HOUSTON -- A skydiver was Life Flighted to Memorial Hermann hospital in critical condition Saturday after an accident at Skydive Houston in Waller.

The victim was participating in a festival hosted by Skydive Houston, called the Dead Man Boogie.

The event Web site describes the Dead Man Boogie as a memorial to “the skydivers that are no longer with us.”

Skydive Houston said the injured jumper’s main parachute somehow malfunctioned, possibly because the lines got twisted up.

11 News photo

This skydiver completed his jump successfully Saturday.

A reserve chute automatically deployed at 700 feet, slowing his fall, but witnesses said he still hit the ground hard.

His condition had stabilized Saturday afternoon, but he was expected to undergo surgery later in the evening. 

He reportedly suffered several broken bones and possibly a broken pelvis.

The U.S. Parachute Association says approximately 90 percent of skydiving accidents are caused by diver error.

The Dead Man Boogie festival includes a Friday night poker tournament and a Saturday night concert, along with numerous skydives.

The first Dead Man Boogie was held last year.

According to the Web site, participants write the names of dead skydivers on placards, place them in a coffin and burn them.  The site describes it as a “true moment of remembrance.”