Mystery surrounds the passing of a young woman who died during a skydive on Sunday.
The death of Jade Damarell, a highly experienced skydiver, has been described as an “unimaginable loss” amid an investigation. The woman, who had completed more than 400 previous jumps, died instantly after hitting the ground at Wrefords’ Farm in Shotton, County Durham.
She lost her life while parachuting with Sky-High Skydiving in nearby Shotton Colliery. The firm described the incident as “tragic” and that all indications were it had been “a deliberate act taken to end her own life”. However, the cause of death must ultimately be decided by a coroner at a later date.
Police say a file will now be prepared for the coroner, and the 32-year-old woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious at this stage. One of Ms Damarell’s friends said the community in Shotton is “devastated and deeply traumatised” as it grieves the woman, understood to have been a marketing manager.
A spokesperson for Sky-High Skydiving, a popular company in County Durham with excellent reviews, said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm a tragic incident took place involving a valued member of our community. Our thoughts are with her family and friends as they face this unimaginable loss. We urge anyone in crisis to speak to someone or reach out to a mental health professional.”
Initial reports had assumed Ms Damarell’s death was a tragic accident. Writing on Facebook in the aftermath, Wrefords’ Farm said: “Tragically, last Sunday 27/4/25 a woman lost her life after a parachute incident/accident, please join us in saying a prayer for her and her family, we ask the Lord to accept her into the kingdom of heaven and strength to her family. We ask for our own and farms privacy for this deeply upsetting matter to be respected. God bless.”
People paid their respects to the marketing boss on the farm’s Facebook page, and other accounts. One described the incident as “deeply upsetting”. The friend told Mail Online: “Everyone is devastated and deeply traumatised by what happened because she was very much part of the skydiving community. She was mad for the sport. In just the two days before she died, she did 11 jumps. She must have done 80 this year.”
An inquest into Ms Damarell’s death will be opened in due course. A Durham Constabulary spokesperson said: ‘A woman sadly died following a skydiving incident near Peterlee. Police officers and colleagues from the ambulance service were called to the incident in Shotton Colliery at around 10.30am on Sunday. Sadly, a woman in her 30s was pronounced dead at the scene. Her death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will now be prepared for the coroner.”
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “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.”
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