Franz Reichelt’s Parachute

Origin
Franz Reichelt was a tailor who invented his own parachute, which he planned on having an aviator being able to put it on and allow them survive falls if they had to abandon their aircraft. He started out with dropping test dummies from his fifth floor apartment, which showed promising signs. However, he is most remembered for his accidental death testing his parachute himself by jumping off the Eiffel Tower. He died on impact, the story reaching headlines and a recorded film showing his jump and the hole his body made on impact to the ground.

Effects
The parachute is activated by someone wearing it and then jumping, not the other way around. When the persons’ body is in the air and off the jumping platform, their body is slammed down into the ground by an unknown force. The person can survive with few injuries if they jumped from a low height, but usually prove fatal higher up. It is also more lethal when used by the elderly, children or people with fragile bodies.