Woman in her 30s killed in skydiving accident in County Durham

A woman was killed in a skydiving accident in County Durham on Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called to Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee in County Durham, but the woman in her 30s was pronounced dead at the scene.

Durham Police said her death is not being treated as suspicious.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called to an incident at Shotton Colliery in County Durham on Sunday 27 April at 10.17.

‘We dispatched one ambulance crew and one specialist paramedic to the incident.’

It marks the third fatal skydiving incident linked to the Peterlee area since 2016.

In April 2024, Sam Cornwell died when his parachute failed to open during a jump at the South West Industrial Estate.

The 46-year-old had been working as a videographer for Sky-High Skydiving Peterlee at the time.

In September 2016, 49-year-old Pamela Gower, from Hebburn, died during a charity skydive at Peterlee Parachute Centre.

Hours before she took part in the fatal skydive, she told her instructor Michelle Meakins: ‘My mind wants to do it but my body doesn’t.’

Michelle encouraged her not to hold onto an instructor, telling her: ‘I know it’s nerve-wracking, but you don’t need me to hold onto you.’

On her third chance, Pamela, who had a specially adapted harness, decided to jump, but went into a high-speed spin while attempting a barrel roll.

County Durham Coroner’s Court heard that video footage of the jump showed Pamela trying to deploy the parachute two or three times, but the G force from the spin, greater than that experienced by a fighter pilot, was too strong.

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