Bungee jumping holiday accidents

Although extreme sport is a relatively new phenomenon, for time immemorial human beings have sought to test the limits of exhilaration and endurance while enjoying outdoor activities, and with this pursuit of thrills there has always come a holiday accident risk.

It is obvious that extreme sports such as bungee jumping, paragliding and white water rafting are activities with an inevitable holiday accident danger. But the fact that they are high-risk does not mean that tour operators should ever be complacent about safety standards when organising these activities.

Adventure sports holiday operators must adhere to strict standards of health and safety. The danger of getting some aspect of safety or instruction wrong in these kinds of extreme sports is all too clear to imagine.

With extreme adventure activities such as bungee jumping, paragliding or white water rafting the danger of a holiday accident claiming lives rather than inflicting minor injuries is much higher than it would be with typical holiday activities such as playing golf, mountaineering, bird-watching or taking a dip in a hotel pool.

Holiday accidents and bungee jumping
Many believe that bungee jumping in particular, if not safely administered, presents an unacceptable holiday accident risk.

People such as one of the UK's leading forensic engineers, David Jones, have commented on how great the fatal holiday accident risk presented by bungee jumping is, "It could well be that over a period of time jump after jump can take place just under a margin of failure without anyone knowing it. There is an extremely high risk of a fatality happening."

Those from his school of thought have spoken of the many near-misses bungee jumpers in Britain experience each year without even knowing they have just put their lives at risk of a fatal holiday accident.

Many people are not aware that the holiday accident danger of bungee jumping does not solely apply to the jumper. In some places in the world bungee jumping holiday accidents claim not only jumper's lives, but have in some cases also claimed the lives of spectators.

It is essential that anyone considering taking a leap into the adrenaline-filled world of bungee jumping check the credentials of the jump operator. Unfortunately, in the UK right now, no standard accreditation for bungee operators exists.

Instead, the Health and Safety Executive liase with three rival organisations: British Elastic Ropes Sports Association (BERSA), Standards Association for British Bungee (SABB) and European Bungee Sports Association (EBSA).

Unfortunately, having three rival organisations makes enforcing holiday accident prevention guidelines in the UK quite difficult.

However, the HSE recommend five principal safety control measures:

• Duplication of safety critical equipment
• Checking of safety critical actions e.g. the fastening of a jumper's harness
• Close control of operations by those running the site
• Competence of all operators
• Suitability of equipment, including cranes where used.

In addition to these guidelines other basic statutory obligations must be met by all bungee jump operators. These statutory instruments, all of which are more commonly associated with work accident claims than holiday accident claims, include: the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1992.

Other key areas of safety emphasis designed to prevent bungee jumping holiday accidents are those pertaining to the training of operating personnel and those which outline the health and weight restrictions for all potential jumpers.

Making a no win, no fee holiday accident claim
If you have suffered personal injury in a holiday accident for which you believe your tour operator or adventure sports organiser responsible, you may be entitled to claim holiday accident compensation.

Over the years, in proud association with some of the UK's finest personal injury solicitors, YouClaim has developed a fantastic reputation and success rate in successfully securing holiday accident compensation for its clients.

Making a holiday accident claim with us is a risk-free business. Win or lose, we do not charge any costs or fees and will never take a cut of our client's compensation. Even in the unlikely event that your claim is unsuccessful we ensure that you are protected against all the opposing side's legal fees.

So why not get in touch with us today?

We are available 24hrs a day, seven days a week and can be reached by one of the following methods:

Talk to us using e-chat, request we call you back at a convenient time, fill out an online claim form or, alternatively, call us now on 0800 10 757 95.