Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Video: 73-Year Old Dies After Jumping With Parachute On Fire
A 73-year old man died after BASE jumping from a 500-foot bridge with his parachute on fire.
Jim Hickey of Claremont jumped from the Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho on May 7 as part of a stunt where he would detach from the burning parachute in mid-air before deploying a second parachute. Unfortunately, a video taken by a witness shows that Hickey was immediately engulfed in flames and was unable to land safely in the Snake River (a second BASE jumper in the video lands safely):
Warning, the video may be disturbing to some
Support for LAist comes from
A Twin Falls-based BASE jumper told told the Times-News that Hickey had performed the same stunt before, but from a plane.
Although Hickey was a very experienced skydiver, wingsuit flyer, and BASE jumper, he got into the extreme sports very late in life. According to the Claremont Courier, he took up skydiving in 2007, when he was in his mid-60s. In his first two years he racked up almost 2000 jumps, usually going 10 times a day. "It's fun and exciting. And it elevates my mood. All my senses are being engaged. It's exhilarating," he said.
In 2009 he was featured in a V8 ad campaign that showed people past the age of 60 living life to its fullest. In the video, he explains he first took up skydiving because of an interest in BASE jumping—he couldn't buy the equipment until he had at least 100 skydive jumps:
BASE jumping, an extreme sport where parachuters or wingsuit divers jump from extremely tall structures or cliffs, is popular at the Perrine Bridge, which is the possibly the only man-made structure in the country where it is "tolerated." The acronym BASE stands for "building, antenna, span, and earth," the four types of fixed objects from which one could jump.
BASE jumping comes with the additional risks of lower altitudes and being in the proximity of the fixed objects. Over the weekend, two people died in Yosemite while BASE jumping. When Hickey was just getting into BASE jumping, none of those dangers would stop him, as he told the Claremont Courier, "Bring it on."
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist