The Hindu : Front Page : Engineer from Chennai plunges to death while bungee jumping

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Sunday, Apr 12, 2009
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Engineer from Chennai plunges to death while bungee jumping

Staff Reporter

Harness snaps, victim suffers head injuries; no ambulance at site

Bhargav

BANGALORE: A 25-year-old marine engineer, who was visiting with a group of friends from Chennai, plunged to his death as the harness snapped while he was attempting reverse bungee jumping near Bannerghatta on Saturday.

This is the first bungee-related death reported in the city.

The police identified the victim as G. Bhargava who used the three-day weekend to check out the adventure sport organised by Centre for Adventure and Rejuvenation of Environment (CARE).

Saturday was the second day of the three-day event, and witnesses said this was the first time the organiser was attempting reverse bungee jumping, also known as catapult bungee.

Several enthusiasts had attempted this successfully prior to Mr. Bhargava’s jump. Around 2.30 p.m. he went up to the platform and attempted jumping from a height of 50 feet. The police said the harness snapped, plummeting him straight to the ground.

“We were shocked to see him in a pool of blood. We did not know what went wrong,” said Vishal, an eyewitness.

Mr. Bhargava’s friends, who had accompanied him, rushed in vain for first aid and an ambulance. Finally, they rushed him in a private vehicle to a private hospital on Bannerghatta Road.

The hospital source said the victim suffered from multiple injuries in the head as well as in his left leg and hands. “Resuscitative procedures were useless,” said the source.

Mr. Bhargava had died of his injuries by then.

The Hindu tried to call S.K. Sheshadri, CARE founder, several times but his mobile phone was not reachable. The Bannerghatta police said they were yet to trace him. However, they are questioning Sachin, his associate.

The police have booked a case of negligence against CARE. The organiser had not obtained a licence to conduct the sport nor were proper safety measures in place, the police said.

The victim’s uncle, Venkatesh, who lives here, told the media that the entire setup smacked of unprofessional approach. “There was no first aid, no ambulance; and no sufficient precautions,” he added.

In fact, a TV footage taken earlier showed Mr. Sheshadri describing bungee jumping as “safer than walking on Mahatma Gandhi Road.”

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