Facebook supporters pitch in to pay injured skydiver’s medical bills

Ben Cornick, 31, is lucky to be alive.

The experienced Welsh skydiving instructor miraculously survived a 12,000-foot jump in Fiji that ended horrifically: he crash-landed on a parked van.

"On his landing, he was doing his final turn when the riser slipped out of his hand," his cousin Ricky Davies, also a skydiving instructor, told ABCNews.com. "This slowed the turn down and took him off course slightly. This happens from time to time, and it's not an issue, but there was a van parked in the middle of the landing area, and Ben didn't have time to change course and avoid the van."

The van broke his fall, and, according to Skydive Fiji, likely saved Cornick's life.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji is investigating the incident.

Cornick, the father of a young son, broke his right femur in three places. His left elbow was shattered. A hip was broken.

Because Cornick's jump was a "fun jump" and not part of the job, insurance didn't cover the mounting medical bills. Cormick turned to Facebook to raise money to help him pay for treatment and recovery, which would include an emergency flight from Fiji to New Zealand for surgery.

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"The doctors said they didn't have the equipment to deal with it, and he needed to go to Auckland," Davies said. "But that was going to cost about 40,000 New Zealand dollars. But they said within a couple days the leg would start to get an infection, and they would have to amputate."

Cormick thought his fellow skydivers would chip in about $800, "maybe a little more."

He wasn't expecting donations to pour in from all around the world.

In this first 16 hours, he raised almost $50,000. He leg would be saved.

Cornick was airlifted to Auckland last Friday.

"I would like to thank every single person who has put their hand in their pocket. People from around the world are helping to take the pressure off us," Cornick's mother, Ellie Harrison, told Wales Online.

"Ben has worked all over the world and has a lot of friends. There has been a tremendous number of people who don't know Ben but who have donated money. It is amazing, absolutely phenomenal. It is hard to put into words how grateful we are," Cornick's stepmother, Sue Lord, told the Western Daily Press.

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On Sunday, Cornick underwent a seven-hour operation on his arm.

According to Davies, Cornick was "in good spirits" following the operation, calling his fixed up limb — surgeons used metal plates and 30 screws to rebuild his arm — "a bionic arm."

And on Tuesday, Cornick updated his Facebook supporters:

"As some of you know, in surgery at some point today for a fracture on the hip they missed first time around. Would just like to give a massive thank you to Ricky Davies and Jo. They have been amazing. A big shoutout to the guy who stumped up the full 20k to get me out a day early and possibly saved my life. You know who you are."

Yesterday, ABCNews.com reported that the family met all their fundraising goals.

Follow Cornick's progress here.