Australian Skydiver Injured in Shanghai Jump
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Australian Skydiver Injured in Shanghai Jump
Australian Skydiver Injured in Shanghai Jump
October 6, 2004
An Australian parachutist was seriously injured on Tuesday in a jump off China's tallest skyscraper during a skydiving exhibition.
Roland Simpson was rushed to a hospital after he jumped off the 421-metre Jinmao Tower and failed to "land safely", the official Xinhua News Agency and other media said. They didn't give any details of his injuries or how the accident occurred.
Simpson, 35, was among 38 skydivers from 16 countries taking part this week in an exhibition of base jumping. Base is an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth - the places used by participants instead of planes to make jumps.
Phone calls to organisers of the event in Shanghai's Pudong financial district weren't immediately answered.
Xinhua said the event continued after Simpson's accident.
A base jumping website, http://www.basejump.org, said Simpson, a former world champion known as Slim, had landed on a roof adjacent to the landing area and was unconscious.
The accident happened as he attempted to perform a jump wearing a wing suit, designed to give jumpers the ability to glide and manoeuvre mid-air.
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No other details about his injuries were available, the website said.
The site said Simpson was a highly experienced jumper, having logged in excess of 1,200 jumps.
He has competed in and won numerous competitions including those on the International Pro Base Circuit (IPBC), which organises legal base jumping competitions.
Participants were to jump off the 88-storey Jinmao Tower, free-fall for up to six seconds, then open their parachutes about 200 metres from the ground, organisers said earlier.
The event was to be broadcast nationwide, although it wasn't clear whether that was under way at the time of Simpson's accident.
This is the second year the event has been held in Shanghai.
The skydiving exhibition is one of a series of sporting events meant to promote Shanghai, China's commercial hub.
Last month, the city hosted China's first Formula One Grand Prix car race at a new $US320 million ($444 million) track. The city also holds boat races along its historic riverfront.
The company that owns the Jinmao Tower says it spent the equivalent of several hundred thousand dollars to sponsor the jump, including the cost of a special jumping platform.
A similar jump was held last December off the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - the world's tallest twin skyscrapers.
In July, a base jumper was killed when his parachute failed to open during a jump off Mount Baring in the US state of Washington.
Tuesday's accident came just days before the first anniversary of the death of a Australian colleague of Simpson.
Dwain Weston, of Sydney, died in Colorado in the United States after he jumped from a plane over the 316-metre Royal Gorge Bridge - the world's highest suspension bridge.
AP/AAP
October 6, 2004
An Australian parachutist was seriously injured on Tuesday in a jump off China's tallest skyscraper during a skydiving exhibition.
Roland Simpson was rushed to a hospital after he jumped off the 421-metre Jinmao Tower and failed to "land safely", the official Xinhua News Agency and other media said. They didn't give any details of his injuries or how the accident occurred.
Simpson, 35, was among 38 skydivers from 16 countries taking part this week in an exhibition of base jumping. Base is an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth - the places used by participants instead of planes to make jumps.
Phone calls to organisers of the event in Shanghai's Pudong financial district weren't immediately answered.
Xinhua said the event continued after Simpson's accident.
A base jumping website, http://www.basejump.org, said Simpson, a former world champion known as Slim, had landed on a roof adjacent to the landing area and was unconscious.
The accident happened as he attempted to perform a jump wearing a wing suit, designed to give jumpers the ability to glide and manoeuvre mid-air.
Advertisement
Advertisement
No other details about his injuries were available, the website said.
The site said Simpson was a highly experienced jumper, having logged in excess of 1,200 jumps.
He has competed in and won numerous competitions including those on the International Pro Base Circuit (IPBC), which organises legal base jumping competitions.
Participants were to jump off the 88-storey Jinmao Tower, free-fall for up to six seconds, then open their parachutes about 200 metres from the ground, organisers said earlier.
The event was to be broadcast nationwide, although it wasn't clear whether that was under way at the time of Simpson's accident.
This is the second year the event has been held in Shanghai.
The skydiving exhibition is one of a series of sporting events meant to promote Shanghai, China's commercial hub.
Last month, the city hosted China's first Formula One Grand Prix car race at a new $US320 million ($444 million) track. The city also holds boat races along its historic riverfront.
The company that owns the Jinmao Tower says it spent the equivalent of several hundred thousand dollars to sponsor the jump, including the cost of a special jumping platform.
A similar jump was held last December off the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - the world's tallest twin skyscrapers.
In July, a base jumper was killed when his parachute failed to open during a jump off Mount Baring in the US state of Washington.
Tuesday's accident came just days before the first anniversary of the death of a Australian colleague of Simpson.
Dwain Weston, of Sydney, died in Colorado in the United States after he jumped from a plane over the 316-metre Royal Gorge Bridge - the world's highest suspension bridge.
AP/AAP
