Teenager still in hospital after freak parachute accident in Washington over weekend

A 17-year-old is still in hospital after being airlifted from the scene of the accident on Saturday

A 17-year-old injured in a freak parachute accident in Washington remains in hospital.

Emergency services were called at around 6pm on Saturday after an individual came crashing down in a residential street.

Social media footage went viral showing a group of people in the Glebe area playing with a parachute in high winds and a girl being dragged along the floor by it.

But the incident took a tragic turn when a male teenager was swept off the group and sent crashing into a nearby street.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson confirmed the injured person, who needed to be airlifted to hospital, was in a critical but stable condition.

Social media rumours that the 17-year-old has died are false. He has now been moved from the Queen Elizabeth in Gateshead to a Newcastle hospital for further care.

There will not be a police investigation into the incident.

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “At 6.15 pm on Friday May 22 we received a request for emergency services to attend the Dryburgh area following reports a teenager with a parachute had been lifted by the wind and then dropped to the floor.

“Three Hazardous Area Response Teams (Hart), a specialist paramedic and an ambulance were deployed as well as officers to assist with crowd control.

“The 17-year-old teen was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead by ambulance in a critical but stable condition.”

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson confirmed on Saturday medical crews and the ar ambulance had been scrambled to Washington to treat the teenager.