A tourist couple plummeted 80 feet when their zipline ‘just gave way’ — experts say one detail made the fatal disaster ‘inevitable’

A court case in Australia just revealed that sometimes you need to be careful when sourcing the services of an extreme sports company. The case centers on an incident in Brisbane, Australia, on Oct. 19, 2019, where Dean Anson Sanderson lost his life and his wife, Sharon Anderson, was seriously injured after a zipline failure.

The company, Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours, has been permanently closed since the fatal incident. The case has been in deliberation until recently, when the court heard experts on whether the incident was caused by bad fortune or negligence.

According to People, Dean and Sharon were local tourists from Adelaide intending to take a run-of-the-mill zipline tour. Dean went first on the approximately 280-foot section of the forest in the area, followed by Sharon. An attorney at the court confirmed that halfway across the zipline, the couple lost momentum and started falling into the forest.

Bystanders were able to see the two fall into the forest and heard a loud bang as the zipline cut. The couple fell almost 80 feet: Dean ended up sustaining fatal injuries to the head and chest. Sharon was lucky enough to walk away from the incident with her life, but she fractured her scapula and had multiple other serious injuries.

The cause of the failure

The court in Australia was able to find that the technique – a “bulldog clip” – used to clip the wire of the zipline was the cause of the failure. An expert explained: “The termination on the zipline used by Mr. Sanderson totally failed on the day of the incident, such that there was no loop at the end. The rope has completely come away and has ended up on the forest floor.”

Another expert simplified the issue when he explained to the court that the wire was essentially tied at one-seventh the strength it needed to be. And the worst part was the way it was tied made it impossible to see the issue through visual examination alone.

Lately, there has been added scrutiny toward these kinds of businesses after widespread suspicions that some are skimping on critical maintenance. A recent tragedy in Argentina followed a similar pattern, with a local tourist going to a popular viewpoint at a beach only to find the place badly maintained, causing her to fall to her death.

To date, authorities are still seeking an official conviction related to the incident.