The jumper was identified as Richard L. Heaton III, 27, of Macon, Ga.

It was only his third BASE jump ever, said Tom Aiello, a Twin Falls BASE jumper who operates a Web site for enthusiasts.

In a Web site posting, Heaton's girlfriend in Georgia, identified only as Jill, gave the following account:

"I spoke with Richard late Wednesday night from Perrine Bridge," Jill wrote on the BASEjumper.com site. "He was too excited to wait 'till Thursday during the day, and told me he would make the jump. He never called back ..."

Jill launched a full-fledge attempt to reach local BASE jumpers and law enforcement Friday morning. Sheriff's deputies checked Heaton's motel room and found luggage and personal items - but no parachute or other jump gear.

Aiello joined the 15-member search party that scoured the Snake River Canyon near the base of the bridge for more than five hours.

At 4:20 p.m., rescue teams assisted by search dogs found Heaton's body 100 yards from the river's south shore. The body was slightly up the cliff, off the path that jumpers use to scale the canyon wall.

His parachute was found in another location east of the bridge, where Heaton apparently removed it, said Sheriff's Sgt. Daron Brown.

Exactly what happened to Heaton remains unclear. Searchers found the jumper's clothes - but no flashlight or survival gear - scattered around the area.

"He was wearing jeans and one shoe," Aiello said. "He had removed the other articles ...

"The BASE jumping portion of this was not actually what caused the fatality. He was definitely not used to the idea of being every day in subfreezing temperatures."

Authorities say preliminary indications point to hypothermia, or the rapid loss of body heat, as a possible cause of death. Hypothermia can lead to disorientation and a feeling of rising body heat.

"Never having jumped this site, it is unlikely that Richard knew the trail to climb out," Aiello wrote on his Web site. "He then likely became progressively disoriented, confused and hypothermic. It is likely that he wandered in the canyon for several hours before succumbing to the elements."

Another local BASE jumper, Miles Daisher, twice jumped from the bridge Friday without seeing any sign of Heaton. Daisher said a fresh coat of snow may have covered the body, parachute and the discarded clothing.

"I haven't seen any other footprints for, like, two weeks," said Daisher, who jumps year-round.

Heaton flew to Boise on Wednesday, then traveled by bus to Twin Falls for what was to be a week of BASE-jumping, authorities said.

"You go halfway across the country to go BASE jumping - you're excited to jump," Aiello said. "We see not very good things happening because people allow that eagerness to cloud their judgment. "

Aiello checked serial numbers on the gear recovered from the canyon and called the manufacturers, establishing the gear was Heaton's.

He then called Jill with the bad news.

After finding Heaton's body, Twin Falls County Search and Rescue teams brought it down river in a boat. At the Centennial Park boat ramp they unloaded a bright orange-mesh body bag, through which a tattoo shaped vaguely like an X was visible on the man's right triceps.

At the end of the boat ramp the recovery crew draped Heaton's parachute over him before loading him into a coroner's truck.

BASE stands for bridge, antennae, span and earth. The Perrine Bridge is the only structure in the U.S. where BASE jumping is legal year-round.

Submitted on 02/08/2008

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/02/09/news/top_story/130437.txt

Copyright © 2008 DarwinAwards.com

Bruce said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
There seems to me to be a lot of questions surrounding the events that led up to this mans death. The article certainly isn't clear other than the suggestion that hypothermia was the ultimate cause. Without specifics I find it hard to vote for a DA at this point. If/when more details emerge please let us know.

James said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
In the navy, we had a saying: "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance". This fellow forgot all about the "seven P's". Base jumping is a dumb enough pastime, but not being prepared to extricate oneself from a hostile environment after having done so indicates a severe deficiency in judgment. In the end, the sheer stupidity of not having planned for frigid canyon conditions did him in, and this was ENTIRELY preventable. I vote DA!

Chip said:
Definitely Keep: Darwin Award
Well, there may be a lot of questions but the facts that lead me to vote DA on this one are: 1. He jumped atnight. 2. He was not familiar with the site and yet he jumped at night. 3. He jumped alone. See 1 and 2. 4. See 1,2,and 3 - it was freezing weather!

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom Keep yourself out of the gene pool! A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item! Friends don't let friends reproduce! $13 for Pack of 4