airdog07
August 29th, 2013, 04:59 AM
Putting air in his tyres: The paralysed BASE jumper with no fear Wednesday 28 Aug 2013 10:10 pm
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ay_117084552.jpg?w=650&h=487&crop=1#038;h=750
Long way down: The paralysed BASE jumper throws himself off the New River Gorge, in West Virginia (Picture: Hotspot)
Hurtling towards the ground strapped into his wheelchair – this is how Lonnie Bissonnette gets an adrenaline rush like no other.
The thrill-seeker was left paralysed when he broke his spine in a BASE jumping accident.
He can not walk or use his left arm but is so enthralled with the extreme sport that he now launches his wheelchair off cliffs and bridges.
‘BASE jumping brings an amazing feeling to me that I don’t get any other way,’ he said.
‘I know the risks and carry on because it’s my passion.’
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ay_1170845151.jpg?w=650&h=975&crop=1#038;h=1000
High risk: Deploying his parachute seconds before reaching the ground (Picture: Hotspot)
The father-of-two became a paraplegic after getting his foot stuck in a parachute as he jumped 150m (490ft) from a bridge in the US state of Idaho in 2004.
He suffered multiple injuries in the accident but never once considered quitting BASE jumping. ‘I owed it to myself to carry on, or else I would have felt like a fake,’ he said.
‘People used to ask me if I knew how dangerous it was and now I can tell them, “Yes, I do actually”.’
Mr Bissonnette, of Ontario, Canada, has some feeling in his right arm, which allows him to pull his parachute cord.
The 48-year-old has jumped from the 452m (1,500ft) Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and China’s Aizhai Bridge, which is 350m (1,150ft) high. He has also completed 1,500 skydives in his wheelchair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySSxkqyATq4&feature=player_embedded#t=0
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ay_117084552.jpg?w=650&h=487&crop=1#038;h=750
Long way down: The paralysed BASE jumper throws himself off the New River Gorge, in West Virginia (Picture: Hotspot)
Hurtling towards the ground strapped into his wheelchair – this is how Lonnie Bissonnette gets an adrenaline rush like no other.
The thrill-seeker was left paralysed when he broke his spine in a BASE jumping accident.
He can not walk or use his left arm but is so enthralled with the extreme sport that he now launches his wheelchair off cliffs and bridges.
‘BASE jumping brings an amazing feeling to me that I don’t get any other way,’ he said.
‘I know the risks and carry on because it’s my passion.’
https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ay_1170845151.jpg?w=650&h=975&crop=1#038;h=1000
High risk: Deploying his parachute seconds before reaching the ground (Picture: Hotspot)
The father-of-two became a paraplegic after getting his foot stuck in a parachute as he jumped 150m (490ft) from a bridge in the US state of Idaho in 2004.
He suffered multiple injuries in the accident but never once considered quitting BASE jumping. ‘I owed it to myself to carry on, or else I would have felt like a fake,’ he said.
‘People used to ask me if I knew how dangerous it was and now I can tell them, “Yes, I do actually”.’
Mr Bissonnette, of Ontario, Canada, has some feeling in his right arm, which allows him to pull his parachute cord.
The 48-year-old has jumped from the 452m (1,500ft) Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and China’s Aizhai Bridge, which is 350m (1,150ft) high. He has also completed 1,500 skydives in his wheelchair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySSxkqyATq4&feature=player_embedded#t=0