Inquest rules skydiver's death a suicide; highlights mental health risks.

A 32-year-old skydiver with hundreds of jumps died after deliberately not deploying her parachutes during a jump from about 15,500 feet, hours after ending a relationship. An inquest concluded the death was suicide, noting that while her equipment was in good working order, she chose not to activate either parachute or the automatic activation device, did not wear a helmet or a camera, and left notes for family in the early hours of the morning. The case has focused attention on mental health and risk factors within extreme sports communities.

The inquest heard that Jade Damarell, an experienced skydiver known for her energy and commitment to the sport, had completed multiple jumps the day before and was last seen at the skydiving center in the hours before her death. The coroner found that she did not deploy her main or reserve parachutes during the descent and that the safety mechanism intended to deploy the reserve automatically had been switched off. Pathology confirmed blunt trauma as the cause of death, and toxicology showed no drugs or alcohol in her system. Investigators noted the jump would have placed her in freefall for roughly a minute before impact.