Dwain Weston

Dwain Weston (31 January 1973 – 5 October 2003) was an Australian skydiver, BASE jumper and wingsuiter. On 5 October 2003, while participating in the inaugural Go Fast Games, Weston was killed attempting to fly over the Royal Gorge Bridge near Cañon City, Colorado.

BASE jumping career

Weston, who was originally from Sydney, Australia, worked as a computer analyst.[1][2] He made over 1200 BASE jumps in ten different countries, including a jump from the 73rd floor of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and was considered one of the best and most experienced BASE jumpers in the world.[1][2] In 2002, he won the world title in BASE jumping.[3] He served as president of the Australian BASE Association (ABA). He was among the first BASE jumpers to introduce acrobatic elements in the jumps, and was a pioneer in various jumping techniques.[1][2]

Death

The Royal Gorge Bridge

On 5 October 2003, while participating in the inaugural Go Fast Games, Weston was killed attempting to fly over the Royal Gorge Bridge near Cañon City, Colorado.[1][4] Weston was wearing a wingsuit, a skydiving suit with fabric extended below the arms to the body and between the legs to catch air allowing for horizontal travel when skydiving.[1] Weston was to go over the bridge while fellow skydiver Jeb Corliss was to go under it.[2][5][6] Just prior to the jump, Weston said to Corliss, "Whatever happens happens".[5]

Miscalculating the winds[1] and his distance from the bridge, Weston struck a railing while traveling an estimated 120 mph (190 km/h), severing one of his legs at the hip. Spectators on the bridge witnessed the event. Some filmed the accident and captured the reaction of the crowd and the damage to the bridge. At impact with the bridge, Weston's parachute deployed and he fell onto a rock face about 100 yards from the bottom of the gorge.[2][5][6] While either impact would likely have killed him independently, it is assumed he was dead after impact with the bridge.

Prizes

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Aussie skydiver falls to death". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Base jumper was 'meticulous'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 2003. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 "BASE Jumping World Championship Stats". Johnny Utah. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Times Wire Reports (6 October 2003). "Stunt Attempt Proves Fatal for Skydiver". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 Jones, Lola (16 November 2008). "The Legend's last jump on the last day - whatever happens happens". XtremeSport. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Bruce; Wagstaff, Mark, eds. (2012). "Controversial Issue 11: Should extreme sports, such as BASE jumping and other high-risk sports, be included in adventure programming?". Controversial Issues in Adventure Programming. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-4504-1091-5.

External links

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