Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner has died in a paragliding accident – the 58-year-old, who once jumped from the edge of space, is reported to have crashed into a swimming pool
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner – who rose to fame in 2012 after jumping from the edge of space – has died in a horror paragliding crash.
The extreme sportsman was pronounced dead this afternoon at the age of 56 following a paragliding accident in Italy. Local reports said his craft landed in a swimming pool on a holiday resort, leaving one girl on the ground injured. Sources from the local fire and rescue service said Felix had complained of feeling unwell while the paraglider was airborne, and lost control of the craft shortly after. The girl hit by his paraglider was rushed to hospital, but is not in a serious condition.
Felix Baumgartner became famous around the world in 2012 when he successfully completed a record-breaking jump from the stratosphere at a height of 24 miles.
After reaching the height by sitting inside a metal cabin attached to a set of weather balloons, he made the jump unassisted, releasing his parachute only 1.5 miles above the ground.
His descent from the ‘edge of space’ lasted around 10 minutes.
The jump was sponsored by Red Bull, and became the focus of a major advertising campaign by the energy drinks brand.
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