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RAF Veteran Overcomes Paralysis After Near-Fatal Parachute Accident

1/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Rob Bugden, a former Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran, became quadriplegic after a parachuting accident on January 21, 2016.
During a training jump in California, a mid-air collision caused him to fall nearly 1,000 feet.
Quick responders, including UK special forces, saved him.
After extensive surgeries and rehabilitation, he now lives in an adapted home in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, supported by the RAF Benevolent Fund.

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Story summary

Rob Bugden, a former Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran, became quadriplegic after a parachuting accident on January 21, 2016.
During a training jump in California, a mid-air collision caused him to fall nearly 1,000 feet.
Quick responders, including UK special forces, saved him.
After extensive surgeries and rehabilitation, he now lives in an adapted home in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, supported by the RAF Benevolent Fund.