Breakup led to tragic death: UK skydiver refused to open parachute while falling from 10,000 feet - Here's why
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Breakup led to tragic death: UK skydiver refused to open parachute while falling from 10,000 feet - Here's why")
32-year-old Jade Damarell was a parachutist with 400 jumps. As per reports, she refused to open her parachute during the fall.
A trained skydiver jumped from a height of 10,000 feet in Shotton Colliery, Durham, one day after breaking up with her boyfriend.
32-year-old Jade Damarell was a parachutist with 400 jumps. As per reports, she refused to open her parachute during the fall.
Damarell died instantly after hitting the ground, however, police quickly ruled out any suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Damarell, a resident of South Wales, broke up with her 26-year-old boyfriend Ben Goodfellow, who was also a skydiver.
The two were dating for over six months and lived at a property rented to parachutists near the airfield for several months.
"The two of them were inseparable. They spent all their time together; they didn't really engage with anyone else. They did skydiving together all the time. They had been living in the lodgings since Christmas and had been together a couple of more months before that," a friend told the Daily Mail.
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"The night before Jade died, Ben called off the relationship. He went to work the next day, and that's when Jade fell to her death," the friend added.
Goodfellow worked as a technician at car manufacturer Nissan and also performed as the lead singer and guitarist in a band.
Earlier on April 27, the initial reports showed that Damarell's death was a tragic incident. Later, SkyHigh Skydiving later issued a statement saying her death was suspected to have been a “deliberate act".
“It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place on 28 April, 2025, involving a valued member of our community. All indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act. This heartbreaking news has deeply affected all who knew her, and our thoughts are with her family and friends as they face this unimaginable loss," a spokesperson said.
This week, a legal investigation into Damarell’s death opened, revealing that there was “no indication of equipment failure."
