Wind blows Golden Knights member into swamp

Laurinburg, N.C. — High winds blew a member of the Army's elite Golden Knights parachute team into a cleared swamp during a routine practice jump Thursday morning, authorities said.

The unidentified female parachutist wound up in a swamp near the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport off U.S. Highway 74 at about 8:15 a.m., said Roylin Hammond, director of Scotland County Emergency Services.

Initial reports indicated two Golden Knights members had become stuck in a cluster of trees, but Hammond said first responders found only one parachutist in a cleared area of a swamp. The woman suffered fractured ankles, Hammond said.

A parachutist was airlifted to Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg for treatment.