A teenage girl died in a bungee jumping accident in Spain after an instructor's 'poor English' led to a fatal misunderstanding, a court has heard. Vera Mol, 17, from the Netherlands, plunged 32 metres to her death in August 2015 when she jumped from a bridge near Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria, before her safety harness was attached.
The court was told that the instructor called out 'no jump' moments before Vera leapt, which she may have tragically misinterpreted as 'now jump'. The judge described the instructor's English as 'macarronico', meaning 'very bad', and ruled that the confusion was central to the incident. The instructor was charged with causing her death, while the director of the bungee firm faced charges of negligent homicide.
Further safety breaches were revealed during the trial. The instructor failed to secure Vera to a safety line while she climbed to the bridge, leaving her unprotected. The firm had not established a secure waiting area, forcing participants to stand at 'the edge of the abyss'. Staff also neglected to check Vera's age; at 17, she was below the legal minimum of 18, and no parental consent had been obtained.
Flowtrack, the company operating the jump, described the incident as an accident but acknowledged the miscommunication. Vera's family has called for stricter safety regulations to prevent similar tragedies.
