Mother's Bungee Jump Ends in Heartbreaking 300-Foot Fall

A 44-year-old Russian woman died in a tragic accident after attempting to take a selfie shortly following a bungee jump in St. Petersburg.

The fatal incident occurred on Aug. 30 in the town of Pavlovsk, where Elizaveta Gushchina, an experienced bungee jumper, leapt from a 300-foot (90-meter) boiler house chimney, according to a statement from the St. Petersburg Investigative Committee on Telegram.

“After completing the jump, she climbed the chimney to take a photo, where she slipped and fell from a height. The injuries she sustained were fatal,” the committee said in its translated post.

Gushchina, who was celebrating her birthday, left behind a son and daughter. Russian outlet The Voice confirmed her identity and shared that she had long been involved in extreme sports.

Video footage reportedly captured her successful bungee jump just moments before the accident.

Mikhail Erkin, leader of her extreme sports team 23BLOCK, explained that she had brought her own equipment to the abandoned thermal power plant. “She came with her equipment to an abandoned thermal power plant and jumped herself,” he said.

Her teammates released a statement mourning the loss: “Yesterday, under tragic circumstances, experienced jumper and mother of two children Liza passed away. Elizaveta Gushchina, along with her son Nikita, is a member of our sports team. Now the entire team is mourning this loss. This is a very big tragedy for us.”

Her ex-boyfriend, speaking with the Russian outlet 78.ru, described her as a devoted mother and beloved member of the community. “She is a very good person, a wonderful girl. We were together, we were close. She is a good mother, she has a daughter, her son is already an adult,” he said, noting that she also ran her own sewing business.