Patterns of injury in a fatal BASE jumping accident.

Skydiving is a popular and relatively safe sport. The patterns of injury and mechanisms of death in the rare fatalities resulting from skydiving accidents have been well-documented. In contrast, BASE jumping, that is, jumping from a fixed object using a parachute, is a more dangerous and unregulated sport practiced by few individuals. There are no reports in forensic literature documenting the injuries found in deaths occurring in the practice of BASE jumping. We report the case of the death of an experienced BASE jumper who died after jumping from the antenna of a radio broadcast tower in southwest Florida to illustrate the unique hazards inherent in this sport.