A bungee jump instructor has been jailed after his negligence led to a woman plummeting to her death in front of her husband.
Yevgenia Leontyeva was reluctant to take part in the bungee jump - despite having done it before - so she let her friend go first, a court in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, was told.
Witnesses said the mum-of-three appeared afraid to take the 100ft leap from the hotel rooftop, but she was spurred on by instructor Alexander Muznikas, who told her: "It's not the first time you've jumped.
Advert
"You know how to do it. Did I put a safety harness on you for nothing?"
Harrowing video footage shows the 33-year-old take the fateful jump, shortly after husband Alexander Tkachenko told her: "I love you."
She hit the ground and rammed into an iron fence after a supporting rope was not properly secured on a tree, local media reported.
A man could also be seen falling to the ground as she crashed down; he is believed to have been holding the safety line which should have been attached to the tree, and he was floored by the force of her fall pulling on the unsecured rope.
Advert
She suffered a serious skull fracture and brain injuries, as well as multiple right-sided fractures, and was rushed to hospital, but she died as surgeons tried to save her.
Speaking in court, husband Tkachenko said his wife was 'crushed before my eyes'.
He said: "I came to support my wife. My wife was crushed before my eyes. I was in shock and panic.
Advert
"It was clearly the employee's fault. They did not coordinate their actions. The instructor didn't look down to make sure the rope was tied. He just told her: 'Jump!'
"I don't wish this on anyone. He is guilty. He must serve time in jail… This, of course, will not return my spouse and mother of my children."
He added: "After her fall, I knelt beside her. He [the instructor] came, but I don't remember what happened then. She was still breathing."
Muznikas, 33, was convicted of offering services which did not meet safety rules and causing death by negligence.
Advert
He was sentenced to four years in a medium security jail.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
Topics: News
Jake Massey