Three Extreme Sports Accidents Kill 14 in One Weekend Across US and Brazil
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Three Extreme Sports Accidents Kill 14 in One Weekend Across US and Brazil
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Summary
Fourteen people died in three extreme-sports accidents over one weekend: 12 in a skydiving plane crash near Butler, Missouri, one in a tandem BASE jump near Moab, Utah, and one in a rope jump in Brazil.
The Missouri crash happened after a plane carrying skydivers climbed about 100 feet and came down inside the airport fence, while the Brazil death appears to have followed a harness attachment failure by the jump crew.
Andy Lewis — slacklining’s first world champion, known for a Madonna Super Bowl halftime performance — was the victim in the Utah accident.
The cluster of deaths has renewed focus on why participants keep returning to high-risk sports despite repeated fatalities and the brain’s instinctive aversion to danger.