An experienced 32-year old woman skydiver took her own life from 15,500ft, just a few hours after breaking off with her boyfriend. A marketing manager Jade Damarell crashed on to the farmland near Fleming Field and was found dead in Shotton Colliery, County Durham,
As per reports, she had completed between 400 to 500 jumps in her life and six jumps safely the day before her death. Jade made no attempt to deploy her main or reserve parachute, and her Automatic Activation Device (AAD) was not switched on. All her equipment was in working order, as per Daily Star report.
Skydiver’s final moments
She had broken up with her boyfriend, Ben Goodfellow, the night before. They had been in a relationship for about eight months and met through skydiving. Around 2:30am on the day of her death, she created a folder with notes on her phone, including messages apologizing to and thanking her family. She also left passwords for her financial accounts, as per the reports.
Assistant Coroner Dr Leslie Hamilton concluded that, “on the balance of probabilities,” Jade intended to take her own life and recorded a verdict of suicide. Post-mortem examinations confirmed she died from “blunt trauma” after hitting the ground. Toxicology tests were negative for drugs or alcohol. The day of her death had good weather. Jade was not wearing a helmet camera for her final jump, according to the report by BBC.
Family tributes and memorials
Jade’s parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel, described her as “brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary.” They said she was a bright, adventurous free spirit with immense energy and kindness. Her mother later took part in a tandem skydive to honor Jade’s memory. A GoFundMe was also set up to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK in her name, as stated by Daily Star report.
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