Professional base jumper saves life of beginner moments before he attempts to jump from bridge without harness
'I caught him within about one and a half seconds of him jumping straight to his death'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A novice base jumper has narrowly avoided leaping to his death after an eagle-eyed instructor spotted he had failed to fasten his harness correctly.
Professional jumper Chris McDougall, from Australia, had been teaching students on a 110m high bridge in Croatia when a jumper from outside the group climbed over the railings without putting on his leg straps.
Mr McDougall noticed the mistake and launched a expletive-filled warning at the man who was just moments from jumping.
In a video of the incident uploaded to YouTube on Friday, Mr McDougall can be heard shouting "Stop! Stop! Stop!" after the man dropped his parachute over the side of the bridge.
"This random jumper came rushing out [...] and had clearly no idea what he was doing," said Mr McDougall following the incident.
"This guy just throws over his gear [...] he climbs over the railing [...] and then I notice he's got no leg straps on.
"I caught him within about one and a half seconds of him jumping straight to his death.
"If he'd have jumped off that object he was going to die."
The incident did not stop the thrill-seeker from base jumping however, and he attempted the jump again after he had fitted his equipment correctly and landed safely.
BASE jumping - which stands for buildings, antennas, spans and earth, from which jumps are performed - is one of the world's most dangerous sports. Unlike a parachute jump from a plane, BASE jumps are done from fixed objects at lower altitudes.
A list maintained by Blinc has recorded 299 base jumping deaths since 1981.
“[I] hope this video will raise awareness to how important it is to pay attention to detail when base jumping," said Mr McDougall.
"So many new jumpers come into this sport thinking it is all about GoPro's and social media and they forget the fundamentals of how serious and dangerous this sport can be if respect is not given to every aspect of it.
"I am glad I saved some ones life, but each jumper must have the ability to save their own on each and every jump.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments