her parachute malfunctioned and doesn’t remember striking the ground.

Makenzie Wethington of Joshua spoke Thursday from a wheelchair during a news conference at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Wethington says she felt a rush of excitement when she leapt from the plane Jan. 25 in Chickasha, but it turned to panic when her canopy malfunctioned and she was unable to correct it.

Her doctor has said she’s walking with assistance and is expected to recover. Her injuries included damage to her liver and a broken pelvis, lumbar spine in her lower back, shoulder blade, several ribs and teeth.