A 17-year-old Dutch girl died after a bungee jumping accident in Spain in 2015, caused by a misunderstanding over the instructor's English. Vera Mol jumped from a bridge in Cabezon de la Sal, Cantabria, with a rope attached to her body but not secured to the bridge.
The instructor told her 'no jump', but his poor pronunciation led her to believe he said 'now jump', prompting her to leap. The court described his English as 'macarronico', meaning very bad, and noted that using 'don't jump' could have prevented the tragedy.
The instructor, who has not been named, faces charges of causing her death. The court also alleged that the bridge was not authorised for bungee jumping under Spanish regulations, and that the instructor failed to check Vera's age, as she was under 18.
Flowtrack, the company running the jump, acknowledged the accident was due to a misunderstanding. Martijn Klom, a company representative, confirmed that Vera jumped while tied by the rope but not secured to the bridge.
