Skydiver tells harrowing survival tale

WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) - The plane was on a skydiving flight when it crashed and broke apart moments after takeoff. First responders say it's a miracle everyone has survived so far, and Mike Maly, Jr. may be a big reason why.

Maly described, "This is the section of aircraft where I was pinned."

Maly has over a hundred stitches on his face after surviving Sunday afternoon's plane crash at the Frontier Skydivers Club in Wilson. The plane broke into five pieces and, the jump bar ended up in a tree.

Maly only had about five seconds to brace for the crash, and then, he said, "I'm up, I'm moving, I'm conscious, I'm good, so it just kinda goes into triage mode."

Maly is a former Army nurse, and is now a Buffalo firefighter. First he helped his student skydiver, Tonya Tiede of Batavia.

Maly explained, "I was actually able to get the wreckage off of her and help her crawl out."

Pilot Paul Gath, and divers Joe King and Christian Herboth, didn't need immediate attention, but 53-year-old Tom Medbury of Akron is still in critical condition.

"My hopes and prayers are with his family, and my understanding is that his injuries are very serious," said Maly.

Two men who happened to be cutting hay near the crash scene rushed to Medbury's side.

Maly said, "Absolutely crucial. They had begun CPR before I could even get around the airplane."

Maly helped them clear Medbury's airway.

Maly said, "We went through two rounds of of CPR and we got a pulse back."

Maly was one of at least five lifesavers on the scene.

"I'm amazed that we could make a difference," said Maly, who plans to jump again as soon as he can. The skydiving airfield is where Maly proposed to his wife Lisa, and both plan to be out diving again soon.

"All my skydiving friends tell me I'm a nutcase for being a firefighter, and all my firefighter friends tell me I'm crazy for being a skydiver," joked Maly.

The crash happened seconds after take off. FAA investigators spent the day on the scene, but it could be months before they determine an official cause of this crash.