It is a parachutist with ten years of experience and more than 2000 jumps to his credit who lost his life Saturday noon in Victoriaville under the gaze of his five friends.
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“Of course it’s hard to see, what I experienced on Saturday, I never expected to experience it with an experienced jumper like him,” said the victim’s best friend, Dan. Bégin, who was present at the time of the accident.
The victim, Maxime Bernatchez, described as one of the best parachutists in the province, lost control of his parachute less than 150 feet from the ground while jumping from an altitude of 6,000 feet.
Photo taken from Facebook
Maxime Bernatchez
After doing several spins in the air, the 39-year-old ended his run into a pole on the ground.
In turn, his friends practiced resuscitation maneuvers while waiting for help to arrive. His death was pronounced at the hospital.
Circumstances
It was under clear skies and with visibly good flying conditions that the six friends boarded the helicopter rented for the occasion.
Screenshot, Facebook
The experienced skydivers had organized the activity independently of the city’s skydiving school and used their own equipment.
“People think it was a reckless jump, but it was very quiet. Maxime took the trouble to unstack his parachute which had remained folded for 2 or 3 days to ensure that everything was safe,” explained his best friend for ten years, Dan Bégin.
The latest skydiving accidents recorded in Quebec mention technical problems with the deployment of the canvas, in particular due to mixed ropes or improperly folded parachutes. However, in this case, Mr. Bernatchez’s parachute was properly folded and would have deployed easily during his jump, according to the people present.
According to witnesses at the scene, a malfunction of the equipment could be the cause.
A shower of tributes
Following the announcement, the thrill-seeker’s social media was flooded with messages of support for the family.
“He always had 36,000 projects, he loved everyone, he always wanted people to be good and happy,” recalled Justine Doré-Champagne, one of his childhood friends.
Maxime Bernatchez shared his passion for adrenaline on his YouTube channel as well as on his social networks which he fed regularly.
An investigation is underway to establish the exact causes of the accident.