Highlights:
- An inquest concluded Jade Damarell, 32, died by suicide during a skydive in County Durham
- The marketing manager and experienced skydiver made no attempt to deploy her parachutes
- Her family remembered her as a “brilliant, beautiful and extraordinary” person
An inquest has concluded that marketing manager and experienced skydiver Jade Damarell took her own life during a jump in County Durham earlier this year. The 32-year-old died after failing to open either her main or reserve parachute during a skydive on 27 April.
Incident details
Ms Damarell crashed onto farmland near Fleming Field in Shotton Colliery. Weather conditions on the day were described as good, and investigators confirmed that all her equipment was in working order. A helmet camera she had previously used was not worn during the fatal jump.
Inquest findings
The inquest, held in Crook, heard that Ms Damarell had completed more than 500 jumps in her career and carried out six successful jumps the day before her death.
Assistant coroner Dr Leslie Hamilton said that on the “balance of probabilities” she had intended to take her own life. A post-mortem examination found she died from blunt trauma, with toxicology results showing no evidence of alcohol or drugs.
Personal circumstances
The hearing was told that Ms Damarell’s relationship had ended the evening before her death. Her former partner, who met her through skydiving, gave a statement to the coroner confirming they had separated the previous night.
Family tribute
Her parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel, attended the inquest remotely. In a statement afterwards, they described their daughter as “a brilliant, beautiful, brave and truly extraordinary person”.
They added: “A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness.”
