A blog post written by skydiver Georgia Jean in 2015 has resurfaced after she and fellow skydiver Levi Pimentel died in a mid-air collision in Southern California.
Jean, 56, and Pimentel, 29, both died on Friday, November 6, after their parachutes became tangled during a jump near Lake Elsinore, shortly before midday. The two women, who knew each other, suffered major traumatic injuries and were rushed to hospital. Neither could be saved.
What did Georgia Jean write?
In her 2015 blog post, Jean wrote about her struggles to get into skydiving, including her fear that she might be a “deathwish time bomb,” according to The Sun. She said that one instructor had told her she “just can’t skydive.”
The South Dakota resident refused to give up. “Whether my instructor was right or not about limitations my body/mind had… I was able to overcome them,” she wrote, adding that she also overcame her fear.
Jean went on to compete. She won a bronze medal with team “First Froth” at a mixed formation skydiving event in 2024 and hosted camps to help others learn to skydive. On Facebook, she described herself as an “optimist” and a “hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams.”
What happened in the collision?
Skydive Elsinore said Jean and Pimentel were licensed skydivers who had traveled from out of town and made the jump together, according to the New York Post. They were taking part in an organized skydiving event when the unfortunate accident happened.
The company said neither woman experienced a mechanical failure. Both parachutes opened at the expected altitude, and there were no reported irregularities during freefall.
“The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground,” the company said in a statement.
The women were about 150 feet above the ground when they collided. Winds with gusts of up to 20 mph were present, but it’s unclear whether the weather played a role.
“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 said.
What happens next?
The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will collect the parachutes as part of its investigation, according to the Associated Press.
Pimentel, from Illinois, was listed on LinkedIn as a lead instructor at iFLY Naperville, an indoor skydiving company.
How common are skydiving deaths?
According to the US Parachute Association, its members made 3.47 million skydives in 2025, and 16 of them resulted in death. The organization says 5.6% of members reported an injury that required medical treatment, most commonly ankle injuries during landings.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of both women.
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