Second base jumper injured at Sibu event
SIBU: Braden Dean has become the second BASE jumper to suffer injuries during the ongoing Sibu International BASE Jump 2017.
Sibu Resident Hii Chang Kee said the 31-year-old Canadian suffered only a minor injury after a hard landing on the open space of Sibu Town Square Phase I yesterday.
On Thursday during the trial jumps, Australian Gary Favre smashed through the glass window on Level 15 of the126m Wisma Sanyan, sustaining minor cuts on his legs including one that required stitches.
“Yes, this is the second incident at this year’s BASE jump but (it’s) nothing serious. It was due hard and improper landing. Dean hurt his back but he’s alright after resting in the medical room on the town square,” Hii, who is Sibu Division Tourism Task Group (DTTG) chairman told thesundaypost.
He said the accident could be due to the wind direction or the way the jumpers manoeuvred, pointing out that this is a high-risk sport.
“The jumpers are very experienced and have performed jumps all over the world,” added Hii, who is the organising chairman of the event.
Dean has 259 BASE jumps and 409 skydives under his belt.
Adding on, Hii said Favre is back in action after the Thursday incident.
Earlier, the jumps were called off around 3pm yesterday due to heavy rain and strong winds. However, it resumed around 7.30pm for the night jumps.
The ninth edition of Sibu International BASE Jump, organised by DTTG, attracted 84 jumpers from across the globe. Apart from Malaysia, they comprise jumpers from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, the UK and the US.
This year’s event coincides with Visit Sibu Year 2017 campaign.
The event, which kicked off on Friiday, concludes today. Jumpers will then go for a retreat at Rumah Michael Jalak in Bawan, Kanowit.
BASE is an acronym for four categories of fixed objects from which a person can jump from – ‘Buildings’, ‘Antennae’, ‘Spans’ (bridges) and ‘Earth’ (cliffs).