Fatal charity bungee jump ruled an accident
Howard Lake | 27 February 2005 | News
A Swansea coroner has recorded a verdict of accidental death in the case of Christopher Thomas, the 20 stone 10lb man who died in a fundraising bungee jump in August 2002 after the harness gave way.
Mr Thomas had jumped, along with others, to raise funds for Morriston Hospital’s neurology unit. His was the first death in the UK during a charity bungee jump.
No fault was found with the event operators or the equipment. A forensic engineer told the coroner’s court that the equipment, although declared safe by the relevant guidelines, was in fact only safe for someone weighing up to 14st 1lb.
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The coroner, Philip Rogers, commented that it was “essential” the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought in “new minimum standards to avoid future tragedies”, according to the BBC.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.