Australian daredevil Vali Graham left with horrific injuries after attempting record-breaking death dive
Vali Graham, 21, suffered a fractured spine, sternum, skull, and burst eardrum after he jumped from the top of Minnehaha Falls in the Blue Mountains, a scenic region west of Sydney in New South Wales, news.com.au reported.
Footage captured Graham free-falling from the top of the waterfall before slamming into a waterhole below, knocking himself unconscious when he landed in a pike position.
Death diving is an extreme sport where daredevils leap from significant heights into a body of water. Divers do a controlled belly flop before closing in a tuck position.
The Newcastle native was rushed to the hospital and underwent emergency surgeries, according to local media.
The world record for the tallest dive, just shy of 137-feet, is currently held by Swiss diver Lucien Charlon.
The Australian death diver thanked God on social media for his speedy recovery.
'Update: 'God gives us the gift of suffering' after sending this monster 42.5m cliff, I was knocked unconscious,' he said.
Amazingly, after regaining consciousness, Graham was able to pull himself out of the water and walk back to a car where his friends took him to a hospital, according to news.com.au.
'The support was amazing, I've had surgery on my back and sternum and was walking 2 days after surgery,' he wrote on social media.
'Back at home now, on my feet and grateful for life, good friends, family, and God.'
Originally published as Australian daredevil Vali Graham left with horrific injuries after attempting record-breaking death dive in Blue Mountains
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