The thought of free falling hundreds of feet in the air and plummeting towards the ground with just a rope holding onto your dear life is h-orr!fying to most. Despite the adrenaline-inducing activity being promoted as super safe, things can go wr*ng – and recent footage has emerged of the most terr!fying thing that could possibly happen to a bungee jumper.
Calling all adrenaline junkies out there… It’s safe to say that bungee jumping is probably one of the most extreme activities in the world. Members of the Oxford University Dan*erous Sports Club began testing the sport out and even conducted jumps from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, which helped the sport to gain popularity worldwide. And millions around the world enjoy facing their greatest fear, experiencing the thr!ll of a lifetime.
Of course, bungee jumping has its r!sks…
The r!sk of obtaining mild to severe neck, spine, or eye !njur-ies is always going to be there. Your body is freefal-ling at highly intense speeds, and the tu-g of the rope that’s holding onto you can send a lot of fo*ce and sho*k through the body. The r!sk involved in the activity is often the factor that sp-urs people to go ahead and face their fear of heights.
What’s the wo*st that could happen? That’s probably what the majority of bungee jumpers think when they’re about to take that fa*eful step off the platform, but the wo*st really did happen recently for one man. Footage has emerged from Sunday of last week in Gdynia, Poland, that shows an unidentified man ready to take his first bungee jump. The crane is seen to ele*ate the thirty-nine-year-old high into the air until it reaches around 300ft. Underneath the crane is what appears to be a large infla-table pillow.
Bungee airbags… Many bungee jumping companies use airbags at the bottom of the jump space to increase safety in case of an acc!dent. These are secured in a spot wherein the participant can safely fall upon them, and they will ultimately bre*k a heavy fall.
The man seems to fea*lessly fall from the crane and begins hur*ling towards the ground in a matter of seconds. But something wasn’t quite right. The man’s ha*ness came loose and he completely de*ached from the rope that was holding him up.
The man is seen to plu-mmet, unha*nessed, to the ground… The sho*king footage shows the man’s body sla* onto the airbag and very quickly bounce straight off it, onto the ground. It shows people who were watching from the ground stand for a moment in sho*k, then quickly run to the man’s aid. He was very quickly ru*hed to a hospital, and it was reported that he was consc!ous throughout the entire ordeal.
According to reports, the man is said to have su*fer-ed from a fractured spine as well as several !njur-ies to numerous internal organs. Even though his sp!ne was bro*en, his sp!nal co-rd wasn’t, which means he hopefully won’t undergo from lifelong !njur-ies and will make a recovery. Bungeeclub is the organization that runs the bungee jumps, and a spokesperson cla!ms that the man was in “good condition” when they left him at the hospital.
The company seemed to think that the man was absolutely fine… Bungeeclub wrote a post on Facebook, and, translated to English, it read: “The most important – the health of the participant of theunfortunate jump is no serious dan*er.
He didn’t bre*k his spine!! After a medical examination at the emergency room, he was considered good.” The company bid thanks to the airbags for preventing a tra*edy.
“All equipment used by our company has all the required certificates. Jumps are carried out by qualified and experienced instructors according to all procedures,” it went on to read. “As the only bungeejumping company in Poland, we use professional skokochronu – so-called ‘Pillows.’ And it was because of this and our fores!ghtedn-ess that there was no tra*edy.”
The following day, Bungeeclub posted another update: “We would like to inform you that when our instructor left the ER at night, the condition of the jumper was good.” Krzysztof Kuśmierczyk, from the Gdynia police, told local news that officers had attended the scene and interviewed staff and witn-esses, but it is unknown as to whether any legal act!on will be taken aga!nst Bungeeclub.
This doesn’t mean that bungee jumping has to be ruled out completely, but, if you’re going to do it, ensure that the company that you go with has full safety procedures in check in order for you to have the best experience possible.I must adm*t, I’m guilty of being one of those thrill-seekers who will stand in a 3-hour queue for ninety seconds of !ntense, adrenaline-spiking fun. But recent events at a theme park in India have made me doubt whether I’ll ever let myself be strapp*d into a rollerc-oaster again.