10 Daredevils Who Lost Their Lives Doing Crazy Stunts
Kirk Jones
Niagara Falls has long been a destination for would-be daredevils. Unfortunately, the falls have also claimed several victims. Kirk Jones was one such person, with an important distinction. In 2003, Jones was actually the first person to go over the largest of the falls, Horseshoe Falls, without a floatation device and survive. Reportedly, he initially said that he was trying to take his own life, although this story changed over the years. After the jump, he performed stunts with a circus, and returned for another attempt in 2017 - this time within a large, inflatable ball. The attempt proved fatal. He may have been thrown out of the ball in the rapids above America Falls - which no one has ever survived a fall from.
Lim Ba
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This ‘self-cleansing’ regimen went way too far. In 2017, Malaysian medium Lim Ba, also known as ‘Black Dog’, was attempting to steam himself inside a giant metal pot. Lim had actually performed this stunt multiple times in the past without incident, sometimes steaming himself with rice, vegetables, and buns. This occasion was different, however, and Lim’s followers reported “desperate knocks” from inside the pot. Sadly, Lim suffered a heart attack and second degree burns during the stunt, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Todd Green
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The art of wing walking is as impressive as it is dangerous, and has claimed a number of lives. Todd Green was one of these, perishing in 2011 after a wing-walk went south. Green was performing at an air show in Michigan, and attempted to transfer from an airplane to the skid of a helicopter. He lost his footing, however, and plummeted to his death. Green’s tragic passing was witnessed by those in attendance at the air show, many of whom spoke to the media after the event.
Henry Roland
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This American daredevil wasn’t the only one with the moniker “human fly”, but he was arguably one of the most famous. This was due to Roland’s relatively flashy public persona while at the height of his fame during the 1920s and ‘30s. He had already dodged death once, thanks to a well-publicized fall in 1926 from the third floor of the McAlpin Hotel in New York City that sent him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Still, this didn’t stop him from getting back on the proverbial horse, this time with less-fortunate results. Henry Roland died in 1937 at the Ottway Fair in Greenville, Tennessee, after wind blew out his trapeze bar. There was no safety net.
Matt Cranch
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A safety net might have saved the life of Henry Roland. But what about when the very item that’s supposed to save you, fails? This was the unfortunate fate of English daredevil Matt Cranch, who was attempting a human cannonball stunt back in 2011. The tragic accident took place at a stunt show in Kent, England, after Cranch fell from a 40 foot height. The safety net that was in place featured a quick-release mechanism that was improperly set. This resulted in it collapsing when Cranch hit the net. His boss, Scott May, pleaded guilty to health and safety violations in 2016.
Pavel Kashin
Parkour can mean different things to different people. Ultimately, however, whether you practice parkour for fun, or for health, it can involve certain risks. Tragically, Russian freerunner Pavel Kashin lost his life in a stunt gone wrong in 2013. Kashin was performing a backflip on the edge of a 16 story apartment building. His final jump was actually successful, with Kashin pulling off the backflip. Unfortunately however, he then lost his footing, falling down 200 feet onto the pavement below.
Audrey Mestre
French freediver Audrey Mestre loved the water. Her family were seasoned in all sorts of aquatic activities, from snorkeling to scuba-diving. Mestre herself became a record-setting freediver, descending to an astonishing 427 feet on a single breath of air. However, a 2002 attempt to break a new world record was fatal and controversial. Once she reached a diving depth of 561 feet, she discovered that the air tank meant to inflate her lift bag was empty. A rescue diver used his air supply to inflate the bag, but Mestre ended up being underwater for over eight minutes before being brought to the surface. The freediving community was particularly critical of her husband, considering the attempt ill-prepared and organized.
Gigi Wu
Known as the “bikini hiker”, Taiwan’s Gigi Wu became famous on social media for her photos of herself on mountaintops wearing a bikini. Wu was an experienced hiker, who always arrived prepared and with proper safety equipment. However, in January of 2019, Gigi Wu suffered an accidental fall into a gorge during a hike on Taiwan’s Jupen Mountain. Wu was unable to move her legs after the 100 foot drop, and called for help, but it did not arrive in time. Wu died, possibly from hypothermia, before rescue crews could reach her location.
Kyle Lee Stocking
It’s an age-old adage, but it definitely bears repeating: don’t try this at home. Kyle Lee Stocking tragically didn’t heed this warning, after attempting to replicate a stunt he viewed on YouTube. Stocking was 22 years old when the Utah native attempted a dangerous rope swing stunt at the state’s Corona Arch in 2013. Stocking was unprepared for his attempt, and made the fatal mistake of miscalculating the length of his rope. As a result, the excess slack sent Stocking crashing to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Dean Potter & Graham Hunt
BASE jumping must be a hell of a rush, but it’s also one of the most dangerous extreme sports out there. In 2015, 43 year old Dean Potter, famous for his extreme feats in a variety of sports, attempted a BASE jump in Yosemite National Park, California with his apprentice, 29 year old Graham Hunt. BASE jumping is actually illegal in United States national parks, but that hasn’t stopped people. Sadly, the two suffered a fatal crash into a ridge at Yosemite’s Taft Point. Reportedly, Potter suffered a head-on collision, while Hunt hit the ridge with his body.
