A teenage girl plunged to her death in a bungee jumping tragedy after the instructor's poor English caused her to leap before her safety cord was properly secured. Vera Mol, 17, died in August 2015 while bungee jumping in Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria, Spain. The instructor's confusing command led her to jump prematurely, resulting in a fatal fall of approximately 32 metres.
Miscommunication Leads to Fatal Jump
Vera was part of a group of 13 Dutch and Belgian teenagers. She watched her peers jump safely and was due to be the penultimate jumper. However, when the instructor said 'no jump', she reportedly misheard it as 'now jump' and stepped off the bridge. The safety rope had not been correctly attached to the bridge, causing her to plummet to the riverbed below.
Spanish courts investigated the incident for negligence. They ruled that the instructor's English was 'macarronico' (very bad) and that a clearer phrase like 'don't jump' could have prevented the tragedy. The instructor was deemed insufficiently competent to oversee foreign nationals in such a dangerous activity.
Safety Failures and Legal Consequences
The court heard a catalogue of safety failures. The instructor failed to attach Vera to any safety line while she ascended to the bridge, leaving her unsecured moments before her jump. The adventure firm also neglected to provide a secure waiting area, leaving teenagers at 'the edge of the abyss'. Additionally, staff did not verify Vera's ID; at 17, she was legally too young to participate, and the company failed to obtain parental consent.
The instructor faced charges of causing Vera's death, and the director of the bungee jumping company, Flowtrack, was prosecuted for negligent homicide. Flowtrack called the incident an accident, but company official Martijn Klom acknowledged that Vera's death resulted from a misunderstanding. He confirmed she was attached to the rope but not safely secured to the bridge.
Family's Call for Tighter Regulations
Vera's devastated family called for tighter safety regulations to prevent similar tragedies. The case echoes a more recent incident in Brazil, where Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died after instructors failed to attach her rope before assisting her jump from an abandoned bridge. Three men were arrested in connection with that incident on June 13, 2026.
