Cause of Death Known: Felix Baumgartner Died from Impact
On Tuesday, more details emerged regarding the death of the Austrian extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner, who crashed with his motorized paraglider in Italy last Thursday. According to the responsible public prosecutor's office in the city of Fermo, the 56-year-old was killed by the impact, prosecutor Raffaele Iannella told the German Press Agency on Tuesday.
The deceased was examined more closely on Tuesday after an initial investigation last Friday. The official result is still pending. The prosecutor did not specify when it will be made public. Additionally, a technical report is to clarify whether there were possibly problems with the paraglider or the motor. Iannella mentioned a period of one to two months until publication.
Felix Baumgartner: Forensic Examiners Found Injuries to Spine
Forensic examiners found injuries to the spine and a severed spinal cord. Investigations into the circumstances of the accident are ongoing. Among other things, the 56-year-old's bodycam is to be evaluated.
The body was returned to the relatives after the autopsy, according to the public prosecutor's office in Fermo. The extreme sportsman's partner, Romanian TV journalist Mihaela Rădulescu Schwartzenberg, who remained in Fermo, is organizing the repatriation to Austria, it was reported. The consular authorities in Rome offered their assistance to support Baumgartner's family.
Baumgartner reportedly unsuccessfully attempted to open the emergency parachute before the crash last Thursday. Eyewitnesses reported that the motor paraglider fell freely onto the area of a swimming pool in Porto Sant ́Elpidio. According to an initial reconstruction, Baumgartner had attached a camera to the motorized paraglider to take footage. It was secured with a small string. Possibly due to an abrupt flight movement, the camera is said to have gotten into the propeller, causing the sail to collapse and the aircraft to crash.
(APA/Red)
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