Teller County woman killed in Arizona skydiving accident

Authorities have identified a skydiving student who was killed in a tandem jump in Arizona.

Pinal County Sheriff’s spokesman Mark Clark confirmed Sunday that 26-year-old Jeriann Henderson, suffered fatal injuries after a malfunction or failure led to a hard-impact landing during a jump in Maricopa.

The Arizona Republic reports that Henderson is from Teller County.

Clark says the instructor, 40-year-old Todd Dimauro, sustained two broken legs in the Saturday incident but will survive.

Dimauro works for Skydive Phoenix, which operates a drop zone for skydivers about 34 miles south of Phoenix.

In a post on their Facebook page, Skydive Phoenix officials say Henderson was conducting her second jump for their Accelerated Skydiving Program and the main parachute did not deploy.

They say a reserve parachute was used but turbulence turned it into the ground at the last moment.