A skydiver was tragically killed in an accident as she was "too close to the ground" while attempting a "new method" of jumping.
Australian-born Melissa Porter, 29, was attempting a new style of jumping on June 24 at the Skydive Spaceland Houston facility in Texas.
As reported by 7News, Porter was an experienced skydiver with "several hundred successful skydives" at the location where she tragically lost her life.
A Skydive Spaceland Houston spokesperson told 7News that the 29-year-old was attempting an advanced move while landing, and this ultimately led to her death.
"Melissa Porter, 29, of Rosharon, had done several hundred successful skydives at this location over the last two years and was using her own parachute system for a self-supervised skydive," they said.
"The free fall was uneventful and the parachute deployed and functioned normally, but witnesses reported that she initiated an advanced landing maneuver too close to the ground for a safe landing."
Witnesses reported to ABC13 that the dive was going as per usual and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Porter had a hard landing before falling into a body of water.
Neither the weather nor her equipment was a factor in the tragedy, as everything used in the dive adhered to the strict regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration.
It remains unknown whether Porter suffered a medical emergency during the dive or if she died due to the impact, but authorities have stated that they did not find any blunt-force trauma to her body. After the medical team rushed to her aid, she was transported to the hospital where she passed away.
Porter's mother, Vonnie, sat down with 7News and discussed her heartbreaking, revealing: "She [Porter] was just the nicest person you could ever meet. She was so caring and warm and kind and everything.
"She just treated people with so much compassion and I’ve had so many messages from people that she’s helped through dark times. She was my rock and I was hers. You couldn’t ask for a nicer little girl."
A GoFundMe page has been set up in order to support Porter's family during this difficult time, as any money raised will help ease the burden of funeral costs and international travel.
At the time of writing, $14,800 has been raised out of a target of $25,000 by 73 donors.
A memorial event is currently being planned by Spaceland staff with family and friends planning to organize a skydive in her memory.
The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office will investigate the incident and will determine a cause of death in due course.
Our thoughts are with Porter's family and friends during this difficult time.
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