Tragedy has struck the UK’s skydiving community after the heartbreaking death of a 32-year-old thrill-seeker who reportedly jumped to her own death.
Jade Damarell, a highly experienced skydiver with more than 400 successful jumps under her belt, died on April 27 after crashing into a farmer’s field during a dive in County Durham, northeast England.
Now, new details have emerged suggesting her final leap may have been deliberate, and tied to a personal heartbreak.
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Damarell had allegedly been dumped by her boyfriend, fellow skydiver Ben Goodfellow, just one day before the fatal jump.
“The two of them were inseparable,” an anonymous friend told the Daily Mail. “They spent all their time together, they didn’t really engage with anyone else. They did skydives together all the time.”
The friend explained how the breakup occurred the night before the tragedy. “The night before Jade died, Ben called off the relationship,” they said. “He went to work the next day, and that’s when Jade fell to her death.”
The couple had been together for around eight months and were living together in a double room at a property frequently rented out to parachutists near the airfield.
Goodfellow, 26, is also a technician at Nissan and the lead guitarist and vocalist for indie band Post Rome. The band cancelled a gig shortly after Damarell’s passing due to what they described as “unseen circumstances,” according to the Daily Mail.
While police have confirmed that Damarell’s death is not being treated as suspicious, the company she jumped with has said: “All indications from the police and British Skydiving are that this was a deliberate act taken to end her own life.”
The news has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit skydiving community, with many left reeling from the sudden loss.
“She was very much part of the skydiving community,” a friend told the Daily Mail. “She was mad for the sport. In just the two days before she died, she did 11 jumps. She must have done 80 this year.”
At least one witness reportedly saw Damarell jump to her death, the outlet noted.
The Durham Constabulary confirmed: “Her death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.”
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