55-year-old Richard Sheffield from Elizabethton, Tennessee sadly passed away on Friday (Oct 21) after sustaining injuries from skydiving and crash landing on the David Crockett High School football field during a pre-game performance.
The incident happened around 6:30pm before the game between Washington County rivals, David Crockett High School and Daniel Boone High School, who were competing in the Musket Bowl.
According to Washington County Schools Superintendent Jerry Boyd, the game was delayed for a while, but officials decided on letting it proceed after Richard was airlifted to the hospital.
The 55-year-old was said to be alive after the crash landing but later died after making it to the hospital. A spokesperson with his employer Jump TN, Angela Alley, said Richard has had more than 1,500 jumps in his lifetime and was an absolute professional.
He is survived by his wife Kim Sheffield, his twin sons Casey and Stacey, and their families.
Richard and Kim would have been married 37 years this year and got together straight out of high school. She along with her sons spoke with News Channel 11 about their beloved family member.
“We just took care of each other and you know, we are just a tight-knit family. The boys, they talked to their dad every day on the way into work in the mornings.”
She went on to say that Richard started skydiving in 1999 on the weekend of Thanksgiving in honor of his dad who was a paratrooper.