Elderly California man dies in BASE jump in Idaho

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Elderly California man dies in BASE jump in Idaho

Laura Zuckerman, Reuters
First posted: Friday, May 08, 2015 04:37 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, May 08, 2015 05:12 PM EDT

(Fotolia)


SALMON - A 73-year-old California man was killed after his parachute deployed late during a 500-foot jump from a bridge into the Snake River in Idaho, the second death there this year tied to the extreme sport of BASE jumping, authorities said on Friday.
Jim Hickey of Claremont, California, likely died on impact after hitting the water at a high rate of speed on Thursday evening, according to the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office.
Hickey, a retired accountant, had participated in well over 1,000 jumps in the decade since he took up a sport in which parachutists free-fall from such fixed points as cliffs, bridges and buildings, said Tom Aiello, a friend and owner of a BASE jumping school in Twin Falls.
Hickey is the second person to die this year after leaping from the Perrine Bridge, which spans the Snake River where it winds through a basalt-walled gorge carved by an ancient flood. It is one of the relatively few man-made structures where the sport is legal.
Bryan Turner, 32, of Vancouver, British Columbia, was killed in March when his parachute failed to open, marking the first fatality in four years tied to BASE jumps from the bridge near Twin Falls.
The two deaths compare to a single fatality tallied from 2009 to 2014, authorities say. Aiello estimated that 500 people a year parachute from the bridge.
BASE is an acronym for buildings, antennas, spans and Earth - the kinds of platforms used by jumpers. There is no official tally of how many people die each year while BASE jumping, Aiello said.

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BASE jumper, 73, dies after setting parachute on fire
Associated Press 12:18 p.m. EDT May 20, 2015

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Authorities say a 73-year-old BASE jumper who died after leaping from an Idaho bridge had set his parachute on fire as part of a stunt.

A graphic video of the fatal jump, posted to YouTube on Monday, shows someone engulfed in flames and falling from the Perrine Bridge into the Snake River, 500 feet below.

James E. Hickey had apparently planned to ditch the flaming parachute and deploy a second chute in the May 7 stunt.

Professional BASE jumper Sean Chuma told Twin Falls newspaper The Times-News that he had heard Hickey successfully performed the stunt skydiving.

The initial report from the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office said only that Hickey's parachute deployed too late.

The video shows two BASE jumpers climbing over the railing of the Perrine Bridge and leaping at about the same time.

But while one jumper glides safely away underneath a parachute, the other becomes engulfed in a fireball and falls quickly out of view.

The video pans back to the river just after the burning jumper hits the water. A boat arrives seconds later, and the video ends.

A coroner's report said Hickey, of Claremont, Calif., died of blunt force trauma.

BASE jumping has come under increased scrutiny as at least five people have died in accidents since January, including two last week at Yosemite National Park.

The acronym "BASE" stands for building, antenna, span and earth, the types of places from which jumpers leap. It's illegal in many places but allowed year-round without a permit at the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls.

Hundreds of people jump from the bridge every year, and injuries are common.

On March 9, 32-year-old Vancouver, British Columbia, resident Bryan Turner died after jumping from the bridge because his parachute didn't open properly.

A week after Hickey's death, Carla Jean Segil of Big Bear, Calif., had to be rescued after her chute got tangled up in the support structure under Perrine Bridge. The 26-year-old dangled for about a half hour before she could be pulled to safety.