Jade Damarell, a 32-year-old experienced skydiver, died by suicide one day after her relationship ended, according to a coroner’s ruling in northern England.
Jade Damarell, a seasoned skydiver from Wales, tragically fell to her death in County Durham, northern England, on April 27. This incident occurred just one day after she and her partner ended their eight-month relationship.
According to reports, Damarell, 32, intentionally failed to deploy her parachute during the jump, leading to her death from blunt trauma injuries. Coroner Leslie Hamilton ruled her death a suicide during an inquest held recently, as reported by The Guardian.
Damarell was an accomplished skydiver, having logged over 500 successful jumps throughout her career. On the day of her fatal jump, she disabled her automatic activation device, which is designed to release a backup parachute at a certain altitude and speed if the skydiver is unable to do so. Investigators confirmed that her equipment was functional following her fall.
Prior to her death, Damarell had been in a relationship with Ben Goodfellow, a 26-year-old fellow skydiver. The couple had ended their relationship the night before her tragic jump, according to a note from Goodfellow summarized during the inquest. A friend of the couple shared that “the night before Jade died, Ben called off the relationship.” Goodfellow went to work the following day, and it was during this time that Damarell took her fatal jump.
Interestingly, Damarell had completed six skydiving jumps the day before her death. Typically, she would wear a camera to document her dives, but she chose not to wear one during her last jump.
In the wake of this tragedy, Damarell’s family expressed their gratitude to the skydiving community for its support. They described her as “brilliant, beautiful, brave, and truly extraordinary.” The family emphasized their desire to foster a culture where mental health issues are met with kindness and support.
Leslie Hamilton, the coroner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the inquest findings.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Source: Original article