Is this true or false?

Question

A skydiver plummeted 11,000 feet to the ground after both of his parachutes failed, fracturing his pelvis, but miraculously survived the fall over the Nevada desert.

Mitchell Deakin, 25, who had flown from the UK to take part in the stunt, was carrying out a tandem jump alongside an instructor when his main parachute and emergency chute didn’t open, sending both men hurtling to earth.

Answer 1

After a quick search of the name "Mitchell Deakin," many articles came up about his close encounter with death. While I wasn't able to find any primary sources, a plethora of reliable secondary sources were available. Notably BBC, People, and New York Post all articulated the events that were described in this claim. After reading through these articles, it can be confirmed that each piece of information (the location, the height of the fall, etc.) is true. The only thing I would add is that he broke more than just his pelvis and actually sustained many other injuries. I don't believe that these news companies would have any reason to stretch the truth or have any biases, as the story was very consistent between the sources and doesn't need to be enhanced to make interesting news. https://nypost.com/2025/10/01/us-news/skydiver-and-instructor-fall-11000-feet-after-nevada-jump-fails/ https://people.com/man-who-plunged-11-000-feet-after-skydiving-parachute-malfunction-survives-crash-11822899 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce86plv735go  

Think of this as your investigation log. Answer each question to explain what you discovered and how you got there.

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings.
2. What primary sources did you find (e.g., transcripts, videos of politician speeches, tweets from public figures, scientific studies)? For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.
3. What secondary sources did you find (e.g., newspapers, magazines)? Only use secondary sources if sufficient primary sources are not available. For each source, write at least one or two sentences explaining what you learned. Include all links.
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have?
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking?
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking?
7. What happened when you tried contacting the person or group who made the original claim? (Always try to contact them—it’s okay if you don’t get a reply. For example, if the claim is that the president said something, try reaching out to the administration. If it was a Bluesky user, message that user on Bluesky.)

Comments

Is it possible that any news sources would exaggerate the incident to attract more users to their article? I see that you ay that they wouldn't have any reason to stretch the truth but would using more exaggerated descriptions attract more users?

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Adding onto what you wrote. He did in fact sustain more injuries. I will name them here using a secondary source from BBC who quoted Mitchell Deakin's girlfriend. She stated that he fractured his pelvis, had broken ribs, pneumothorax (Perforated lung), and a kidney laceration.

https://bbc.com/news/articles/ce86plv735go
^This is the link of where I got my information

Answer 2

After my research I found that, yes, it is true that Mitchell Deakin (25) did survive the fall over the Nevada desert. On September 17th, 2025, around midday, at the Jean Airport in Clark County Nevada, UK citizen Mitchell Deakin and his tandem instructor Jicron Arcos Ponce went out to skydive. They then subsequently jumped 11,000 feet after which both of their parachutes (both the main and the emergency) did not deploy. They crashed into the Nevada desert at around 35-45 mph, said the New York Post. 

They were then taken to University Medical Center located in Las Vegas. Both Deakin and his instructor Ponce had many injuries sustained. For Deakin he ended with a fractured pelvis, broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a kidney laceration. Ponce, as of early October, is still in critical condition. Deakin on the other hand was released on October 8th, 2025 and his girlfriend started a GoFundMe for his medical expenses. 

Though there are no primary sources to be found, I have linked the GoFundMe by Deakin’s girlfriend, as well as the medical statuses being referenced in news outlets that are credible. There is no current official Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report available, but it is stated to be under investigation. 

https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/british-tourist-injured-in-skydiving-crash-released-from-hospital-3483265/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv83rl87eo

The GoFundMe created by his girlfriend Isabel Clacher: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mitchs-recovery-journey