A bungee jump that started as one of her travel desires turned deadly as the Australian tourist plummeted 360 feet toward swimming waters infested with crocodiles because her bungee cord unexpectedly broke.
Early twenty-something Erin Langworthy chose to bring the excitement of bungee jumping from a Zambezi River bridge during the Zambia 2012 trip despite the location’s dangerous combination of violent water streams and hunting crocodiles.
This adventure functioned as an extreme moment that she planned to make the peak event of her travels.
An unexpected disaster occurred as the cord broke when she was mid-air resulting in her straight drop into the river below while cameras recorded every shocking moment.
During this recently unblocked video footage viewers can watch Langworthy plunge into the water before completely submerging. At that instant everyone thought she had suffered the worst possible outcome.
Against all odds, Langworthy survived.
She kept herself afloat while the river pulled her swiftly downward since the broken ropes which bound her feet together prevented her from moving freely.
The rope from the bungee cord became trapped on submerged rocks while she fought her way free which took place as she realized dangerous crocodiles inhabited the water.
“I started coughing up blood and began to worry about internal injuries,” she told The Guardian. “I just felt exhausted and struggled to process what had happened.”
The scary accident which occurred at 5:30 p.m. left Langworthy stranded in the river before she received help several hours later.
A member from the bungee team rescued Langworthy from the river before driving her to healthcare facilities across the border in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. She reached the facility at 11:00 p.m. and received ventilator support followed by antibiotic treatment to protect from waterborne contaminations.
Doctors gave Langworthy treatment for partially collapsed lungs combined with internal injuries and extensive bruising and the X-ray results confirmed that there were no broken bones despite her dangerous fall.
Langworthy later shared more of her story in a Cover-More video, saying,
“I was black and blue all over, my lungs were full of blood and water.”
After issuing an apology the bungee company showed amazement about her ability to survive such a dangerous feat. According to Langworthy the jumper survived because of cord wear but the company had made safety improvements after the incident.
During her interviews Langworthy told a mysterious story by sharing that she had mailed a postcard to her mom one day prior to jumping and told a joke about dying on the bungee jump but added only joking at the end.
Her family maintains that postcard as an unsettling yet deeply treasured artifact which shows her survival from a dangerous incident.
The experiences of her near-de*th ordeal have not changed Langworthy’s perspective into a negative one. She stated that anger has never visited her regarding the event.
Every year some 50,000 individuals hurl themselves from that specific location. The bad luck simply chose my case among the numerous people who jump from that spot on a yearly basis.
Her mother takes no risks in such matters after the incident. According to Langworthy, she’s made it crystal clear: no more thrill-seeking adventures — ever.
Featured Image Credit: (Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
