I used to skydive, and saw a couple of close calls from tangled chutes. One of my photos shows a skydiver's chute trailing upopened, but it then opened partially a short way up. The guy landed safely, but it was a very close call. In another incident a girl's chute didn't open until the last moment, but she made it. When we rushed over to her, I saw that she was completely hysterical, and shaking like a leaf. She said that she tried to open her emergency chute, but that she could not budge the rip chord. The instructor then place one leg on the emergency chute, and pulled the cord with lots of effort. At this point it opened, and he yelled "see, it opened." After observing these two incidents on a single day, I decided to quit this sport, and take up skiing instead.