Three Extreme Sports Accidents Kill 14 in One Weekend Across 3 Countries
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Three Extreme Sports Accidents Kill 14 in One Weekend Across 3 Countries
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Summary
12 skydivers died when a plane climbed about 100 feet over Butler, Missouri, then crashed inside the airport fence; separate accidents also killed BASE jumper Andy Lewis in Utah and a 21-year-old rope jumper in Brazil.
Equipment failure and human error were central to the deaths: Lewis’s tandem BASE jump went wrong near Moab, while the Brazilian woman was thrown from a bridge with her harness clips apparently left unattached.
The cluster of fatalities underscores the constant risk accepted in sports built around stepping into obvious danger, from skydiving and BASE jumping to rope jumping.
Jeff Shapiro, an extreme athlete who has known dozens killed in high-risk pursuits, said participants learn they are 'going to lose a lot' of friends even as many keep returning to the sports.