{"id":4069,"date":"2011-09-04T13:10:35","date_gmt":"2011-09-04T17:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/news\/?p=4069"},"modified":"2011-09-01T11:21:08","modified_gmt":"2011-09-01T15:21:08","slug":"young-tumbler-spins-flips-falls-4-stories-training-saved-his-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/09\/young-tumbler-spins-flips-falls-4-stories-training-saved-his-life","title":{"rendered":"Young tumbler spins, flips, falls 4 stories; training saved his life"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Dylan Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Teenage tumbling coach Dylan Smith spun and did a backflip as he fell four stories — and the mid-air gymnastics apparently saved his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s alive and it’s basically a miracle,\u201d said his father, Hugh Smith of North Smithfield. \u201cHe should be dead. It’s a 44-foot drop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Witnesses told police the football star and youth tumbling instructor was demonstrating to a group of\u00a010- to 12-year-old girls\u00a0a tumbling maneuver at the Superior Cheers gym when he landed against a door that swings open into nothing but air \u2013 four stories up. The door may have once led to a fire escape that has been removed from the granite facade of the\u00a0former factory.<\/p>\n

Dylan’s dad told reporter Russ Olivo of\u00a0The Call<\/em>\u00a0local newspaper that\u00a0his son’s training\u00a0could be the only reason\u00a0Dylan is\u00a0still alive.<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old told his father he instinctively did a backflip in mid-air, which enabled him to land on his feet behind the old Harris Mill on Main Street.<\/p>\n

Smith suffered\u00a0a fractured pelvis, dislocated hip, a ruptured spleen and punctured lungs. He’s listed in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, but his dad is convinced he’ll make a full recovery.<\/p>\n

Local police detective Lt. Eugene Jalette said the door was closed, but the impact of Smith’s body was apparently enough to force it open, allowing him to fall through. \u201cThe door was closed,\u201d said Jalette. \u201cIt was nailed shut, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith landed on an expanse of weed-strewn, crumbling pavement. Although he told police he didn’t remember striking the ground, rescue workers said he was conscious and alert all the way to the hospital.<\/p>\n

Smith’s father said his son is in good spirits but he’s still undergoing tests at the hospital and \u201che’ll be here for a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

The elder Smith said that his son told him that as soon as he realized he was airborne, his \u201cmuscle memory\u201d kicked in and he maneuvered his body for a gymnastics-style landing. As far as he’s concerned, his son’s reflexes were \u201cabsolutely\u201d the reason for his survival.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s no doubt about it,\u201d he said. \u201cHe just looked for the ground and he kind of rotated slowly and he must have landed on his feet. If this had been any other kid he’d probably be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2010 graduate of LaSalle Academy, Smith was captain of LaSalle’s football team in 2010, but got into cheerleading \u201cas a goof\u201d in high school and ended up being very good at it, his father said. He became the first boy ever that year to earn All-State honors for competitive cheerleading since the Rhode Island Interscholastic League began recognizing the sport.<\/p>\n

What about the class that watched him tumble right out into\u00a0thin air\u00a0?<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re more shaken up than he was,\u201d\u00a0Dylan’s dad\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\n

CLICK HERE to read more<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Teenage tumbling coach Dylan Smith spun and did a backflip as he fell four stories — and the mid-air gymnastics apparently saved his life. \u201cHe’s alive and it’s basically a miracle,\u201d said his father, Hugh Smith of North Smithfield. \u201cHe should be dead. It’s a 44-foot drop.\u201d Witnesses told police the football star…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[988,102],"tags":[1077,1078],"class_list":["post-4069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-athlete","category-feature","tag-dylan-allen","tag-tumbler"],"yoast_head":"\nYoung tumbler spins, flips, falls 4 stories; training saved his life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2011\/09\/young-tumbler-spins-flips-falls-4-stories-training-saved-his-life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Young tumbler spins, flips, falls 4 stories; training saved his life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    Teenage tumbling coach Dylan Smith spun and did a backflip as he fell four stories — and the mid-air gymnastics apparently saved his life. \u201cHe’s alive and it’s basically a miracle,\u201d said his father, Hugh Smith of North Smithfield. \u201cHe should be dead. 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