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A SKYDIVER took her own life by jumping 15,500ft from a plane just hours after breaking up with her boyfriend, an inquest heard today.
Jade Damarell, 32, died instantly after hitting the ground in Peterlee, County Durham, without her chute opening.
Her skydiving club, Sky-High Skydiving, later said the horror appeared to be “a deliberate act”.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing or negligence by the skydiving centre.
Coroner Dr Leslie Hamilton today ruled Jade’s death as a suicide.
The inquest heard she had ended her relationship with her boyfriend of eight months Ben Goodfellow on the night before she died.
The coroner did not go into further detail, except to say they had met through a mutual love of skydiving.
Jade tragically left notes for her family at around 2.30am, it was said.
On April 27, she was seen by Bryn Chaffe, co-owner of Sky High Skydiving, eating breakfast at 8.30am – an hour-and-a-half before the fatal jump.
Mr Chaffe said she seemed quiet but that this was not unusual for Jade.
Jade, who had completed more than 500 jumps, hit the ground at Wrefords’ Farm suffering multiple injuries.
She “made no attempt” to activate her parachute or the back up device, Crook Civic Centre heard.
Her cause of death was given as blunt trauma caused by multiple severe injuries including a fractured skull.
A report for the coroner by British Skydiving, which investigated her fatal freefall, found that all the equipment was in working order.
Jade would normally wear a camera on her helmet but did not have one on when she fell,.
She had also switched off her automatic activation device (AAD), which was designed to deploy a parachute if a certain speed or altitude was met.
Jade was also aware that she had to deploy a parachute before her altitude dropped below 2,500ft, the inquest heard.
The day before she died, she had completed six jumps safely and without issues.
Durham Constabulary confirmed at the time that the marketing graduate’s death was not being treated as suspicious.
Jade’s family paid tribute following the inquest and thanked the skydiving community for their support.
How to get help
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn’t discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It’s the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it’s rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support:
They said in a statement: “Jade loved the sport with a passion, and it brought her so much joy.
“Sky-High handled the tragedy and investigation into Jade’s death professionally and with compassion that allowed us to all share in our grief.
“So much so, Sky-High Skydiving helped us to celebrate Jade’s life with a very fitting tribute and final farewell, ending with Jade’s mum, Liz, honouring Jade’s memory with a final tandem jump.
“Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person. A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness.
“By speaking openly and without shame, we hope to contribute to a culture where mental ill-health is met with kindness and support, and where people in deep distress, and those around them, feel seen, believed, and able to reach for support without fear of judgment.
“We miss Jade beyond words, but Jade’s love, brilliance, courage and light will live on in our family and among all those who knew and loved her.
“Some stars are so bright, they burn through their time too quickly, but their light never truly fades.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
