Skydiver’s heartbreaking tradition before every jump revealed in tribute from friend after parachute collision
A close friend of a skydiver who died when her parachute collided with another mid-air has issued a heartfelt tribute and revealed a tradition she had before jumping.
The two women who died falling from 12,500 feet over the city of Lake Elsinore in Southern California when disaster struck on Friday (6 November).
The experienced skydivers, now identified as Georgia Jean, 56, from South Dakota, and Levi Pimentel, 29, from Illinois, suffered catastrophic injuries after they collided with one another during the jump.
They were both at the end of their fall when they collided and their parachutes became entangled shortly before noon, according to Skydive Elsinore.
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Tributes have now been paid to the pair amid an ongoing police investigation into the fatal fall.
Jean, who was a former comedian, and Levi Pimentel, a professional who served as lead instructor at iFLY Naperville, had travelled to the area to take part in an organised event.
Heartbreaking tribute to 'experienced' skydiver
Now, friend to Levi Pementel and fellow skydiver Andy Riggs has paid an emotional tribute to the 29-year-old and revealed a heartbreaking tradition she had everytime before jumping from an aircraft.
He said she would 'boop' everyones noses before the free fall after a fist bump as a way of wishing good luck to one another.
"Dear Levi, I’m so glad I got to see you last September, one last time randomly here in Texas. We started skydiving around the same time together, and I watched you grow into an incredibly talented instructor and coach," he penned in a status on Facebook.
"I’ve logged so many of my 900+ skydives with you. Especially in the early years. Thank you for being a constant source of positivity, always smiling, always encouraging, always friendly. Your energy was always infectious. Something like that is appreciated in this sport.
"I’ll pray both for you and the other woman that we lost in the accident the other day, and I’ll pray for all of our sky family.
"As skydivers, we don’t take what we do lightly. We accept the risk that we’re taking and trust the training that we’re given and the people around us to look out for each other."
Describing her tradition before jumping, he added: "Just as we’re getting to altitude, every skydiver in the plane will do a quick high five and a fist bump.
"A collective nod that we’re all about to do something so cool and so incredible, but not everybody gets to do it’s almost a little pact that we have together on the airplane right before we jump.
"Levi made a habit of booping everyone’s nose after the fist bump it always made for a smile right before we did something so incredibly insane. Blue skies, Levi. Here’s one more boop for you."
Meanwhile, a post shared by other jumper Georgia Jean, 56, has resurfaced following her death.
She referenced a 'deathwish time-bomb' after revealing she failed in training three times before an instructor told her she wouldn't be able to partake in the sport.
On her Facebook page she also regularly posted videos of herself taking part in various skydiving events including with the Women's Upright World Record Training Camp.
Both of them were visiting the area and made the jump together according to Skydive Elsinore. The collision happened near to the skydive centre, who said there was no indication their equipment had malfunctioned.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing. Skydive Elsinore said: "Eyewitnesses report that the freefall portion of the jump was normal and uneventful, and that both skydivers opened their parachutes at the expected altitude.
"As they prepared to land, the two skydivers collided at approximately 150 feet above the ground. The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground.
"Skydive Elsinore staff and emergency services responded immediately. Both were transported to a local hospital, where they were pronounced deceased. There is no indication of any equipment malfunction.
Topics: US News
James Holt
