Elizaveta Gushchina, a 45-year-old mother of two and extreme sports enthusiast, tragically lost her life in a bungee jumping accident in Russia. The incident occurred on Saturday when Gushchina, after successfully completing a daring bungee jump, slipped from a nearly 300-foot-high platform while attempting to take a celebratory selfie. The accident unfolded in front of her 22-year-old son, Nikita, who was present at the scene.
Gushchina had ascended to the top of a 289-foot chimney at an unfinished thermal power plant to take the selfie. She had removed her safety harness and was standing on a wet board when she lost her footing and fell, hitting a hard surface above the ground, according to reports from Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti.
A source quoted by Russian outlet REN TV explained that Gushchina had secured herself to a rope used for rope jumping but failed to set the required safe length. As she moved closer to the edge, she slipped on the wet board, fell from the height, and succumbed to her injuries.
Footage shared on Telegram shows Gushchina successfully completing a jump at the same chimney just moments before her fatal fall. In the video, she is seen being pushed off a wooden platform at the top of the isolated smokestack, plunging towards the ground attached to an elastic cable.
Gushchina had celebrated her 45th birthday the day before the tragic incident. The bungee jumping trip was a birthday gift from her son, who is also a member of the same bungee jumping center, as reported by Fontanka.
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident, focusing on whether the bungee jumping facility in the town of Pavlovsk, a suburb of St. Petersburg, was in full compliance with safety regulations.
The extreme sports club to which Gushchina and her son belonged released a statement on Sunday expressing their grief over the tragic incident. The statement read, “Yesterday, under tragic circumstances, experienced jumper and mother of two children Liza passed away. Elizaveta Gushchina, along with her son Nikita, is a member of our sports team. Now the entire team is mourning this loss. This is a very big tragedy for us.”