Number 8 Vera Mol In August of 2015, a misunderstanding during
a bungee jump led to the tragic death of 17-year-old Vera Mol. The Dutch teenager was going through
the final checks prior to jumping from a bridge platform in Cabezon de la Sal, Spain. Her
instructor had reportedly told Mol that it was important “No jump!” but, due to his
poor English, Mol understood “Now jump!” The teenager thus went off the platform, before
the bungee cord was properly secured, and fell to her death. In the incident’s aftermath
the operator came under fire both for organizing jumps without proper licensing and for failing
to secure permission for the jump from Mol’s parents, since she was underage.
What Is It? In its most widespread definition, bungee
jumping involves a person jumping from great heights while connected to an elastic cord
that then recoils and sends them back upwards. It’s regarded as an activity in the line
of extreme sports. Bungee jumping’s attraction stems from the feeling of free falling as
well as from that of the rebound, as the jumper continues to dangle until all the kinetic
energy is spent. The origins of this activity can be traced back to the land diving practiced
by the people of Pentecost Island, in Vanuatu. It’s a test of courage and a rite of passage
into manhood in which jumpers launch themselves from tall wooden platforms with vines attached
to their ankles. However, unlike modern bungee jumpers, the young men of Pentecost Island
intentionally hit the ground. Still, the vines absorb enough force that the impact isn’t
lethal. Number 7 Erin Langworthy
When she was 22 years old, Australian Erin Langworthy was visiting Victoria Falls, in
Zambia. She wanted to embark on a grand adventure to mark the end of her years at university.
Langworthy bungee jumped from a bridge above the Zambezi River. As she was freefalling,
the woman felt a powerful shock rippling through her chest. Her bungee cord had snapped. She
plummeted more than 130 feet into the crocodile-infested waters of the Zambezi. She instinctively brought
her arms to her face, prior to hitting the surface of the river. This had likely saved
her life, as it protected her head from striking the water. Langworthy struggled to breathe
and felt as if her lungs had caught fire. She battled to keep her head above the surface,
since her legs were still tied. The woman eventually clung to some jagged rocks and
one of the operators rescued her from the water. Langworthy had miraculously survived
both the immense drop and the Zambezi’s waters. She suffered extensive bruising, was
couching blood and had to be put on a ventilator because her lungs had collapsed. The reason
for her accident had simply been wear and tear in the cord as thousands bungee jumped
from that bridge every year. Number 6 Michael Lush
In the mid-1980s, the BBC’s “The Late, Late Breakfast Show” was known for putting
on some of the most daring stunts in British television. This included extracting someone
from an exploding chimney via helicopter, attempting a car jump a staggering 230 feet
or a stunt involving a human cannonball. All of these resulted in serious accidents but
the most dramatic incident was the death of Michael Lush in 1986. He lost his life during
rehearsals for a stunt that involved jumping from an exploding box, suspended from a 120-foot
crane. Lush took a devastating fall after the carabiner clip that attached his bungee
cord to the crane sprang loose. He died instantly, of multiple injuries. The show was subsequently
cancelled and the production team was accused of multiple safety violations. One test revealed
that, 14 times out of 20, the carabiner sprang loose under as little weight as that of a
bag of sugar. Where Is It Located?
The first modern bungee jumps took place in England, in 1979, and they were performed
from a suspension bridge, in Bristol, by members of the Oxford Dangerous Sports Club. New Zealand
entrepreneur A. J. Hackett is credited for modernizing and popularizing commercial bungee
jumping throughout the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Nowadays, some variations of bungee
jumping entail practitioners jumping out of helicopters or hot air balloons. One particularly
unusual jump was performed by Durban man Carl Mosca Dionisio, who leapt from a 100-foot
tower using a cord made exclusively out of 18,500 condoms. More conventional bungee jumps
can be performed anywhere in the world with bridges, dams or suspended platforms being
the preferred spots among jumpers. The equipment used across most variations is a safety harness
and an elastic shock cord made from multiple latex strands.
Number 5 Casey Holladay One bungee jumping variation involves the
use of a trampoline. The jumper is secured in a harness and the bungee cords connect
with two points of attachment, usually high poles on each side of the trampoline. The
bungee cords tighten and the recoil allows for a higher jump. During a Caribbean cruise,
in 2019, 22-year-old Casey Holladay was severely injured while jumping on a bungee trampoline.
The cords he’d been attached to snapped from their attachments in the ceiling and
he took a hard fall, shattering his pelvis and dislocating his shoulder. The Mariner
of the Seas, a vessel belonging to the Royal Caribbean Company, was heading to the Bahamas.
Holladay’s injuries were so severe that the ship had to dock in Miami. His long road
to recovery involved the use of a walker and a wheelchair. In the aftermath, he reportedly
sued the cruise operators for $10 million. Number 4 Mariam Kandashvili & Goga Goletiani
In 2012, Mariam Kandashvili & Goga Goletiani attempted to bungee jump as a couple from
the University’s Maghlivi Bridge, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The jump, from almost 140 feet, ended
in tragedy for the couple, both in their twenties. They leapt from the bridge while hugging and,
as they reached the point of recoil, the ropes snapped. Kandashvili died on the spot while
Goletiani passed away in a hospital later that day. The reports are unclear on what
had caused the failure but it seems that they were using climbing ropes, instead of bungee
cords, which simply collapsed under their combined weight.
How Will It Kill You? As with any jump from great heights, there
will always be a risk of death when performing bungee jumps. The cord, harness or the point
where the cord is attached to a platform, may fail. At that point, the jumper helplessly
plummets towards the ground or water below. Death is the most likely outcome in such situations
but, should the jumper survive, they might still suffer broken bones or organ damage
to a life-altering extent. Severe injuries may also occur if the jumper’s body or neck
becomes entangled in the cord. The sudden rise of intravascular pressure during bungee
recoil is often associated with eyesight damage. The recoil may also cause whiplash so severe
that, in at least one case, it broke the jumper’s neck rendering them a quadriplegic. Additionally,
research has also linked bungee jumping to increased stress and decreased immune function.
Number 3 Kleyo de Abreu While visiting her aunt in Spain, 23-year-old
Kleyo de Abreu decided to explore a bungee jumping site in Granada. More than a dozen
thrill-seekers were taking part in the jump. After attaching the harness to De Abreu, her
instructor turned to tend to the others. The young woman jumped, without being told to,
and fatally struck a bridge below. Her lifeless body dangled in midair for nearly half an
hour before rescue services got to her. Two men from the adventure company operating the
jump were arrested for manslaughter in the aftermath. The crux of the matter was a miscalculation
of the rope’s length. However, there were also reports that de Abreu’s lead instructor
had been drinking earlier that day. Today's topic was requested by the_realmillsap.
If you have any other topics you'd like to learn about, subscribe & let us know in the
comments section below. Number 2 Rishi Baveja
It was July of 2009, when British man Rishi Baveja bungee jumped from a platform in Phuket,
Thailand. Baveja took a hard fall that nearly cost him his life. According to Jungle Bungee
Jump, it was the first accident that the company had had in 17 years. It seems that Baveja
didn’t respect the instructions he’d been given and jumped feet first. He panicked on
the way down and kicked his cord harness away. Baveja struck the water at an estimated 80
miles per hour and sustained the type of injuries commonly associated with a car crash. He only
survived because he’d struck the water with his chest instead of his head. Baveja did,
however, suffer bruising all-over his body, a torn liver, a ruptured spleen and collapsed
lungs. He spent a month in a Thai hospital, before it was deemed he was well enough to
return to the UK. How to Survive?
Surviving bungee jumping is a combination of personal responsibility and using the adequate
operator. It’s probably best not to jump if you’re suffering from heart conditions,
high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy or neurological diseases. Make sure to properly
check an operator’s reviews and history before signing up for the jump. Even if you
choose not to, there are some ways to tell if you’re dealing with a professional. They
should adequately describe the bungee jump, including its risks, so that you may benefit
from informed participation. Miscalculating the length of the rope has been the cause
for a number of accidents. You should be weighed beforehand and there should always be another
crew member making the checks alongside your lead instructor.
Number 1 Tourist in Macau An unnamed Russian man, reportedly in his
30s, was left dangling nearly 200 feet in the air after jumping from the platform of
the Macau Tower. A. J. Hackett, who we’ve mentioned earlier on our list, was the bungee
jumping operator. He revealed that a safety system had become activated as the tourist
was lowered to the ground, after his jump. The man was stranded in the air, in temperatures
of about 42 degrees Fahrenheit, for over an hour. The jumper was rescued by firefighters
using a ladder. He survived his ordeal but was rushed to the hospital showing signs of
hypothermia and complaining of numbness in his legs.
Thanks for watching! Would you rather bungee jump with an operator that's known for safety
violations OR try to be a bull fighter for a day? Let us know in the comments section
below!