An engaged couple fell more than 300 feet to their deaths in what should have been a thrilling tandem bungee jumping experience but instead turned into a nightmare. Italian couple Alberto Galletti and Tiziana Accora died on May 1, 2002, at the Polino Bungee Jumping Centre near Terni, central Italy, approximately 60 miles north of Rome.
Couple Begged Centre to Stay Open
The centre was preparing to shut early for the May Day bank holiday when the couple contacted manager Lorenzo Illuminati and begged him to remain open slightly longer so they could jump together. Illuminati agreed, and the couple jumped from the Ponte Canale bridge, but instead of bouncing back up on the cord, they plummeted 330 feet to their deaths below.
Tragically, the snap-hooks fastening their cord to the bridge failed, resulting in them falling to the canyon floor. The bungee jumping facility routinely recorded customers' jumps so they could keep them as mementos, and the deaths were filmed on video.
Manager Describes the Tragedy
At the time, Lorenzo Illuminati told state television: "I had actually closed when they called. They begged me to stay open so I waited for them. They jumped off together in each other's arms and then this happened. It's terrible. Just an hour earlier another couple jumped safely using the same elastic band and clips."
Their deaths were reportedly the first fatalities to have occurred at the location. Terni police spokesman, Lt Rovaldi Di Marco, said at the time: "At the moment the investigation is focusing on the safety harness that was being worn by the couple and the clips that secure it to the bridge. The cord was found intact and before the couple a man of 90kg jumped off the bridge."
Investigation into the Accident
Di Marco added: "I understand that Alberto was a serving paratrooper with a regiment based in Siena and so had done this before but we think it was Tiziana's first time at bungee jumping. The elastic cord did not break but we think the safety harness it was attached to came out of the bridge."
The policeman was questioned whether the cord possessed sufficient strength to support two people jumping together. He replied: "From what I know, it should have been able to cope with a combined weight of 2,000kg so, in theory, it should have been okay. However, that is one aspect we will be looking at as well as the safety clips that are harnessed into the structure of the bridge or maybe it was a human error - it is still too early to say."
The location was shut down while officers carried out a thorough investigation into the deaths of the couple.
