A Leeds graduate took her own life whilst skydiving, an inquest has found.
Leeds Beckett alumni, Jade Damarell, died on 27th April 2025 after suffering a fatal injury as a result of a “parachute incident”.
The inquest into her death heard how the 32-year-old was a “very experienced skydiver”, but made no attempts to deploy her parachutes when she went skydiving the day after her relationship ended.
Jade was pronounced dead at the scene as emergency services arrived at the farmland near Fleming Field, Shotton Colliery in County Durham, BBC reports.
Fleming Field, Shotton Colliery in County Durham via Google Maps
Assistant Coroner, Dr Leslie Hamilton, has since concluded that, upon the “balance of probabilities”, Jade had intended to take her own life, resulting in the verdict of a suicide.
On May 22nd, the initial inquest hearing took place, where the Coroner’s Officer Alexis Blighe, said there was “no reason at all” to suspect equipment failure as the cause of the incident.
Adjournment of this inquest to Thursday 21st August meant that greater detail regarding the cause of the incident has so far been impossible to confirm.
Toxicological tests were negative for drug or alcohol usage.
Following a post-mortem examination, Dr James Henry of Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary confirmed “blunt trauma” as the cause of death.
Dr Hamilton’s verdict incorporates a range of factors, including Jade’s extensive skydiving experience. The tenured skydiver completed more than 500 jumps, 11 of which took place in the two days before her death.
Jade would regularly use a helmet camera to document her jumps. This was not used on the day of her passing, and all of her equipment was found to be in working order.
The Leeds graduate’s former partner confirmed in a statement they “had ended their relationship the night before”.
Jade’s parents, Liz and Andrew Samuel attended the hearing remotely.
Following the inquest, they said: “Our beloved daughter Jade was a brilliant, beautiful, brave, and truly extraordinary person. A bright, adventurous, free spirit, she lived with immense energy, passion and love and touched countless lives with her warmth and kindness.”
Resources are available to anyone struggling with their mental health. Visit samaritans.org or call 116 123 for confidential help.
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