Skydiver left dangling for hours after parachute fails

DUNSTABLE, Massachusetts -- A skydiver in Massachusetts spent a little time hanging in the trees following his scary plummet back to Earth.

Aatif Rathod was stuck in a tree off the ground for nearly four hours.

He said he was falling to the ground and couldn't deploy his main parachute. After three tries he still had enough altitude to cut the main chute and open his reserve.

"I don't understand how this happened but I landed perfectly in a tree sitting on a branch so, as luck had it I was ok," said Rathod.

The police and fire department were called to help get him out of the tree.

Rathod was not hurt.

He says the incident shouldn't keep others from trying skydiving and still thinks it's a safe sport.

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff