A parachuter slammed into Virginia Tech’s stadium scoreboard moments before kickoff on Saturday, leaving the jumper dangling above the field and delaying the school’s spring football game.
Video shows two parachuters carrying American flags descending into the stadium.
The first cleared the scoreboard without issue, but the second appeared to catch wind and veer off course, crashing into the large “Virginia Tech” video board.
The impact left the parachute tangled between the letters, tearing part of the structure and exposing internal lighting.
The parachuter also dropped an American flag and smaller chute into the stands below.
Having been scheduled for a 3pm start, was delayed for more than an hour as emergency crews worked to reach the stranded jumper using a crane.
The parachuter was eventually brought down safely after roughly 45 minutes.
Footage of the incident circulated across social media:
Absolute nightmare situation for a parachuter at VT today
Hoping they’re okay pic.twitter.com/UQuDD6YeG2
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 18, 2026
A parachuter crashed into the scoreboard at Virginia Tech’s spring game.
Feels like a bad omen to start the James Franklin era. pic.twitter.com/9LK9f26geU
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) April 18, 2026
Emergency personnel are attempting to get to the parachuter. #Hokies pic.twitter.com/w2ao3Ki8yO
— Andy Bitter (@AndyBitterVT) April 18, 2026
Another view of the parachuter who hit the jumbotron at the Virginia Tech game pic.twitter.com/OoxBIWX3Ti
— TaraBull (@TaraBull) April 18, 2026
Virginia Tech have since announced that the “skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable.”
“We are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being,” they wrote in a post on the X platform.
“We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional response.”
We are grateful to report that the skydiver was safely secured and is currently stable. Our primary focus remains on their well-being.
We extend our sincere appreciation to the first responders, event staff, and medical personnel for their swift, coordinated and professional…
— HokieSports (@hokiesports) April 18, 2026
The match was Virginia Tech’s spring game, which is essentially a practice scrimmage between two in-house teams.
As is typical for spring games, no official score or result is recorded, with the focus instead on preparation for the upcoming season.
Ben Kew is a writer and editor. Originally from the UK, he moved to the U.S. to cover Congress for Breitbart News and has since gone on to editorial roles at Human Events, Townhall Media, and Americano Media. He has also written for The Epoch Times, The Western Journal, and The Spectator.
You can email Ben Kew here, and read more of Ben Kew’s articles here.
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