A fundraiser has been launched to help a man who was left with serious injuries after he plummeted to the ground at 70mph while skydiving.
Kirk Trainor, 31, an engineer from Teesside, was skydiving in Peterlee, County Durham, on May 11 this year when he lost control of the parachute and he hit the ground at up to 70mph.
In the incident, he suffered eight broken ribs and a fractured spine among other injuries and was flown to James Cook Hospital, where he remains more than two months later.
Mr Trainor, who has completed about 600 successful skydives in the past, also sustained a spinal cord injury leading to paralysis from the waist down.
Following surgery to stabilise his spine, Kirk - also a fan of Brazilian jiu jitsu and motorbiking - has begun the long journey toward recovery.
Most tragically, four days before the serious incident, Mr Trainor lost his partner Jen to cancer.
As part of his recovery, he now requires a specialist wheelchair, priced at £6,000, that will allow him to get some independence back, while rebuilding his life.
As part of affording the wheelchair, Kirk's friend and colleague Mike Needham has launched a fundraising page and plans to take on a charity challenge later this year.
On September 22, Mr Needham hopes to do a skydive in Peterlee, which will look to raise as much money as possible for the fundraising page.
Mr Needham has called his friend a "dependable guy" who has a "zest for life" and hopes that "helping in a little way" will assist with Mr Trainor's recovery.
He said: "Kirk suffered awful injuries in the incident - he is such an inspirational character.
"He's gone through so much recently after losing his partner and then this happening to him.
"I want to do something for him and to help where I can because I know he would do the same for anyone else."
Alongside affording the £6,000 specialist wheelchair, it's hoped that any extra funds raised can go towards a Stem Cell treatment trial, which is approximately £100,000.
So far, six days into the fundraiser, over £1,100 has been raised - with Mr Needham hoping that more can be raised before his September skydive.
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He added: "This money raised is about giving a friend an opportunity, and you can't put a price on that.
"I'm nervous about the skydive - I was an engineer in the RAF, but I'm still apprehensive about it all - but given the cause, it's all worth it."
People can donate to the fundraiser here.
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