A BASE jumper has fallen to his death after his equipment failed shortly after taking-off from a tall rock in Brazil.
Firefighters were called to the Pedra do Baú (Baú Rock) complex in São Bento do Sapucaí, Brazil, on December 29.
But by the time emergency services reached Luiz Henrique de Oliveira Schaefer, he was already dead.
The fire department said: “Equipment failure caused him to lose control, collide with the rocks, and become trapped in a hard-to-reach area.”
The cause of Luiz’s equipment failure is under investigation but police are treating his death as non-criminal.
Jumping off the rock formation that morning, Luiz’s equipment failed to work properly caused him to lose control and collided with multiple rocks.
Witnesses called the emergency services, but he was already dead by the time they arrived.
His body was recovered with the support of a helicopter.
The location is a popular destination for hikers and adventure sports enthusiasts.
Just a day before his death, the 33-year-old had shared a photo on social media showing a friend lying in a hammock with the rock in the background.
As an experienced adventure sports athlete, Luiz was passionate about free flying and nature, and was well-known among extreme sports enthusiasts.
At the time of his death, he was fundraising for surgery to fix a herniated disc, as reported by NeedToKnow.
He wrote in his appeal: “I’m Luiz (also known as Ney), a human who loves jumping out of planes, climbing mountains and bragging about it afterwards (only sometimes, I swear).
“But what’s taking me down right now isn’t gravity – it’s a herniated disc.
“Since my whole life depends on my body being in one piece – to keep jumping, climbing, and working – the only solution is surgery, which will literally get me back in the air.
“As you can imagine, the surgery costs a fortune and I still need my eyes to keep working.
“Jokes aside, I’ve been trying to manage it other ways, but the public health system is more stuck than me trying to tie my trainers, so I’m starting this fundraiser to speed up my rescue.”
A man named Alexandre paid tribute to his friend online.
He said: “Go with God, brother! Now you’re truly soaring!”
Base jumping at Pedra do Baú had been prohibited by the authorities.
