Two teenage boys lost their lives in a bungee cage jump disaster, plummeting 150 feet to the ground and suffering catastrophic impact injuries as devastated parents watched on
The teenage boys plummeted to their deaths in a bungee cage jump (stock image)(Image: Getty Images/Polina Strelkova)
Two teenage boys plummeted to their deaths in a bungee jumping attraction in front of horrified onlookers and family members – and it was due to a devastating decision made by the attraction’s owners.
Thrill-seekers often venture to amusement parks, theme parks and extreme attractions for a coveted adrenalin rush but in some instances, this can end in tragedy.
This was the case for Zachary Steinke who, at 17-years-old, ventured to the Beach Bungee attraction in Atlantic Beach, which was found along the Grand Strand in the North Myrtle Beach/Atlantic Beach area of South Carolina, USA.
There, the Beach Bungee featured a 175 foot tall steel archway which allowed visiting jumpers to be raised in a cage reminiscent of an elevator.
But on the evening of August 10, 1993, when Zachary entered the cage alongside “bungee jump master” and attraction employee Michael Nash, 19, disaster ensued.
The Beach Bungee attraction used to be based in the North Myrtle Beach/Atlantic Beach area of South Carolina, USA. Pictured: the pier, Myrtle Beach, SC(Image: Getty Images)
The pair were being lifted to a height of around 150 to 160 feet inside the steel jump cage, both blissfully unaware the original chain-driven lifting system was broken.
Instead of a like-for-like replacement to repair the fault, the owners instead opted for a makeshift commercial shrimping winch which was used alongside a wire rope.
These items were not fit for purpose.
That day was a particularly wet and rainy one and as the cage was being raised into the evening sky, visibility was reduced and the wire rope was unable to handle the load. After being strained, it snapped.
The cage, with Zachary and Michael inside, plummeted 150 feet to the ground, leaving both teens with catastrophic impact injuries neither would survive.
In a devastating twist, Zachary’s parents were watching from the ground and had to look on in horror as their son fell to his death. They are said to have attempted CPR before the emergency services arrived.
There’s still a number of attraction at Myrtle Beach but the historic 175-foot Beach Bungee arch structure is long gone (stock image)(Image: Getty Images/John Coletti)
After the tragedy, a legal battle ensued. Attorney for the families John Kassel explained in a post on the Kassel McVey site how the cable came to snap: “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.”
He continued: “I was a young lawyer. I tried the case against the owners and the shrimper in federal court. One issue was to find individual liability and not simply get a verdict against a defunct corporation.”
Kassel was successful. In 1995, the families of the victims 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 in a bid to avoid losing summer tourist business.
But Kassel wasn’t done. He said: “I tried a second case in state court against the South Carolina Department of Labor, the responsible regulatory agency. There, a major hurdle was overcoming multiple immunities enjoyed by the state.
“We received a $2 million verdict. The verdict was affirmed on appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court. I became close to the families of both boys.”