Faulty winch causes fatal plunge
Two teenage boys died after falling 150 feet from a bungee cage ride in front of horrified onlookers, including the parents of one victim. The tragedy occurred on August 10, 1993, at Beach Bungee in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina, when a makeshift shrimping winch failed under the weight of the cage.
Zachary Steinke, 17, and Michael Nash, 19, an employee serving as the "bungee jump master," were inside an elevator-style cage being raised to about 150-160 feet. The ride's original chain-driven hoist was faulty, and owners had replaced it with an improvised commercial shrimping winch and wire cable, which were not designed for the load.
Wet weather and mechanical failure
On a rainy evening, reduced visibility and the strain on the wire rope caused it to snap after being over-tensioned—a scenario known as "two-blocking." The cage plummeted, killing both teens instantly. Zachary's parents, watching from the ground, attempted CPR before emergency services arrived.
Attorney John Kassel, who represented the families, explained: "Without relieving the tension the cable would eventually fail and break. The scenario is well understood and actually has a name: two-blocking. Unfortunately, the bungee jump winch system had no safety devices of any kind. The system two-blocked. The cable ripped apart. The cage fell to the ground. Both boys were killed in front of a crowd of people, including the parents of one of the boys."
Legal battle and verdict
In 1995, the families won a $12 million judgment against the individual owners of Beach Bungee. The court ruled the owners could be held personally liable because they bypassed safety systems by installing the faulty shrimping winch to avoid losing summer tourist business. Kassel also secured a $2 million verdict against the South Carolina Department of Labor, which was affirmed on appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court.
