Skydivers killed in mid-air collision identified after making chilling 'deathwish' admission before death

A chilling blog post written by a skydiver who was tragically killed alongside another person in a mid-air collision in Southern California has resurfaced.

The pair, who have now been identified as Georgia Jean, 56, from South Dakota, and Levi Pimentel, 29, from Illinois, were taking part in a jump near Lake Elsinore, when their parachutes became tangled.

The experienced skydivers were both rushed to hospital on Friday (6 November) after suffering traumatic injuries. Tragically, they were later pronounced dead, Lt. Deirdre Vickers, of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

In a now resurfaced 2015 blog post, Jean wrote about her initial struggles with the sport, having failed her first level of skydiving training three times.

According to the New York Post, Jean wrote that her instructor told her she 'just can’t skydive.'

Levi Pimentel, 29, was also killed in the tragic accident (Facebook/@levi.pimentel.115668)

"Whether my instructor was right or not about limitations my body/mind had… I was able to overcome them, AND the incredible fear that I might be a 'deathwish time bomb' just waiting to go off," she wrote.

Jean later went on to compete in competitive skydiving, in which she won a bronze medal at a mixed formation skydiving event in 2024.

Pimentel worked as a Lead Trainer at iFLY Indoor skydiving facility in Illinois, as per her LinkedIn.

She had worked as a Lead Trainer since 2022, but had joined the establishment in 2018 as a Flight Instructor.

Describing her role as a Lead Trainer, the 29-year-old wrote: "Develop and maintain personal coaching and safety skills for employees in the instructor role. Guide instructors to progress in their career path. Assist in these roles at other locations as needed."

Both Jean and Pimentel were 'visiting from out of town to take part in an organized skydiving event at Skydive Elsinor,' the establishment confirmed.

The pair were rushed to hospital, where they were later pronounced dead (NBCLA)

Skydive Elsinore, which is located approximately one hour away from both San Diego and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, said there was no indication that the women's equipment had malfunctioned.

"On Friday, November 6th, two licensed skydivers were fatally injured after colliding with one another while descending under open parachutes at Skydive Elsinore," the establishment said in a statement following the tragic incident.

"Eyewitnesses report that the freefall portion of the jump was normal and uneventful, and that both skydivers opened their parachutes at the expected altitude."

They stated that the skydivers 'collided at approximately 150 feet above the ground,' as they prepared to land.

"The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground," they confirmed.

"Skydive Elsinore extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of both skydivers, and is grieving alongside all those affected," the statement concluded.