On June 6, 2021, Shawn was invited to go tandem skydiving to celebrate a friend’s 18th birthday. As it was his first time skydiving, he was attached to an instructor who controlled the descent. However, at approximately 30 feet from the ground, a sudden gust of wind caused them to drop rapidly, leading to a hard landing. The impact resulted in a fractured back and a spinal cord injury, ultimately paralyzing him from the waist down.