Two men, including Andrew "Andy" Lewis of Moab, died in a BASE jumping accident Sunday in Mineral Bottom, Grand County, Utah. Responders — including deputies, EMS teams and two helicopters — were dispatched and both victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Lewis, a noted slackliner and BASE jumper who performed on Madonna's 2012 Super Bowl halftime show, owned BASE Jump Moab and co-owned Moab Swingers. Authorities have released few details; investigations are ongoing.
Two Killed in Utah BASE Jumping Accident, Including Andy Lewis Who Performed With Madonna
2 killed in BASE jumping incident, including man who performed with Madonna
Two men died after a BASE jumping accident Sunday in a remote area of Mineral Bottom in Grand County, Utah, authorities said.
The Grand County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies, emergency medical services personnel and two helicopters responded to the scene. Both men were pronounced dead at the site: an approximately 50-year-old man whose name has not been released and Andrew "Andy" Lewis of Moab.
Victims and Response
The sheriff's office has not released additional details about the circumstances of the jump or the cause of the incident. Local investigators and emergency personnel were involved in on-site efforts, and authorities told reporters they continue to investigate. ABC News has contacted the sheriff's office for comment.
Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo - PHOTO: U.S. slackliner Andy Lewis of Calif. balances on a slackline in Bangkok, Thailand, July 23, 2014.
About Andy Lewis
Andy Lewis was a prominent figure in the global BASE jumping, slacklining and tricklining communities. He gained wider recognition after performing on a trickline during Madonna's halftime show at the 2012 Super Bowl. Lewis was the owner of BASE Jump Moab, which offered tandem jumps, and a co-owner of Moab Swingers, an operator that advertises one of the longest rope swings in the United States.
"When you have that many people live there's this energy that kind of gets put into you that you can't access any other way and it's amazing," Lewis told ABC News after the Super Bowl performance. "The music, the flashes, the lights, the moment. It's just a spectacular thing."
According to his biography on the BASE Jump Moab website, Lewis held slackline world champion titles from 2008 to 2011 and set a Guinness World Record in 2011 for slackline surfing at China's Diaoshuilou waterfall. Moab Swingers posted on social media that they were "heartbroken" by his death and asked for a few days to pause operations.
Risk and Ongoing Investigation
BASE jumping is an inherently high-risk sport that involves jumping from fixed structures or natural formations (Buildings, Antennas, Spans and Earth/cliffs) and deploying a parachute to reach the ground. Accidents can occur even among experienced jumpers. Authorities have not yet released the identity of the second victim or a cause for the accident; further details are expected as investigators complete their inquiry.
The incident underscores the dangers associated with extreme sports and the challenges emergency responders face when operating in remote locations.
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