A California skydiving instructor risked her own life to save a student, breaking both her legs and most of her ribs when she landed Sunday in Jamul near San Diego.

The student, who was doing her first jump, lost control during an "accelerated freefall," according to KSWB-TV. The closest instructor had to move in and grab her to help the student release her parachute.

"Essentially, she saved her life," Skydive San Diego general manager Greg Lund told KSWB.

“Her focus was to save that student’s life – kudos to her because that’s exactly what she did. Then, she had to focus on saving her own life at that point," Lund said.

The instructor pulled the student’s chute at 2,500 feet. But wasn’t able to pull her own until about 1,500 feet, which didn’t leave much time for a safe landing.

The instructor survived the hard landing and is hospitalized recovering from her injuries.

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The renovation of Jekyll Island's Great Dunes golf course includes nine holes designed by Walter Travis in the 1920s for the members of the Jekyll Island Club. Several holes that were part of the original layout where located along the beach and were bulldozed in the 1950s.(Photo by Austin Kaseman)

Credit: Photo by Austin Kaseman