Trigger Warning: This article mentions details about death.
This case perfectly exemplifies how mixing personal and professional emotions turned fatal for a 32-year-old. Yes! Jade Damarell, who died during a skydiving jump in England earlier this year, intentionally ended her life, a coroner has confirmed. An inquest held on Thursday, August 21, determined that Jade, who died on April 27 in Shotton Colliery, County Durham, took her own life, according to reports from the BBC, The Guardian, and Sky News.
During her final jump, Damarell, an experienced skydiver, did not activate her main parachute. Investigations revealed she had also manually disabled an automatic safety device designed to deploy the chute at a specific altitude and speed. Both systems were tested and found to be in working order after the incident.
As per PEOPLE Magazine, toxicology reports showed no presence of drugs or alcohol in her system at the time of her death. According to Coroner Leslie Hamilton, her death was a suicide that stemmed from a breakup. She and fellow skydiver Ben Goodfellow had reportedly ended their relationship just the night before her final jump. It remained unclear who called off the relationship and what went wrong.
“They were inseparable,” a friend told The Daily Mail. “Ben ended the relationship the night before. He went to work the next morning, and that’s when Jade died.” She also chose not to wear her usual camera gear during the dive. Investigators discovered notes left by Damarell on her phone, including messages to her family and instructions on accessing her device.
Jade hailed from Caerphilly, Wales, and studied at the University of Leeds. She was a very experienced diver who had completed more than 500 jumps. She deliberately did not want to survive the last jump and decided to end her own life, Assistant coroner Dr Leslie Hamilton told the news outlet. Her parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel, who attended the inquest remotely, accepted the findings and remembered her as a courageous and loving individual.
Consequently, the skydiving community takes safety seriously, primarily through organisations like the United States Parachute Association (USPA). Jumping out in the air, submitting to the idea that “you only live once” is not bad, but it’s crucial ot take the necessary precautions while trying an extreme sport.
Parachutist Jade Damarell, 32, tragically died during a jump in Co Durham. Coroner hears there was no fault with her equipment. She was pronounced dead on farmland in Shotton Colliery on April 27. 💔🪂 #JadeDamarell #Parachute #Tragedy #Durham pic.twitter.com/lgBuWibpaW
— Askherbs (@askherb1) May 22, 2025
Over the past decade, the U.S. has averaged around 18 yearly skydiving deaths. In 2022 alone, there were roughly 3.9 million jumps, resulting in 20 fatalities, which is one fatality per 200,000 jumps. (via Skydive Paraclete XP). These incidents are usually a result of parachute malfunction, opting for poor landing techniques in a hurry, and high-speed collisions in free-fall.
Therefore, skydiving is not for everyone, but those who wish to experience it once in a lifetime should get medical clearance if they have health concerns. Choose a reputable dropzone, take the training seriously, listen to your instructor, and respect the sport’s protocols and limitations.
