An inquest has ruled that a skydiver who plunged 15,500ft to her death in County Durham, United Kingdom, took her own life just hours after ending a relationship with her boyfriend.
Jade Damarell, 32, died instantly after hitting the ground at Wrefords’ Farm in Peterlee without deploying her parachute. Coroner Dr Leslie Hamilton confirmed the death as suicide.
Her club, Sky-High Skydiving, said the incident appeared to be “a deliberate act,” and there was no evidence of negligence by the centre.
The inquest heard that Jade had ended her relationship with her boyfriend of eight months, Ben Goodfellow, on the night before her death. Notes left for her family at around 2.30am were later discovered.
On the morning of April 27, she was seen by Bryn Chaffe, co-owner of Sky-High Skydiving, eating breakfast before her fatal jump. Chaffe said she appeared quiet, but this was not unusual for her.
Jade, who had more than 500 jumps to her name, made no attempt to activate her parachute or backup system. She had also disabled her automatic activation device, which would normally deploy a chute at a set altitude.
A report by British Skydiving confirmed that all her equipment was fully functional. The day before, she had completed six jumps without issue.
Her cause of death was recorded as blunt trauma from multiple severe injuries, including a fractured skull. Durham Constabulary said at the time that her death was not being treated as suspicious.
Following the inquest, Jade’s family paid tribute, thanking the skydiving community for their support.
They said: “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.”
