Morbid joke woman made before 360ft fall when bungee jump cord snapped into crocodile-infested water
Be careful what you joke about before you take on a death-defying stunt, as this woman has told how her innocent pun became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Erin Langworthy's offhand comment before she went bungee jumping off a 360ft bridge nearly came back to haunt her, big time - as the cord carrying her terrifyingly snapped.
The Australian woman, who was just 22 at the time, plunged into the crocodile-infested waters of the Zambezi river after her leap of faith went drastically wrong back in 2012.
She was visiting the infamous Victoria Falls, which straddles the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, when she decided to have a go of the bungee jump which operates off the bridge between the two countries.
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The whole experience is photographed and videoed for the thrill seekers brave enough to give it a go - so Erin's entire ordeal was also caught on camera.
Take a look at this:
The footage shows Erin embracing her inner adrenaline junkie as she made the leap with her arms outstretched, and for the first few seconds, everything seemed to have gone to plan.
She jumps and the cord begins to take the tension, as it should - but suddenly, it snaps, leaving the tourist free falling into the Zambezi river.
Although she admitted she felt 'nervous' before the jump, Erin said she never thought 'anything could go wrong', especially as she was the 105th person to perform the stunt that day.
Which is probably why she didn't mind tempting fate when filling her mum in on her upcoming bungee jump, as she joked that she might not make it through.
Erin previously told The Guardian: "I'd sent her a postcard the day before, saying - 'I'm doing a bungee jump tomorrow, so I'll say goodbye… only joking!' - which she now keeps on the fridge.
"She's adamant I'll never do another, but I'm not so sure."
And after hearing about her horrifying experience, you'll probably be adamant that Erin should steer well clear of bungee jumping too.
The Aussie said the initial 'rush' of diving off the 360ft bridge was 'amazing', but she soon realised something was awry when she 'felt a jolt across her chest' after a few seconds of free falling.
"It seemed as if I slowed down for a second, then sped up," Erin recalled. "Then I felt myself hit the water - that's when I realised something had gone wrong."
In the clip, Erin can be seen crashing into the Zambezi river - which is renowned for it's fast flow, steep drops and difficult terrain, as well as the fearsome animals which call it home, such as crocodiles and hippos.
To make matters even worse, her feet were still bound together and attached to the bungee cord.
So, although she survived the fall of around 40 metres, the Aussie faced the fight of her life to stay afloat in the fast-moving water.
Recalling what she remembers from the moment of impact, Erin told Channel Nine: "It went black straight away and I felt like I'd been slapped all over. As I went deeper down, the water got colder and it must have snapped me out of it."
The Perth native explained she had been white water rafting a day earlier and was able to remember some of the safety tips she was taught to navigate the rapids she was speedily approaching.
"The water was going quite quickly and then I started to hear the roaring," Erin said. "It's like being in waves, you get sucked under and then you pop up so it's very disorienting, I didn't know which [way] was up or down.
"It was quite scary because a couple of times the rope actually got caught on some rocks or debris," she said. "I actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface."
Miraculously, despite her injuries - which included severe bruising and internal trauma - she somehow managed to swim to the Zimbabwe side of the river and dragged herself out, with the aid of an employee from the bungee company.
Erin later told The Guardian that she believes her outstretched hands 'stopped her hitting the water headfirst and blacking out'.
"My lungs were on fire and I was struggling to breathe," she recalled. "That morning, I had seen crocodiles in the water, but I couldn't think about that.
"I started coughing up blood and began to worry about internal injuries. I felt exhausted and struggled to process what had happened."
She explained she was later taken to a hospital in Victoria Falls, where she was put on a ventilator, underwent an ultrasound and was assessed by a lung specialist.
"They gave me a large dose of antibiotics - the doctors were worried about how much dirty water I had ingested," Erin explained. "X-rays showed no broken bones, but my lungs had partially collapsed.
"The guys from the bungee company visited me in hospital. They were very apologetic and astounded I'd survived," while adding that she also believes it's a 'miracle' she made it out of the Zambezi alive.
Former Zambian tourism minister Given Lubinda told holidaymakers not to panic following Erin's experience, according to The Lusaka Times, and even offered to perform the stunt alongside her.
"The bungee has proven to be a very viable operation considering that more than 50,000 tourists jump on it every year," he said. "It has been in operation for 10 years. This is the first time I am hearing of an incident.
"The probability of an incident is one in 500,000 jumps."
Lubinda then later said it was his responsibility as tourism minister to be the 'guinea pig' and 'take the risk' to prove bungee jumping was safe, so suggested he and Erin could try it together.
“I am hoping that all those who watched a middle-aged person jumping down the bridge and coming back up smiling will be encouraged not just to jump but also to come and visit Zambia," he said.
Topics: Extreme Sports, Travel, World News, Health
Olivia Burke