BFL
American

BFL319 · 30.5.2017

Seth Graham

34-Year-Old American

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5

BASE seasons

300

BASE jumps

WS BASE jumps

Skydives

WS skydives

Incident

Incident category:
BASE Fatality
ID:
BFL319
Object:
Earth
Cause of death:
Object strike under canopy
Date:
30. 05. 2017
Time:
20:41
Exit point:
United States of America › Utah › G Spot Moab

Other incidents at this location: BFL223, BFL427

Exit type:
Vertical

Personal

Name:
Seth Graham
Gender:
Male
Nationality:
American
Age:
34
Experience:

Equipment & Setup

Canopy:
Consolidated Rigging › Black Jack
Canopy size:
Container:
Apex BASE › Apex DP
Suit:
Everyday Clothing worn › Slick
Packing:
Slider Down-Off
Deployment:
BOC

Circumstances

Weather:
Medium winds
Factors:
180 Offheading

Description

Jumpers in the area have managed to inspect Seths gear and see that his toggles have not been unstowed plus pictures from a customer on the boat show that he received a 180 and impacted wall between 1-4 times and then coming to rest on the talus where he died from his injuries. Also note we have been told that the jumper may have been jumping into a possible head wind.
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Update 31st may
Here is the update to this incident: According to the official police report, and EMT accounts, the jumper opened his canopy, then for some reason had a cliff strike.
He then rested on the talus, where EMT's found him.
NOTE: I just talked to the investigator about this incident, and this is what I have been told:
The witness in the boat charter that saw the incident stated the jumper waved at the boat, then backed up, and then jumped.
About 2/3rds the way down, for some unknown reason, the canopy flew back into the cliff. He struck the cliff several times before landing upon the talus.
The EMT's arrived to the jumper and he was still alive but sustained severe trauma to his lower extremities. It was assumed both legs were fractured, and possibly his pelvis. CPR was performed for about 20-minutes, before the jumper was pronounced dead.
* From the EMT report, it is likely that a pelvis and/or a femur break could have been a leading cause of internal bleeding.
[B]*** One thing is for sure; everyone should understand the importance of proper off-heading emergency procedures. ***[/B]
I have seen many videos on YT & FB showing jumpers using toggles to turn a canopy, and the video shows the jumper striking the object.
Learn your DBS for your canopy. Learn object avoidance procedures.

Gallery

Lost, but not forgotten...