Quadriplegic man dies skydiving

A quadriplegic skydiver plunged 18,000 feet to his death because his disability prevented him from manually deploying his parachute and his emergency chute was not set to automatically release, investigators have said.

Zack Fogle, 27, died on Saturday after he jumped from a plane during a celebrated skydiving event in the American state of Montana. Mr Fogle, a veteran of 125 jumps over five years, hit the ground from a fall estimated at 120mph, said the local deputy sheriff, Jordan White.

"Zack died with another jump pass in his pocket," Mr White said. "He was living his dream."

An examination of his gear showed no malfunctions, suggesting he failed to properly set a device that would have caused his reserve parachute to open on its own.