Base jump goes horribly wrong after parachute doesn't open causing mid-air collision
Base jumping is not for the faint-hearted. Case in point – this clip of a stunt gone wrong:
Before we get into it, the Redditor who shared the footage from TikToker @mateomassoni reassured viewers that 'no one died' in the accident.
Even so, it was a close call, demonstrating the extreme nature of the recreational sport.
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Speaking of which, for those not in the know, base jumping essentially involves launching yourself off of fixed objects and using a parachute to descend safely to the ground.
But unfortunately mishaps do happen like the one shown in the video above. As you'll see, things start off well, with three lads launching themselves off a bridge into a narrow lake below.
While the first two get their parachutes going no problem, the third guy can't get his open before he collides into his pal, leaving the pair spinning out of control.
It's scary enough that they're free falling towards the water from such a height, but the situation is made even dicier by the huge rocks below.
Thankfully they made it into the lake and, as said by OP u/-KanyeEast-, no one died.
The Reddit community had some thoughts, with some suggesting the impact could've still caused some damage.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't water insanely dangerous to land on from way up high?" asked one, to which another replied, "It acts like concrete if you hit it fast enough."
However, plenty of people were on hand to explain that the three jumpers weren't high enough for this to happen.
"For everyone talking about hitting water like concrete: yes, that is a thing. No, it is absolutely not due to surface tension," wrote one.
"No, the guy in this video does not appear to be going fast enough for it to be an issue that threatens death or serious injury."
Another said: "Everyone was fine according to the guy who recorded it.
"It’s believable because he’s already most of the way down when his parachute releases which reduces his speed dramatically.
"Then after the parachute has been hit it is still working to a certain extent, if you look at the other base jumpers in relation theres no way he was travelling as fast as without a parachute at all.
"The water takes away the rest of the impact. Lucky he didn’t hit a rock though."
Others went into a little more detail about the style of jump and what went wrong, with one writing: "It’s a common thing to jump multiple people at once and you typically have a 'count' going.
"What I mean is that you have a beat in your head and you all toss your chutes in a coordinated and timed manner so this doesn’t happen.
"You all count together and that way your are all synced up for the jumps timing."
Unfortunately the jumpers in this video didn't quite sync up as planned. Though they luckily made it out alive.
Daisy Phillipson