Dick is an experienced skydiver (6000+ jumps) and a respected early freefall photographer in Southern California. He took up BASE jumping late in life after making one legal El Capitan jump back in the early days. He is the oldest person to receive a BASE number (at the time) and had 26 BASE jumps when he is killed.

Dick's last jump is via buddy assist (someone holding his pilot chute) that resulted in line twists. Dick first struck a steel cable hanging by the side of the building before suffering a very hard building strike. In looking at the gear later it appeared one toggle, which Dick had wrapped in tape to form big open loops, had released in the initial strike with the cable adding to the speed of the second impact.

Dick isn't wearing a helmet.
This fatality brought to light the need for BASE body armor, i.e. helmets, and pads and the necessity for a secure toggle system.
Dick's fatality is also the first one on BASE specific gear.
Dick is wearing a Velcro closed BASE rig and all previous BASE fatalities have been on skydiving rigs, either pure or modified for BASE.