A veteran skydiver is in the hospital after he was hurt during a hard landing in North Jersey.

 

State Police at Sussex Airport following a skydiving accident
State Police at Sussex Airport following a skydiving accident (ABC 7)
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Thirty-eight-year-old Paul Hayes was initiating a high-speed turn to land at Sussex Airport in Wantage when something went wrong Thursday.

Sussex Skydive owner Curt Kellinger told ABC 7 that  the jump was normal at first. "It was pretty uneventful, free fall deployment. Parachute was open, fully functional and flying, and the last thousand feet he initiated a hard turn and didn't recover before he struck the ground," said Kellinger.

New Jersey State Police tweeted that Hayes suffered "serious injuries" and was taken to Newton Hospital. Kellinger told the New Jersey Herald Hayes' injuries were "pretty bad."

In a statement to ABC 7, Skydive Sussex sent "heartfelt prayers to his family and friends for a full recovery."

New Jersey State Police and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident. There's no word on Hayes' condition.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

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