Man skydiving with American flag has horror crash at rodeo as painful footage surfaces

A daredevil skydiver carrying a huge American flag was left in a hair-raising crash landing at a rodeo, with the entire thing caught on camera by a horrified crowd.

Video footage shows the parachutist gliding gracefully towards the ground at the Folsom Pro Rodeo, near Sacramento in Northern California, with the enormous flag trailing behind him as he made his descent into the arena.

But things quickly took a turn for the worse when the flag appeared to become snagged on a nearby tree, sending the skydiver spiralling out of control and crashing violently into the ground below.

Footage shared to Facebook by Krista Nicole Hefner shows the man plummeting at what looks like a 90-degree angle before slamming into a small tent set up near the grandstands, narrowly avoiding the crowds of spectators watching the show. The clip cuts out shortly after the impact, leaving viewers unsure of the man's fate.

Thankfully, organisers have since confirmed that the skydiver, named locally as Ross Vail, escaped the incident completely unscathed, despite the crash looking incredibly painful in the viral clip.

Witnesses at the scene said the crowd watched on anxiously as Vail got back to his feet, before he strolled into the middle of the arena and waved to the audience to reassure them he was OK, sparking a huge standing ovation from those in attendance.

A skydiver survived a scary crash landing that was all caught on camera at the Folsom Pro Rodeo.

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— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 4, 2026

What happened to the skydiver at the Folsom Pro Rodeo?

In a statement issued after the incident, Folsom Pro Rodeo organisers praised Vail's composure following the crash, revealing he was so unfazed by the ordeal that he was already planning to jump again the very next night.

"On behalf of the Folsom Pro Rodeo and Choose Folsom, our skydiver Ross is safe and walked into our arena, post jump, to a standing ovation," the statement read. "He will be skydiving into our arena again tonight, July 3rd."

True to their word, Vail was back in the sky just 24 hours later for the second night of the rodeo, this time without any dramatic mishaps.

Is the Folsom Pro Rodeo skydiving stunt an annual tradition?

The flag-carrying skydiving stunt has become something of a tradition at the Folsom Pro Rodeo, with a patriotic parachutist welcomed into the arena ahead of the action for several years running.

This year's event marked the rodeo's 65th anniversary, with the annual gathering sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and billed as a showcase of the 'tradition and excitement' of the sport.

Organisers describe the event as a 'must-attend' for rodeo fans, combining the thrill of the competition with the spirit of the local community in Folsom, California.

UNILAD has contacted the Folsom Pro Rodeo for further comment.