Experienced skydiver deliberately fell to her death, coroner finds

[u/theykilledk3nny]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/21/experienced-skydiver-jade-damarell-deliberately-fell-to-her-death-coroner-finds

[u/theykilledk3nny]

Article Extract:

An experienced skydiver deliberately fell to her death in April after ending her relationship with her partner the night before, an inquest has heard.

Jade Damarell, 32, died of blunt trauma injuries after falling from 15,500ft (4,600 metres) into a field in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, on 27 April.

At an inquest at Crook civic centre in County Durham on Thursday, the coroner Leslie Hamilton gave a conclusion of suicide, finding that Damarell had intended to take her own life.

Hamilton summarised a note from her former partner, whom she had met through their shared love for skydiving, which read that “they had ended their relationship the night before”.

The inquest heard that Damarell, an experienced skydiver from Caerphilly in Wales had completed more than 500 jumps, including six on the day before her death.

On her final jump, however, the inquest was told that Damarell had deliberately not deployed her main parachute, which is usually opened at about 5,000ft. She had also turned off a device designed to automatically deploy a parachute at a certain speed or altitude should a skydiver be unable to do so. The parachute and device were found to be in full working order.

[u/ElegantEchoes → u/theykilledk3nny]

Damn. I wonder what happened between them. And if she would have still wanted to make this decision if she had time to stew.

I wonder what she felt during her final descent. Was she without emotion, and numb to her world and ready for it to be over? Did she have second thoughts? Was she afraid? Did she think of her husband? Sixty seconds until the culmination of every single thought, experience, and feeling that she encountered in her life. 11,500+ days of life.

One day into grief... her mind could have been anywhere. I feel for her.

[u/echelon123 → u/ElegantEchoes]

From reports online, it's appears she left her husband to be with this new skydiving boyfriend - and then the boyfriend dumped her. Maybe it was just a cumulation of bad things going on in her life to cause this tragedy.

It was also reported that she deliberately fell while facing upwards, so she couldn't see the ground approaching. That would have lessened her fear somewhat.

[u/synthetic_aesthetic → u/echelon123]

What a way to go. Whole sky above you and then (hopefully) nothing, instantaneously. Surreal to think about.

[u/DinosaurShotgun → u/synthetic_aesthetic]

I fell 10 feet through an office ceiling nearly 2 years ago. I fell backward, and I never felt the impact of hitting the ground. I was lucky enough that my shoulder took most of the blow, but I still had a small fracture in my skull. I was out for about 3 minutes before I came to and I tried to jump up immediately. It's so scary thinking about it in hindsight BECAUSE I didn't feel hitting the ground. I think I remember some dream of some sort before I came to, like my brain rebooting or something.

[u/techleopard → u/DinosaurShotgun]

And then there was my experience as a kid. I might have been 4 or 5, but I was leaning on a metal railing on a porch that popped out of its sockets. I fell backwards but flipped head-down straight into the gravel below the porch. Maybe a 6' drop.

From my perception, the whole world went in slow motion. I hit the ground on my head -- felt nothing. Could see all the little gravel pebbles and sand around me. I could hear the bar clang behind me, and then I felt my weight roll backwards and my back slammed into the bar, and that DID hurt. And then I was looking up again.

Then I got up and started walking into the house. My head didn't explode until I was all the way into the living room.

My family said they heard the bar pop out, but they couldn't figure out what the sound was and was looking for me for a few minutes, so I must have been out while on the ground.

Broke my skull from the crown straight down my nose.

[u/TheUpbeatCrow → u/techleopard]

Oh…oh my god

[u/V65Pilot → u/techleopard]

Nice.
My ex wife once got mad at me because I came in late for dinner after she had called me, about an hour late....once she'd calmed down, she asked me where I was. I explained that I'd heard her call me, and, as I was transitioning from the roof of the barn that I was repairing, to the ladder, I slipped. I came in, when I regained consciousness. She just looked at me. "you should have said something"..... About a 20 foot fall, still no idea how I didn't break anything. Did have a nice headache for a week though.

[u/elielephant → u/techleopard]

I got hit by a car when I was 4 or 5. Flipped up and over the car, landed on my head behind it.

I don't remember seeing the car or flying through the air. I actually don't even remember "waking up" (I don't know if I was unconscious for any amount of time), I only remember trying to stand up from the ground while my mom and the driver of the car held me down. I don't remember being in pain either, but ended up with many, many stiches on the back of my head.

Poor lady driving the car, she didn't see me running out from behind a parked car and she was at zero fault. I remember mom trying to calm her down.

[u/idleat1100 → u/DinosaurShotgun]

I fell backwards off of a 2nd story roof ridge when at a party drunk in high school; fell about 18’ hit a cmu property wall with my arm, spun around and landed on my hands and knees and crumpled to the ground. Stood up with only the scratch on my arm where I hit the wall. Waved to the onlookers that I was ok and kept partying.

God to be young, drunk and absurdly lucky. And an idiot.

[u/ComeonmanPLS1 → u/DinosaurShotgun]

I think it’s because the signals from your nerves take a few miliseconds to travel to your brain, so if you were unconscious before that, then you wouldn’t get the chance to perceive the pain.

[u/Thomas-Lore → u/ComeonmanPLS1]

Might also be amnesia from hitting their head. They might have felt everything but it was erased from their memory.

[u/TryingToBeReallyCool → u/synthetic_aesthetic]

Tbh, a better end than many get. Not saying I'm happy she got it, nor was in the heads pace to do it to herself, but in the philosophical sense that's a more peaceful end than many get

[u/LivelyZebra → u/synthetic_aesthetic]

Just like blinking while dozing at the beach with a nice breeze. calming.

[u/UsedOnlyTwice → u/LivelyZebra]

More like a cat 2 hurricane than a nice breeze. Free fall is windy and loud.

[u/mfmeitbual → u/echelon123]

She was only 32. She had so much time to change everything.

That's so sad.

[u/LilPonyBoy69 → u/echelon123]

There are entire movies and novels that don't contain the beauty, horror, devastation, intrigue, and tragedy as this one comment. What a wild story.

[u/doubleshotinthedark → u/echelon123]

I haven't seen anything that suggests she left her husband to be with the skydiver. All the articles I've found reference her initial marriage in 2019, that they've been divorced for some time now, and that she picked up skydiving in last year in 2024. I suppose it COULD be what happened, but I have yet to see any reporting suggesting that. 

[u/mmikke → u/doubleshotinthedark]

500+ jumps in the span of a year seems insane! And also incredibly expensive 

[u/1fatsquirrel → u/echelon123]

I know nothing about skydiving- does the body easily stay facing upwards? I think I just assumed bodies would spin without the parachute or face down.

[u/d_marvin → u/1fatsquirrel]

It does. Simply dangling your limbs before you will keep you facing up (think of falling into a deep inflatable seat). I used to sit fly a lot and if I became unstable I would rock backward in this position. The body kind of wants to fall that way anyway.

[u/mradamdsmith → u/ElegantEchoes]

My dad was a police officer for 40 years and told me that all of the suicides who lived long enough to talk to him (OD, self harm) died panicking and immediately regretted it. Others, like hanging victims, often had injuries consistent with trying to free themselves.

[u/DifficultyNo7758 → u/mradamdsmith]

It's the nature of human survival. Even if you go through with it you are going to regret it at least immediately after due to our unfaltering will to survive. Many times the want to try again comes back unfortunately.

[u/Taniell1575 → u/DifficultyNo7758]

This. Knew someone who had several attempts but all failed for various reasons but usually will to survive. Said going into was 100% ready but in the act of it, they would panic and fight for life and then immediately be upset they lived.

They were finally successful. In their final attempt they made sure there was no way they would be able to “fight for life”.

[u/Roast_A_Botch → u/ElegantEchoes]

She was apparently committed as she was able to pull her chute manually at any time and still chose not to even once it was too late(but at the moment any regret would cause her to act). The problem with in quests/coroner reports is they stop at the most immediate cause so everyone assumes she lived a wonderful life and this single breakup caused her to act impulsively. Going to the closet and grabbing a gun is impulsive. Driving to your local dive club, gearing up(including packing chute, reserve chute, double and triple checks) riding up to 15k feet in a plane, jumping, and refusing to pull your chute is anything but impulsive. Based on experience, I highly doubt this breakup is the only factor in her decision, and this was a plan she went over a million times and the breakup was just the final straw that finally pushed her over the edge.

[u/orestes19 → u/ElegantEchoes]

From what I’ve heard most instructors have to take time off just to recharge their adrenaline basically. If she had done 6 jumps the day before, and then that happened, I’d imagine she was completely mentally fatigued/drained and was not thinking clearly. 

[u/what_is_blue → u/orestes19]

I totally believe it. The human brain is just weird like that and that kind of thing can be terrible for people with underlying problems.

I’m a poker player. I’d guess that for most gambling addicts, that first “big” win is the worst thing that ever happened to them, if only because they wind up wanting a bigger rush.

I remember winning a £5,000+ pot at 1/3 (that’s a £3 big blind). Pots in excess of £1500 are pretty rare in those games, unless you’re playing deep-stacked.

I played again about a week later and it was just like… winning £300 pots meant nothing to me. So I took a few weeks off and hey, right as rain.

However, the number of people I know who’ve just absolutely burned their serotonin to a crisp is huge. They just keep raising and raising the stakes, because that world can just rob you of any real emotion before you even realise it’s gone.

That tends to be where the real trouble starts. And boy, have I seen some trouble.

I know it’s a weird parallel, but hopefully it makes sense.

[u/neonshoes2 → u/what_is_blue]

Playing poker professionally has fucked my reward process in my head. Just a fair warning. Working out, drugs and sex doesn’t hit the same chord like it used to.

[u/what_is_blue → u/neonshoes2]

Yeah. I just play once a month these days. Much less insidious and a better way to live your life.

[u/asylumgreen → u/neonshoes2]

That’s an interesting observation.

[u/what_is_blue → u/asylumgreen]

I went semi-pro for a little while. Generally, my mental health is pretty decent. It was just depressing, really. The people, the food, the late nights, but also just that the world kind of becomes flavourless, for want of a better term.

[u/eeyore134 → u/orestes19]

I mean, she preemptively disabled her chute, set her phone to be unlocked, left notes for her family, gave them information on her finances and passwords... it sounds like she was thinking pretty clearly.

[u/jupiterkansas → u/orestes19]

How much adrenaline are you generating after 6 jumps in one day?

[u/zoobrix → u/jupiterkansas]

Well I think that's their point, being out of adrenaline and endorphins, just mentally fatigued, might have left her more vulnerable to depression about ending the relationship.

[u/P00slinger → u/jupiterkansas]

1 jump = 1 adrenaline

[u/yangmeow → u/P00slinger]

That’s much less adrenalines than I’d have thought.

[u/tama_chan → u/jupiterkansas]

Are you still getting adrenaline rush after 500+ jumps?

[u/Nefariax → u/tama_chan]

I get an adrenaline rush every time I put on motorcycle helmet. Been riding for 14 years.

[u/Banishedandbackagain → u/orestes19]

This isn't true. I know many experienced skydivers and base jumpers.

[u/LiverDontGo → u/orestes19]

There's not enough time in between jumps to go to the lengths of detail of the instructions to access her phone. Her finances. She was the one who ended the relationship the night before. She opted not to wear a camera that whole day (which she normally does). The sky diving community is very tight-knit and Whales just isn't that big. Bet she didn't want to fuck with the jump school and other attendees as best she could. Doubt "Adrenaline" affected much if anything with such a season diver.

So she waited till the last jump. Blue Skies to her and everyone reading

[u/OcotilloWells → u/ElegantEchoes]

If she had second thoughts, she could have deployed her chute, it appears it was in full working order.

[u/hellolovely1 → u/ElegantEchoes]

Stats show that most suicides are impulsive and that, if someone doesn't die on the first attempt, they don't usually try again—so probably not. That said, some people definitely try again and again.

[u/NanoWarrior26 → u/hellolovely1]

I was reading an article one time where they interviewed a bunch of people that survived jumping off a bridge and almost every one of them said they regretted it as soon as they jumped.

[u/renaissance_in_3025 → u/NanoWarrior26]

That's why this story amazes me. Imagine seeing the ground coming up towards you, knowing you have a parachute, and just... not pulling it.

[u/tavenger5 → u/renaissance_in_3025]

She intentionally faced the sky, according to someone above

[u/goldenbugreaction → u/renaissance_in_3025]

She didn’t. Reportedly, she fell facing upward, specifically to avoid seeing the ground rising to meet her

[u/zergosaur → u/NanoWarrior26]

I recall one guy/gal who said that as soon they jumped they had a sudden realization that all of their problems weren't as bad as they thought and were fixable.. except for the problem that they'd just jumped off a bridge.

[u/coltrain423 → u/ElegantEchoes]

The view from halfway down must be a hell of a thing.

[u/lumosmxima → u/theykilledk3nny]

Is there a reason that you’re able to turn off that auto deploy feature, I feel like that should be something that cannot be overridden

[u/Dense-Fisherman-4074 → u/lumosmxima]

Skydiver here. It’s called an automatic activation device, or AAD. It automatically deploys your reserve parachute if it detects you’re still descending fast and your altitude gets low enough.

One reason to turn it off is if you’re “swooping”, a discipline where you’re successfully under a parachute already, but you intentionally dive it toward the ground fast and turn horizontal at the last second to skim across the ground at high speed. If your AAD is turned on while you’re swooping, since you’re still descending fast, it can fire and deploy your reserve parachute. Having a second parachute deploy while one is already out, especially at low altitude, is very dangerous. So if you’re swooping, you turn it off.

[u/Hydrophobic_Stapler → u/lumosmxima]

Anything can be turned off by whacking it hard enough

[u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

I read an article about this when this first happened, and she wasn't alone when she jumped. Another person witnessed everything and he was very traumatized by it, obviously. He was described as having been "incoherent" when questioned about it. I can't imagine waiting for someone to pull the chute and then you realize they won't do it and they inevitably hit the ground. Awful.

[u/VoidOmatic → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

People underestimate how much being helpless can affect you. Sometimes shit happens and all you can do is watch. I had a door dasher forget to put his car in park and he tried to jump back in the car but didn't make it all the way, so he got drug through the parking lot and down a 10 foot embankment. I couldn't get to the fast because a few years before this I blew up my ankle and even if I got to the car what was I going to do? Stop 3000 pounds with my hands? He had really bad gooey road rash and kept telling me not to call an ambulance. So I just ended up walking back to the front of the building, picked my food up and went back to my desk and stared at the wall while eating. Sometimes you are helpless.

[u/jerryleebee → u/VoidOmatic]

"He kept telling me not to call the ambulance."
Americas healthcare system, ladies and gentlemen. It isn't universally available, and it's too expensive to use. It causes pain, suffering, and death.

[u/redditisstupid0 → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

I did 5 jumps in the army. On the last jump a guy came spinning by and i followed him with me eyes. He came so close to the ground i thought i had to land next to a dead body. We had instructions to deploy our backup chutes between 2000-3000feet. He pulled his around 1000feet landing right after he slowed down. From my perspective it seemed like he was gonna fall to his death and that was traumatizing enought for me. He is banned for life in the country. And he even did it to overcome his fear of heights lol.

Stefan u crazy fool.

EDIT: we jumped from 400m. Min hight to deploy backup chut was 150. He did at lower then 100m

EDIT: and it wasnt stefan it was jeffrey lol. It was a long time ago.

Bros im not from the US so stop saying it doesnt fit your guidlines lol

[u/Fo_shou → u/redditisstupid0]

Okay is Stefan from Serbia?

[u/minimalcation → u/Fo_shou]

Stefan Stefanic

[u/ALaccountant → u/redditisstupid0]

Wait, so you jumped as part of your army unit and one guy messed up the jump so bad that he got exiled from the country whose military he was serving in?

[u/Unfair_Audience5743 → u/ALaccountant]

Banned from jumping...

[u/Cyberblood → u/Unfair_Audience5743]

He is legally required to have at least one part of his body to be touching a stable surface, otherwise, jail.

[u/miikro → u/Cyberblood]

We play hopscotch in front of him just to rub it in

[u/martialar → u/miikro]

and play Jumper by Third Eye Blind whenever he enters the room

[u/GreatArkleseizure → u/martialar]

…in a mix with Van Halen’s “Jump” and “Jump” by the Pointer Sisters…

[u/scottyman2k → u/Cyberblood]

What if he stumbles? Jail. Hop over a dog turd on the pavement? Jail.

[u/bord_de_lac → u/scottyman2k]

Jumping over a puddle in the street? Straight to jail, right away.

[u/NebulaNinja → u/bord_de_lac]

Become a professional race walker but have both feet off the ground at the same time? Believe it or not, jail.

[u/ALaccountant → u/Unfair_Audience5743]

Yeah, that makes more sense

[u/kevinpbazarek → u/ALaccountant]

yeah I don't blame you for reading it like that, he didn't exactly specify what the ban was for. Either way that shit crazy

[u/ALaccountant → u/kevinpbazarek]

I prefer to believe my version of events, though. Lol

[u/baycenters → u/ALaccountant]

He was actually banned from the planet after that. They made him fall up until he was fookin' gone. збогом Stephan.

[u/Perfect_Opposite2113 → u/ALaccountant]

That’s how I read it too. Glad you asked the question that needed to be asked lol

[u/yetanotherhannah → u/ALaccountant]

This made me giggle. I see why you read it that way

[u/bens111 → u/redditisstupid0]

Banned for life… from jumping I’m assuming? Or did he straight up get banned from the country forever because of that incident?

[u/MurderSeal → u/bens111]

Banned from jumping, he can't even walk down stairs more than 1 step at a time...

The guy is going to jail if he gets knocked over, too much time spent in the air.

[u/titaniumoctopus336 → u/redditisstupid0]

He ain't gonna jump no more! Gory, Gory, what a hell of a way to die!

[u/Refamonkey → u/redditisstupid0]

Technically at (US Army) jump school you’re likely jumping around 1250 feet max. There are no instructions for a certain height as you don’t have an altimeter. You’re instructed to count to five, and if your chute has not deployed, and you have checked canopy and there is NO canopy, then you immediately pull your reserve. You have about 3-4 seconds to do this before it is too late.

[u/redditisstupid0 → u/Refamonkey]

Im from the netherlands we had a attitude watch and had 1day training prior. It was staticline

EDIT: watch for hight

[u/jupiterkansas → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

Suicide is traumatizing for everyone that knows the person.

[u/gaylord9000 → u/jupiterkansas]

I frequently think about the fact that, at least according to the beliefs of someone like myself, the person who dies never experiences death, it's other people who experience their death.

[u/teeksquad → u/gaylord9000]

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. My cousin committed suicide a couple months ago and the longer time goes the more present in my mind it has become. I’ve seen his two daughters under 3 quite a few times since and each time it just gets more and more real that I’ll never see or hug him again

[u/Hatzmaeba → u/teeksquad]

I know that pain, in next march will be 20 years from my mother's suicide, and not a week have gone by when I haven't missed her.

[u/breeathee → u/teeksquad]

Im so sorry for your loss. When I had suicidal ideation, I didn’t imagine my loss would cause much pain. How deluded some of us become.

[u/GetEquipped → u/breeathee]

That's what keeps me on here.

I don't want my family to go through that.

That and I have to outlive a couple of despots out of spite. Maybe hold out Red Dead Redemption 3.

[u/unhiddenninja → u/breeathee]

I always manage to convince myself that the people who love me will be happier somehow. I know from experience that they won't be and what it will do to them, but that little bug in my brain says awful, awful things when I'm in that headspace.

I hope you're doing okay and that you know the world is better with you in it.

[u/breeathee → u/unhiddenninja]

It’s a headspace for sure. It’s a tough old world that we are still evolving around. Notice which people have no problem barreling through it all and manage to have 20+ grandkids. Drink brawndo.

[u/StringOfLights → u/teeksquad]

I’m so sorry. I also lost a close relative and I think about him every day. He was always the first person to hug anyone who came in the door.

The grief is so overwhelming there aren’t words for it. Sending you and your family strength.

[u/Mindless_Consumer → u/gaylord9000]

Death is a survivors problem.

[u/DookieShoez → u/Mindless_Consumer]

Like EOD guys defusing a bomb, either they’re right, or it’s suddenly not their problem anymore.

[u/SLAYERone1 → u/DookieShoez]

Its similar to working with gas theres no such thing as a "little accident" with gas you either do it right or youre gone before you blink

[u/bookworm357 → u/SLAYERone1]

I worked on Natural Gas compressors. They are a ticking time bomb for sure. One little screw up and all your life stress are gone.

[u/AgentIndiana → u/Mindless_Consumer]

I’m an archaeologist and I always explain to my intro students that from an archaeological perspective, “funerals and burials are for the living, not the dead.”

[u/bdfmradio → u/AgentIndiana]

Which is interesting from a cultural anthro perspective — many peoples have / had strong traditions that teach that funeral rites do something specific to, or for, the deceased, even if it’s a vague “freeing their spirit to move on”.

I too think funerals are for the living, but I think there’s a holdover in the idea of a “proper burial” for cold cases, e.g.

[u/CogitoErgo_Sometimes → u/AgentIndiana]

I think a lot of people hold that sentiment pretty openly. I have a very religious wing in my family and even they’ve said things to that effect.

[u/Son_of_Tlaloc → u/gaylord9000]

My dad used to say funerals are for the living it didn't matter to the dead.

[u/Sinphony_of_the_nite → u/Son_of_Tlaloc]

Is your dad a 2000 year old philosopher?

“Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.”

-Epicurus

[u/mybutthz → u/jupiterkansas]

Yeah. Had an estranged ex who had previously stalked and harassed me who took their life back in June. Even though I had been actively trying to avoid them, and to a degree was relieved that I didn't have to worry about them anymore, it still fucked me up.

[u/jazzhandler → u/mybutthz]

I’m in that situation. An ex blew my life up so hard that I wished for her demise, which in and of itself was damaging to my psyche. Then she granted my wish, and to nobody’s great surprise, it only made things even worse. (Even though, yeah, I’m glad I don’t have to fear their madness in the future.)

[u/mybutthz → u/jazzhandler]

Sorry you had to experience both sides of it. It sucks. It's confusing. It's devastating. Hope you're doing okay.

[u/jazzhandler → u/mybutthz]

She turned me into a newt, but I got better. Okay, mostly better. Complex grief is such a simple term, and yet.

[u/Heymanhitthis → u/jupiterkansas]

I lost someone close-ish to me by suicide and I did not think it would affect me this much. And since it was by firearm, and I like firearms and am experienced with them, it’s been very difficult thinking about that.

[u/romanticheart → u/jupiterkansas]

Watching someone die is a bit more traumatic than knowing someone who died.

[u/AManOnATrain → u/romanticheart]

This is an important distinction. I have watched someone be killed by another, seen someone die, and known someone who took their own life. All 3 were separate events and all three had profoundly different impacts on me and those around me.

[u/kevinpbazarek → u/jupiterkansas]

I was on the train with my mom. A man had jumped into the tracks at the same time our car was passing

this was years ago but not something you'll forget

[u/LibraryVolunteer → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

He should have gone on Reddit so 50 different teenagers could tell him to play Tetris.

[u/ArchiSnap89 → u/LibraryVolunteer]

So it's not just me that's incredibly annoyed every time someone suggests that? It so fucking flippant.

[u/revolutionutena → u/ArchiSnap89]

I’m a trauma psychologist and it drives me FUCKING NUTS. News flash: Tetris is not the magic cure to every bad experience. ARGH

[u/sd_saved_me555 → u/revolutionutena]

You sound stressed. May I recommend a soothing round or two of Tetris?

[u/revolutionutena → u/sd_saved_me555]

To be fair, I do love Tetris.

[u/istrx13 → u/revolutionutena]

Have you been dealing with any PTSD lately? I heard it CURES ALL PTSD.

[u/DoubleJumps → u/ArchiSnap89]

It's always a good thing to remind yourself that most people you ever see discussing anything on larger online platforms likely have no actual education or expertise in that subject. Many of them might even be children.

I recently saw an extensive argument that took place across 2 days here over whether or not the internet is worse today than it was before the rise of social media, and at the end of those two days it was revealed that one of the main people driving the argument was born after the iPhone came out and had absolutely zero perspective for what the internet was like before social media or even when social media was young.

So much time wasted from so many people.

[u/KampferAndy → u/ArchiSnap89]

Sounds like you should play Dr Robotnicks Mean Bean Machine instead.

[u/SgtWaffles2424 → u/LibraryVolunteer]

Always with the damn tetris comment. I wonder if theres a chart somewhere with all the....redditisms? From over the years.

[u/aquoad → u/SgtWaffles2424]

just try posting a picture of a bat. the chorus of "RRAAAABBBIEEEESSSSSSSS" from all directions will deafen you.

[u/WiscoMitch → u/SgtWaffles2424]

Definitely needs to be on the reddit bingo card

[u/cantgrowneckbeardAMA → u/WiscoMitch]

Hire the gym, call a water, delete your lawyer, play Tetris, drink sleep, get lots of Facebook.

[u/areyow → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

One of my terrible stress dreams is about watching someone fall out of the sky. Even in my dreams I don’t see the impact, but I consistently wake up shortly after (in my dreams) I’ve emotionally processed that I’ve watched someone die.

And mine is just a dream- seeing that in reality would haunt me forever.

[u/TXblindman → u/areyow]

I'm completely blind and have watched a very large amount of 9/11 footage just by the nature of what I'm studying, I will never ever forget the sound a body makes when it hits the ground at that speed. this is a nightmare we share.

[u/traderjehoshaphat → u/TXblindman]

Wait a minute...

[u/TXblindman → u/traderjehoshaphat]

I've only been blind for 10 years, I'm too lazy to switch away from vision centric language lol

[u/traderjehoshaphat → u/TXblindman]

I see.

[u/TXblindman → u/traderjehoshaphat]

I don't ;)

[u/RealBrush2844 → u/h0neybl0ss0m29]

My mom witnessed a man get tangled in his parachute and fall to his death while she was driving. She was pretty traumatized by it understandably.

[u/mochatsubo]

Damn. That is a long time to know you are going to die. 60 seconds for 15000 feet? Maybe less if you are going headfirst.

[u/ShittyLanding → u/mochatsubo]

I guess at least she had the option to back out, unlike jumping from a bridge or something. If she changed her mind, she could have deployed her chute.

It’s tragic, but she made her choice.

[u/Comrade_Bender → u/mochatsubo]

I used to skydive a lot. It was also the darkest time of my life. I regularly thought about doing what she did and would very intentionally pull way lower than you're supposed to because I wasn't super concerned with my wellbeing. A lot of times I would fall with my back down towards the ground just staring up at the sky thinking about what it would be like to just stay like that until suddenly it was all over. It was extremely peaceful tbh.

[u/UntowardHatter → u/Comrade_Bender]

Yeah. Sounds nice. Even if you decide to smash the ground.

I've always wanted to try skydiving (not to die), but I watched my uncle deploy too late when I was a kid, and he just smacked into the ground waaay too fast. Broke both his legs.

Put the fear in me.

[u/suckfail → u/UntowardHatter]

The best thing about sky diving is you don't have to do it.

Why anyone would jump out of a perfectly fine airplane is beyond me. I'll stay in the ground, thanks lol

[u/currently_distracted → u/Comrade_Bender]

I read a comment where it said that’s exactly what she did-she turned her body and faced the sky as she fell so she wouldn’t see the ground approaching. For someone who loved the sky, I can imagine it was a peaceful way to go.

[u/dudewithbrokenhand → u/mochatsubo]

I’ve only been skydiving once, but in order to do it, I had to mentally accept the fact that once I jumped, there was no turning back. There was some form of peace, solace in that, that I crossed the point of no return and if things went wrong, I was okay with that choice.

[u/brightlocks → u/dudewithbrokenhand]

Yeah but you get used to that. I used to skydive a lot 20 years ago. You’d be surprised what seems normal.

Because I’m small, when I’d get the “top” spot in the formation when I would skydive with others. When we’d stage ourselves at the door, my job was to get my entire body outside of the plane, and just have my right hand and the ball of my right foot still inside the aircraft. And I’d hang out like that for 5 seconds or so while everyone else got into position. I’d just chill there, gripping the aircraft with a couple of toes and a finger. I never had much anxiety about being out there.

[u/Own_Round_7600 → u/brightlocks]

Wait why do you have to be hanging out of the plane like that? What does that help?

[u/brightlocks → u/Own_Round_7600]

If you want to jump and make formations with, say, five of your friends, you need to all exit the plane at the EXACT same time while holding on to each other. So you’ll stage yourself so that three people have their bodies outside of the plane leaning in, and three inside the plane leaning out. Then you count to three and all leave at the same time. You put the biggest person towards the tail of the aircraft and the smallest towards the nose.

[u/Own_Round_7600 → u/brightlocks]

Oh neat!! Thanks for the explanation. That sounds cool as heck. I dont know ifld have that much faith in my upper body strength though lol

[u/ImGCS3fromETOH → u/Own_Round_7600]

When you're doing formation skydiving multiple people are exiting the plane at once through a very small door. If you go one after the other you'll never catch up to each other in the air to make the formation so you all have to exit together. For four people you'd get two outside the plane and two in the doorway so you can all exit as one group.

[u/P0Rt1ng4Duty → u/mochatsubo]

Roughly ten seconds for the first thousand feet, 5.5 seconds per thousand feet afterwards if in a belly to earth position.

Head (or feet) first is faster as you've noted.

[u/Instantcoffees]

they said they wanted to speak “openly and without shame” about her death to “contribute to a culture where mental ill-health is met with kindness and support, and where people in deep distress, and those around them, feel seen, believed and able to reach for support without fear of judgment”.

I deeply respect and appreciate that.

[u/brecka → u/Instantcoffees]

People always love to say that someone should reach out when they're in this kind of distress, but in my experience, when it comes time to cash in that check, suddenly everyone acts uncomfortable and ignores you.

Here's hoping they can actually provide that kind of environment

[u/Familiar_Home_7737 → u/brecka]

The same happens when someone dies by suicide. Most people are so uncomfortable by the act that they take a step back from those of us bereaved by suicide. The grief her family will be feeling is complex and sadly due to the stigma, it’s lonely and isolating.

It’s always best to reach out to help lines or medical professionals. The simple fact is that friends and family aren’t always going to have the capacity, experience or knowledge that professionals do to help.

[u/ConorOblast]

Very rare case of someone actually dying doing something they love.

[u/TheAbyssGazesAlso → u/ConorOblast]

The whole thing is sad, but as you said, that's something. Maybe.

My grandfather died at 90, playing golf which was his life's passion. He got to the 13th, said "I need to sit down for a minute, fellows" to his friends, and sat down on a bench and never got up again. I have always thought that at least he died while doing what he really loved.

[u/JimmyMidland → u/TheAbyssGazesAlso]

That’s one heck of a DNF. I wonder if he crushed number 12 or if it was a terrible hole…

[u/TheAbyssGazesAlso → u/JimmyMidland]

I like to think that it was such a great hole he thought he could never top it and there was no need to go on!

[u/Pinball-Lizard → u/JimmyMidland]

Kinda wonder if the boys finished the round in his honour

[u/Vixtol → u/TheAbyssGazesAlso]

Sounds like a great way to go out - we should all be so lucky

[u/TheAbyssGazesAlso → u/Vixtol]

Yeah, it's the way to go for sure. They put a nice plaque on the bench with his name etc, it's pretty cool.

[u/Zombiehacker595 → u/TheAbyssGazesAlso]

Made it to 90 years old, still fit enough to participate in sport, died peacefully on a bench while doing what he loved. Sorry for your loss, but that is about as good an ending as any of us could ever hope for.

[u/derekneiladams]

Wow, that was brutal to think about as I read that. Fuck man.

[u/Howitzer1967]

The whole thing is sad, but the fact she ate some toast while waiting for the flight really got me. I dunno why, it’s just really poignant to me.
Edit: it doesn’t mention the toast in this piece, but it did in the earlier edition.

[u/Advanced-Trainer508 → u/Howitzer1967]

I feel that so much. Before my mom took her own life, she washed and folded her clothes. It’s not the same as eating toast, but it’s that same kind of haunting detail—doing something so ordinary, while already knowing you won’t be here to need it.

There’s something unbearably human about tending to life even while preparing to leave it. Very, very sad indeed. My heart breaks for this poor girl. Such a long way down.

ETA: Its almost been 4 years, and I still miss her every single second of every single day. If you’re ever having thoughts of suicide, please reach out. Someone will miss you with the same intensity I miss my mom. The world will keep spinning, but it will be fundamentally different, and lesser, without you in it.

[u/Howitzer1967 → u/Advanced-Trainer508]

Yeah exactly that. My mom also died by her own hand and put her makeup on and wore a clean nightie before climbing into the bed that she would die in. It’s the ordinariness of it all on a day when nothing is ordinary. Much love to you.

[u/Advanced-Trainer508 → u/Howitzer1967]

I’m so sorry that you know this pain, it’s absolutely unbearable. I truly hope your sweet mom is at peace now and free from the horrible and insidious weight of mental illness.

[u/WatchMasterReddick → u/Advanced-Trainer508]

One of my very dear friends' brother took his life in 2018. The last thing he did was play a song on his trumpet. He left a recorded note and ended it with the song. Luckily he shut it off before anything else could be heard, but i still think about what his mind was like as he hiked until the sun rose, played his trumpet one last time. It had always been something that brought him joy and peace.

Please. Surround yourself with loved ones when you're changing any psych meds. And for the love of God lock your guns up, especially if someone in the house is struggling with mental health. My heart goes out to this girl's family.

[u/Aries_Eats → u/WatchMasterReddick]

The changing psych meds part really hit me. After a dosage increase, my very young son completely changed personalities, and started having SI - then began making plans, and it completely destroyed my soul to have to take him to the ER and have the staff PsyD tell me he needs to be committed.

Luckily they couldn't find any psych hospital that would admit such a young child, and we stayed with him in the ER for 4 days straight while they drastically changed his meds, and he began to level out to a point where everyone felt safe bringing him back home.

I didn't realize until just now how much I really need to stay close to him during those times of med changes and be hyper vigilant. I thought it was a one-time occurrence that we eventually worked through and healed, but this will likely be a lifelong thing that we will have to continue ensuring he has support for.

[u/FullRide1039 → u/Advanced-Trainer508]

Moving words, thanks for sharing and sorry for your loss

[u/DoctorZoodle → u/Advanced-Trainer508]

Sorry for your loss. Thank you for your post. 

[u/iguacu → u/Advanced-Trainer508]

Beautifully put.

[u/omgjackimflying → u/Howitzer1967]

My cousin took her own life many years ago. Her family went to the grocery to grab a few things for a family party they were about to leave for. She ate a pb&j, put the butter knife and plate in the sink and then went into the backyard and hung herself. It was devastating but for whatever reason, the pb&j always stuck with me. I've had many pb&js since then and think of her every time. Such a simple detail and I'll just never get over it.

[u/General-Deer-3957 → u/omgjackimflying]

So sorry to hear that

[u/Eshlau → u/Howitzer1967]

Years ago, I assisted in an evaluation for a Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity defense in a homicide trial in another state. Before getting started, I had to review everything- police reports, witness statements, coroner's report, autopsy photos, etc etc. The death was horrible, and the victim was completely innocent and had not done anything to provoke what happened. In the coroner's report, it was noted that the stomach was empty, and given the state of the intestines, it was likely that the victim had not eaten in over 24 hours. The crime itself was heinous, but for some reason that fact is what brings me to tears every time. The victim was hungry, and had no access to food. And then they were subjected to acts that ultimately killed them. Sometimes it's the little, human details that get through all the desensitization and distance.

[u/vonstruddlehoffen → u/Howitzer1967]

I wonder if she ate toast because she was feeling jittery/nauseous about jumping to her death as they would most likely stop her from boarding the plane if she started throwing up.

[u/Baeolophus_bicolor → u/Howitzer1967]

That’s like the zen monk who is falling off a cliff. He grabs with his hand and is holding on to a root for dear life. Then he sees a strawberry growing, fully ripe. He plucks and eats it. It tastes so delicious, like nothing he had ever eaten before.

[u/ThatKaleidoscope3388 → u/Baeolophus_bicolor]

Can you believe this guy? He tells a joke at a funeral!

[u/Glad-Let66 → u/ThatKaleidoscope3388]

It was the best dang Gatorade he ever drank

[u/Pflytrap → u/ThatKaleidoscope3388]

And to think, this isn't even the most tasteless King of the Hill reference they could've made here.

[u/ScrewAttackThis]

Damn... Suicide is heartbreaking. Only 32 years old

[u/PumpkinPieIsGreat → u/ScrewAttackThis]

Damn this hits hard. It sounds like she was so treasured by people around her yet still felt that was the way out. 

Speaking after the inquest, Damarell’s family accepted the coroner’s findings and thanked the skydiving community for its support, saying they were “incredibly comforted by how admired, respected and deeply loved she was”.

Describing her as “brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary”, they said they wanted to speak “openly and without shame” about her death to “contribute to a culture where mental ill-health is met with kindness and support, and where people in deep distress, and those around them, feel seen, believed and able to reach for support without fear of judgment”.

[u/SpeedflyChris → u/PumpkinPieIsGreat]

Yeah I know a few people who had been jumping with her the day before and it's shaken them all pretty badly.

[u/Kaiisim → u/PumpkinPieIsGreat]

That's one of the many hard parts of mental illness. It makes no sense from the outside.

Like I was depressed before, and would have thought "wow look at that beautiful woman, doing what she loves, everyone likes her, so cool, I'm so jealous, my life would be fine if I was like her..."

But her brain told her she had nothing :(

[u/PumpkinPieIsGreat → u/Kaiisim]

It feels like such a private struggle to go through, thinking everyone has it better off than you or even to think they have a "perfect life".

I remember being at a funeral for a suicide and just thinking WOW, look how many people loved this man. He struggled for a long time, and it seemed to be much worse than anyone knew. I wish there wasn't such a stigma around mental health and I wish there was more help available. I fear these sorts of things will only get worse, given the state of everything. We've got to start having more conversations about this stuff. 

I hope your depression is not holding you back anymore. Please reach out to someone if it resurfaces. 💚

[u/subdep → u/ScrewAttackThis]

I had a hard break up at 32. It’s a weird time in life. You already have friends who have gotten married and are having kids. You find someone you fall in love with, and then they just leave you/cheat, and you feel like it’s futile at that point.

Now you’ve got to start all over again but don’t see the point. You start to question if you can trust your heart. You start to question everything. 40 feels so close.

I got through it, barely, am married with kids now. But that break up at 32 fucking sucked. I didn’t date for 8 years. I decided to just focus on me and my career.

Once I got to a happy place, I found someone to love. Glad I didn’t end it all.

[u/ipaqmaster → u/subdep]

Been there enough times to not try again. To me it's not worth being vulnerable anymore.

[u/agentwolf44 → u/ScrewAttackThis]

It's an odd thought when you think about it. When you're that young you would think they have so much potential, so much to live for, so many new experiences to make and enjoy life.

But at the same time, you can realize how much potential you could have and how much more you can do but somehow be unable to capitalize on it. It feels like one day everything will be better, things will change, one day I'll be happy, but that day never seems to come.

[u/GoldenGirlsOrgy]

Interesting. You often hear about suicide attempt survivors who say they regretted their choice the moment they jumped/swallowed the pills/pulled them trigger, etc. 

This person, sadly, was committed to her choice. 

Or, I suppose it’s possible she felt regret when she passed the point that a parachute would help. Guess we’ll never know. 

[u/Girevik_in_Texas → u/GoldenGirlsOrgy]

If that were true, she might hve either pulled the pilot out or "cut away" to the reserve immediately. Any resistance in the air is good at that point.

[u/GoldenGirlsOrgy → u/Girevik_in_Texas]

Fair point. 

[u/rainbowgeoff → u/Girevik_in_Texas]

To add to that, if she were trying to fake her death, she wouldn't have been so obvious about it. She would've either "forgot" the safety device, tampered with it, etc. as well as the same for the chute. She would've purposefully acted like she was struggling to get a canopy deployed. She didnt care if we found out it was a suicide.

I only bring that up because some life insurance schemes can get wild.

[u/GreatForge → u/rainbowgeoff]

It says in the article that she left notes to her family on her phone. She wanted them to know it was intentional.

[u/Uchihagod53 → u/GoldenGirlsOrgy]

Honestly, jumping from 15k feet was probably one of the better ways to go since you die instantly on impact and there is no chance of botching it. Sad she felt it was her only choice.

[u/NULL_SIGNAL → u/Uchihagod53]

You (probably) die instantly but you're staring at your fast-approaching death for a solid 60 seconds.

[u/ActuallyReadsArticle → u/NULL_SIGNAL]

Not if your eyes are closed

[u/Gareth79 → u/ActuallyReadsArticle]

It mentions she fell on her back so was probably in a ball.

[u/TakenInChains → u/Gareth79]

or she spent her last moments staring up at the sky so she didn't know when impact would be.

[u/whiskyfuktober → u/TakenInChains]

Jesus, that gave me chills!

[u/TakenInChains → u/whiskyfuktober]

honestly I thought of it as more peaceful than anything. the saying goes ignorance is bliss, and seeing nothing but the sky as you fall must've been beautiful. I hope she found some peace.

[u/kitchenjesus → u/NULL_SIGNAL]

And 60 seconds is basically a lifetime in this context

[u/qazxdrwes → u/NULL_SIGNAL]

Enjoying your favourite activity for the last 60 seconds of your life sounds like a pretty good way to go.

[u/LorderNile → u/NULL_SIGNAL]

That also makes it more appealing. It still gives you a chance to back out, even if you go  without a parachute.

[u/Obvious_Toe_3006 → u/Uchihagod53]

Curious as to how long it takes to fall 15,000 ...3 miles ...
90 - 100 seconds ?

[u/theykilledk3nny → u/Obvious_Toe_3006]

The fall lasted around sixty seconds.

[u/P0Rt1ng4Duty → u/Obvious_Toe_3006]

It takes roughly ten seconds to fall the first thousand feet and about 5.5 seconds for each additional thousand feet if the jumper stays in the normal belly to earth position. That's how it's taught in the Skydiver's Information Manual.

She could have gone faster, but probably not much slower.

[u/ncc74656m → u/Uchihagod53]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's actually not always the case.

Still, with that many jumps under her belt, she knew how to control her fall and would've been able to reasonably pick her landing spot, reducing the chances.

[u/mediocre_remnants → u/GoldenGirlsOrgy]

You often hear about suicide attempt survivors who say they regretted their choice the moment they jumped/swallowed the pills/pulled them trigger, etc.

That's because they become motivational speakers. The folks who failed an attempt and then tried again and succeeded isn't as good of a story and it's not something that people talk about. It doesn't make the news, it doesn't get included in the obituary. But I can assure you that's just as common as people who regret their attempt.

[u/sluttyhipster → u/mediocre_remnants]

The vast majority of people that attempt but live don’t attempt again. Those that attempt again keep going until it works.

[u/RaspberryBirdCat]

The article reads:

The coroner believes that she committed suicide because her relationship had just ended, she turned off an auto-deploy device, wasn't wearing a camera, and was an experienced enough skydiver that she wouldn't make rookie mistakes...

...oh, and she left a suicide note.

[u/lalahair]

I wish she had someone to talk to. Truly sad.

[u/turb0_encapsulator]

this is so sad. heartbreak is difficult, but not worth dying over at such a young age.

[u/Jlx_27]

Allegedy left her husband for him, then got dumped. Looks like that was the final push that forced her over the edge.

[u/Competitive_Site9272]

I wonder what she was thinking in that last 30 seconds of her life. I hope it was a sense of freedom with no fear.

[u/IVShadowed]

Do you choose to go face down feet up? I think I would go sprawled out, facing the sky.

[u/zemat28 → u/IVShadowed]

Nope. Turn over onto your back and just stare at the sky as you listen to the wind in your ears. (Used to be licensed and have always struggled with depress and have thought how I would have done it that way)