An Australian BASE jumper injured in a failed jump from China's tallest skyscraper on October 5 has died in hospital here, his family said on Saturday. Roland Simpson, 34, sustained a fractured skull after his parachute lines became twisted during a jump from the 1,368 foot Jinmao Tower in the Shanghai financial district. Simpson, known to his friends as Flat Slim, died from his injuries in Canberra Hospital on Friday surrounded by family and friends, close relatives said in a message posted on the Australian BASE Association's website. Simpson, a forester, was among 38 BASE jumpers from 16 nations invited by the Shanghai Sports Bureau to take part in the jump from the tower. He was an experienced jumper who had made more then 1,200 jumps and had competed in many competitions. But he encountered problems with his parachute during the jump and landed on the roof of a building instead of the patch of lawn designated as a landing area.| I met a pro BASE jumper once. His biggest jump was off the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. I asked him if he enjoyed the trip, and he said, "No, it was too short. I had to fly back to Canada the next day so the docs could put the pieces of my ankle back together." Yipes. |
|