Fatality Jan. 17 2010 [Archive]

Luke_Se

January 18th, 2010, 08:09 AM

Arkansas base jumper found dead at bottom of Big Brutus - KOAM TV 7 Joplin and Pittsburg News Weather Sports | (http://www.koamtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11834777)
The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO - <img src=" http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/quickread.gif " border=0>Body found at Big Brutus (http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_016213536.html)
This was the object...160 feet...
The Story of Big Brutus: Mining Shovel for P&M Coal Company (http://the-working-man.com/big-brutus.html)

I dont know if I should quote peoples posts from the other message board without asking them for permission but I know many people dont go there anymore...

"The only info I have at this time is that he died from jumping Big Brutus. You can google it, it's a 160ft. shovel in KS. I don't know if he had a mal or just didn't have enough time to open or what... I'm sure that will all come out in the next few days. The information I have is that he was not alone at the time of his death but the person he was left fled the scene. The police found the body. I'm not real happy that someone left my friends body at the base of the object all alone to be stumbled upon at a later date. What kind of a man does it take to just walk away from that. I know this person's name also and will be wanting to have a talk with them...

We're having problems finding a couple of people VERY close to the deceased so I would rather they don't find out about it on the internet. The name will be released soon I'd imagine."

"It was during the climb up."

RIP Mark Mosley aka SitFlyBaseBoy:(
Horrible beginning of 2010...:(

Johnny Utah

January 18th, 2010, 07:59 PM

Skydiver Falls To Death Before BASE Jump - Local News Story - KHBS NW Arkansas (http://www.4029tv.com/news/22266982/detail.html)

4029TV.com

Skydiver Falls To Death Before BASE Jump

POSTED: 4:06 pm CST January 18, 2010
UPDATED: 5:18 pm CST January 18, 2010
LOWELL, Ark. -- Friends are mourning a local dentist and skydiving instructor who police say died while attempting a BASE jump
The body of Mark Mosley, 49, was found Saturday near what's known as the Big Brutus landmark in Kansas.
Police believe Mosley was planning to BASE jump off the structure.
BASE jumping is like skydiving, but participants jump off structures instead of out of airplanes.
Friends remembered Mosley as one of the most experienced BASE jumpers in the region.
"Mark knew the risk and he loved it. He was very, very good at it," said longtime friend Wolf Grulkey.
Big Brutus is a 160 foot high electric shovel that is now a monument for coal mining history in southeast Kansas.

Arkansas base jumper found dead at bottom of Big Brutus - KOAM TV 7 Joplin and Pittsburg News Weather Sports | (http://www.koamtv.com/global/story.asp?s=11834777)

Arkansas base jumper found dead at bottom of Big Brutus
Updated: Jan 18, 2010 06:27 PM
Updated Jan 18, 2010 - 5:20 PM CST

CHEROKEE COUNTY, KAN. - An extreme parachute jump gone wrong. That's how the Cherokee County sheriff's office is describing what happened at the Big Brutus attraction near West Mineral, Kansas.

Officials say it appears that Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Arkansas was attempting to base jump off the giant coal shovel and fell to his death.

Cherokee County investigators collected a parachute and other equipment from the scene.

Base jumpers use special types of chutes, and officials are talking to skydiving experts to see if the wrong type of chute could have been a factor.

A preliminary autopsy shows Moseley's injuries were consistent with a fall.

A Fayetteville, Arkansas TV station is reporting that Mosley was a dentist and sky diving instructor.

Updated Jan 17, 2010 - 5:40 PM CST

An Arkansas man Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Arkansas has been identified as the individual found dead at the Big Brutus grounds near West Mineral, Kansas.

In a news release issued by Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves the evidence indicates Mosley was base jumping at the site.

"Base jumpers typically utilize specialized chutes, due to the low altitudes involved," the release says. "Cherokee County Investigators collected the chute and other equipment from the scene, and are conferring with skydiving / jumping experts in hopes of determining the appropriateness and functionality of the equipment used."

The investigation is ongoing and an autopsy has been scheduled.

Big Brutus is listed as the second largest electric shovel in the world at 160 feet tall with a boom that is 150 feet long.

Updated Jan 16, 2010 - 6:18 PM CST

A body is found near a southeast Kansas tourist attraction.

A deceased male is found lying near Big Brutus. Authorities arrived on scene late Saturday morning at the West Mineral, Kansas attraction.

Police tape surrounds Big Brutus where the body was found.

Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves says he and his deputies are taking their time with the investigation and processing the scene.

He says a top priority is identifying the male and notifying the next of kin.

"At this time we are at the preliminary stages of the investigation trying to make an identification so that we can make a contact with his next of kin," says Sheriff David Groves.

The body is being sent to Topeka for an autopsy where officials hope to find out the time of death.

The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO - Base jumper identified (http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/local_story_017221021.html)

Published January 17, 2010 10:10 pm - WEST MINERAL, Kan. — The man who was found dead Saturday morning at the Big Brutus attraction, identified as Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Ark., appeared to have been base-jumping, Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Sunday.
Base jumping is an activity in which participants with parachutes jump from a base, typically a building, bridge or cliff. Groves said authorities collected a chute, jumping harnesses and other safety equipment from the scene.

Base jumper identified

January 17, 2010 10:09 pm

— By Emily Younker
eyounker@joplinglobe.com
WEST MINERAL, Kan. — The man who was found dead Saturday morning at the Big Brutus attraction, identified as Mark Mosley, 49, of Lowell, Ark., appeared to have been base-jumping, Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Sunday.
Base jumping is an activity in which participants with parachutes jump from a base, typically a building, bridge or cliff. Groves said authorities collected a chute, jumping harnesses and other safety equipment from the scene.
Base jumpers at low altitudes often use a static line, which connects the jumper to the base, Groves said. As the jumper falls, the chute opens and detaches from the cord.
The highest point of Big Brutus, the boom, is 160 feet.
Groves said Mosley was found near Big Brutus’ shovel, and authorities believe he had been standing at the top of the boom, which is located above the shovel. Although there are steps up to the boom, public access at that point has been closed for several years, Groves said.
Groves said it wasn’t immediately apparent whether Mosley was trying to attempt a static-line jump. He said Cherokee County authorities continue to investigate the incident, including whether Mosley might have intentionally attempted a non-static line jump or whether he might have fallen before he had a chance to set up his jump.
“There was no line or evidence that’s what he was trying to do, stretch out the chute before he actually jumped,” Groves said. “Especially with low altitudes, once you jump, your chute doesn’t always have time to catch the air.”
Mosley’s body was found late Saturday morning by an employee of the Big Brutus complex and was taken to Topeka for an autopsy. Groves said preliminary autopsy results could be delivered as early as today.