West Virginia

BASE Jumper Dangles From West Virginia Bridge After Parachute Gets Stuck

The BASE jump gone wrong occurred outside Charles Town and shut down traffic for more than three hours

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A BASE jumper had to be rescued from a bridge in West Virginia on Tuesday after his parachute got stuck. Here’s a quick look at the aftermath.

A man leapt from a bridge in West Virginia expecting his parachute to let him glide down safely — but he ended up dangling in midair for more than 90 minutes. 

A BASE jumper’s parachute got stuck on a steel girder of the Route 9 bridge over the Shenandoah River on Tuesday, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said. Crews rescued the man while the roadway was shut down for over three hours. 

Deputies were called to the bridge at about 12:45 p.m. by the BASE jumper himself. The 36-year-old from Loudoun County, Virginia, said he had performed a jump off the bridge and was trapped. 

The BASE jumper said he was experienced in the extreme sport but his parachute had opened in an unusual way, according to the sheriff’s office.

Crews from Charles Town, Jefferson County, Loudoun County and Hagerstown responded and were able to save the man from about 40 feet up. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation. 

Chopper4 footage of the emergency’s aftermath shows black, green and yellow fabric waving from a steel girder. 

The man’s jump was legal, the sheriff’s office said, but officials now will seek to ban this type of BASE jumping. The man will not face charges.

BASE jumping, an acronym for building, antenna, span and earth, is an extreme sport in which people parachute from high structures or cliffs.

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