Base Jumper Dies ... his own fault ?

chatterpillar wrote: »

But surely they could have had someone abseil down to him, or something? That wouldn't have taken long, certainly not three hours?

By the sounds of it, nothing was done.

From what the article said, he was there for three hours, and completely uninjured, chatting away to his fiancee on the phone etc while waiting to be rescued. Until the rock he was holding on to gave way, after three hours.

It just seems an awful long time.

The emergency services are there to do a job, regardless of the people involved.

I'm not saying that they did anything wrong, I don't know the full details, maybe they were simply unable to reach him in time.

Reading some of the other articles on the web, the emergency services including the navy were there. Navagio cove is only reachable at lower level by sea, and it's almost 1000ft. It seems they hadn't the right equipment to rescue him. If he was blown onto the face by a gust, and then blown off the face by a gust, it stands to reason that it was not safe for a helicopter to try and get him. Also, it's a vertical cliff - perhaps a helicopter wouldn't get close enough.

Also, to get to the beach is tricky as it is reachable only by water. Not sure how to get to the top of the cliff though.

The emergency services are there to do a job, they are not there to out themselves in mortal danger. First rule of rescue is to make the rescuer safe first, otherwise there'll be more than one casualty to rescue.

Also, it is being reported that he had a broken leg.



Also - there might not be a mountain/cliff rescue service. This is the list of services available http://www.zakynthos.net.gr/English/useful_en.html

chatterpillar wrote: »

But surely they could have had someone abseil down to him, or something? That wouldn't have taken long, certainly not three hours?

By the sounds of it, nothing was done.

From what the article said, he was there for three hours, and completely uninjured, chatting away to his fiancee on the phone etc while waiting to be rescued. Until the rock he was holding on to gave way, after three hours.

It just seems an awful long time.

It may have been the case that they didn't have anyone qualified to abseil down to him and rescue him. Or have any helicopters/pilots trained in that type of rescue nearby. I know when a cave diver went missing in Clare last September, they had to bring in specialised rescue divers from the UK.

I read a few different articles on what happened and the guy went most weekends base jumping or sky diving or parachuting. He was unlucky and I guess the shoot malfunctioned on him. It is a high risk sport, but so is sports such as horseriding - a doctor in the Mater hospital told me its the main cause of spinal injuries she sees. People will take precautions but still do sports they enjoy, even if there is a risk to it.

I guess what let him down was not sussing out the local emergency services beforehand. He may have thought if anything fecks up, he's a goner anyway.

His own fault? Well, he did put himself at a higher risk of something happening to him so ultimately yes it was. Just a pity the rescue services couldn't get there fast enough and a sad story.

Theres a guy called Jebb Corliss who base jumps with a body suit, awesome experience I'm sure, I'd love to give it a go. A taste of death gives the best trills in life, the OPs example is where it all goes very wrong with a parachute deployment and prolonged death. Can you imagine something going wrong with a body suit though? You don't make the height and your face smacks off rock at high speed, what a swift and satisfying way to go and meet your maker.

Anyone engaging in stunts like that which could lead to death should automatically be up for a Darwin award for an under developed brain.

Show Time wrote: »

Anyone engaging in stunts like that which could lead to death should automatically be up for a Darwin award for an under developed brain.

Often 'over developed brains' if you will push for the extreme. People of extreme intelligence can struggle to achieve highs on this desperate planet. Why not go out with a sensational ending, make a statement!

af_thefragile wrote: »

I often wonder where do all these base jumpers, squirrel suit jumpers, mountain climbers and thrill seekers as such get the money to waste on their frivolous pursuits?? As many such people are "professional" thrill seekers and do little else than finding new places to jump off from...

Does it really have to boil down to the snide "well for some" attitude again?

Why couldn't you say "good on you" instead?

Would I be right in saying that if he had hit the cliff with his chute open, its fair to assume that there would be a large risk for the chopper, as whatever blew the base jumper into the clif, could also blow the chopper to the cliff as well?

It'd liken base jumping to rally driving. Dangerous for the beginners, safe for the pros, but sh|t happens and people die.

donegal_road wrote: »

the helicopter would have hovered at the top of the cliff, 650+ ft above where he was

650+ ft of rope that could hold someone? Where could you get that in Ireland on short notice?

chatterpillar wrote: »

But surely they could have had someone abseil down to him, or something? That wouldn't have taken long, certainly not three hours?

By the sounds of it, nothing was done.

I wonder if anyone there tried to do anything?

grizzly wrote: »

However I'd have packed it away if I had a kid due.

I'd have picked more sensible places, such as off bridges, etc.

bluewolf wrote: »

Who said anything about the partner forcing them to stop?
If I were male and with someone 7 months pregnant, I wouldn't want to be trying to kill myself and leaving them on their own to cope before the kid is even born

I see your point but I agree with Cruel Coin. I also scuba dive, which I guess is dangerous enough but if its something you do every weekend or every other weekend, it becomes something natural to do. You do your safety checks etc. and get on with it. It was reported that this guy went base jumping most weekends. He wasn't trying to kill himself. It was just something he did. I'm sure himself or his wife didn't expect anything bad to happen.

his poor wife that's so sad...

It wasn't me! wrote: »

That shows absolutely no understanding of the nature or reason in extreme sports and the like. The guy died pushing his own boundaries, and it's sad, and tragic, but the idea that people shouldn't do this for reasons like potential cost is ridiculous. Similarly, my dad worked in construction. Friends' fathers were soldiers. Plenty of people I knew had parents who worked in risky jobs to feed and clothe them, so the argument that he shouldn't have done it because he was a father is also ridiculous, to my mind. People die every day. Most, however, don't. The day we start wrapping ourselves in bubble wrap, we've lost any hope of ever advancing ourselves.

I have to take you up on this when i see people thanking your post.

Firstly soldiers and farmers pay prsi and probably have occupational insurance., Farming is low risk and soldiers provide basically a public service that needs to be done.

I push myself every day with my sport and it takes effort, im contributing to my classmates experience and im probably not going to bother the health service with anything for a long time. Basejumping requires little effort, it seems to be very dangerous and provides nothing much to society. To be honest while my sport has low risk i get a great rush from it, it keeps me on the edge and makes me feel alive.

Not to put a price on human life and i feel for this mans family but this is allot about cost. I dont understand what the deal was with the helicopter but if the basejumpers can get insurance and the risks can be minimised well then jump away but if not it is quite a bad idea for society to encourage. Especially in this day and age when money scarce we need to be encouraging things that are low cost like say team sports, if thats your thing.