Pregnant Swedish base jumper Wioletta Roslan dies in last jump before retiring as parachute fails to open

  • Swedish Base jumper Wioletta Roslan, 37, was four months pregnant
  • The adrenaline junkie’s parachute failed to open and she died instantly
  • Incident happened off Via Ferrata cliff near Stechelberg in Switzerland

By
Sara Malm and Mark Duell

08:42 EST, 16 September 2012


|

13:54 EST, 16 September 2012

A pregnant Base jumper has died in what she had pledged would be her final leap before retiring.

Wioletta Roslan, of Sweden, had said she would give up the high-risk sport after falling pregnant, but decided to make one last jump near Stechelberg, Switzerland, which ended in tragedy.

The 37-year-old adrenaline junkie was four months pregnant when she died after her parachute failed to open during a Base (Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth) jump last weekend.

Tragedy: Wioletta Roslan died aged 37 after her parachute failed to open during a Base jump in Switzerland

Tragedy: Wioletta Roslan died aged 37 after her parachute failed to open during a Base jump in Switzerland

Her boyfriend Aleksander Domalewski jumped alongside her and could do nothing but watch as she realised her parachute wouldn’t open and spread her arms awaiting the impact of the 990ft drop.

The Via Ferrata cliff was Miss Roslan’s favourite spot for Base jumping and she had been there many times before with her partner.

She was experienced in extreme sports after taking up skydiving as a 19-year-old in Malmo, Sweden.

Her mother Halina Zaniewska-Pettersson, 68, said: ‘I was always terrified every time I knew that she was doing the sport again and I kept expecting the worst.

‘When she said that she was going to do one last jump while pregnant I begged her not to go.

Accident: Pregnant Ms Roslan, who had announced that this was going to be her final jump before retiring, died instantly after freefalling 990ft

Accident: Pregnant Ms Roslan, who had announced that this was going to be her final jump before retiring, died instantly after freefalling 990ft

‘But she always wanted to carry on. I couldn’t force not to do it – she was old enough to make up her own mind about things.’

Miss Roslan
had managed to build a successful career as an inspector working on oil
rigs – and in her spare time travelled the world as a professional Base
jumper.

‘I only feel alive when I jump. I find normal life boring. I know that death always flies with me but we only have a certain amount of time on the earth. When the sun goes down then it’s game over whoever you are’

Wioletta Roslan

She said in a recent interview for
Swiss television that Base jumping made her feel alive and as if  there
were no limits in life.

Miss Roslan said:
‘I only feel alive when I jump. I find normal life boring. I know that
death always flies with me but we only have a certain amount of time on
the earth. When the sun goes down then it’s game over whoever you are.’

She had lived in the Berner Oberland region for two years doing odd jobs in order to spend every spare moment jumping from local cliffs. 

She told her mother it had been the
happiest time in her life and she wanted to go for a final jump with her
boyfriend before retiring.

Adrenaline junkie: Wioletta Roslan, pictured during a wingwalk, had recently moved to Berner Obeland and spent all her spare time and money on extreme sport

Adrenaline junkie: Wioletta Roslan, pictured during a wingwalk, had recently moved to Berner Oberland and spent all her spare time and money on extreme sport

After three people made successful jumps, Miss Roslan and her boyfriend stepped up to the edge.

Ms Zaniewska-Pettersson said: ‘Aleksander jumped at the same time as her and could only watch what happened. He told me that she desperately tried to get her parachute to open without success.

‘I was always terrified every time I knew that she was doing the sport again and I kept expecting the worst – when she said that she was going to do one last jump while pregnant I begged her not to go’

Halina Zaniewska-Pettersson, mother

‘It did not open and in the last moment she realised she was not going to succeed. He told me that she had simply spread her arms and waited for the impact.’

Miss Roslan died instantly. Local emergency doctor Bruno Durrer said: ‘Every death in the mountains is tragic but this one was particularly so because I knew her and also because she was pregnant.’

Ms Zaniewska-Pettersson said: ‘I am totally devastated and shocked. I picked so often to give up jumping but she just didn’t listen and now it’s too late.

‘When she was in Switzerland she was only there for Base jumping – every spare moment she was climbing and jumping.

Her death is the fifth in connection with Base jumping in the Berner Oberland region this year.

Ms Zaniewska-Pettersson said: ‘All that is left for me now memories but my daughter lived her life to the full – she was a true adventurer travel to France and Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and America to do with her sport.

‘She was full of life and was a wonderful girl. But she couldn’t imagine a life without Base jumping.’

The comments below have not been moderated.

One word….Selfish

Whatsit2U
,

Here,
16/9/2012 21:21

What a selfish thing to do – when you are pregnant you make the decisions for yourself and your baby. You have a duty to protect your child until it can protect itself. I’m afraid I can’t feel sympathy for her or her partner who joined her, but so much for her baby.

Hera Sometimes
,

London, United Kingdom,
16/9/2012 21:20

I would really be interested in knowing who checked her equipment…….

cdncuzin
,

toronto,
16/9/2012 21:19

Why dont these people join the army or police if they love risking their life,a lot of people risk their life cos its their job protecting innocent people or our country,its seems a waste to risk your life for a thrill !!

nick
,

london,
16/9/2012 21:15

Jeez what has it come to when the life of an unborn fetus is lamented more than that of a young woman who worked hard, lived her life to the full and took as much of a risk as many women who drive a bit too fast when pregnant. She didn’t “kill” her baby, she had a tragic accident. If she had an abortion there would not be such an outcry. Because she did her last jump while she had the chance, we get all this hate. It was terribly unlucky. That’s life.

alib
,

Surrey,
16/9/2012 21:13

Idiot.

Marian
,

Tarrytown New York,
16/9/2012 21:11

What a selfish woman! Why get pregnant if you refuse to put your unborn baby first? I have no problem with people putting their life in danger but you have no right to do it if you are carrying a human life inside you. My heart goes out to her unborn baby …

NL
,

London, United Kingdom,
16/9/2012 21:10

Sorry, no disrespect to the dead, but you put your unborn baby at risk,people have their children taken away by social services for less !!

nick
,

london,
16/9/2012 21:06

Selfish woman taking such risks while carrying a little life inside her.

Amelia
,

Beds, United Kingdom,
16/9/2012 20:56

I hate to pass judgment but before I was pregnant I was terrible about wearing my seatbelt. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I fastened that seatbelt religiously because it was no longer about what I felt like doing but about protecting my unborn child. That is your job as a parent, to protect your kids. My heart goes out to the woman who lost both her daughter and unborn grandchild 🙁

Tiffany
,

USA,
16/9/2012 20:53

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