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Mother who died skydiving ‘was just trying something new'

Mother who died skydiving ‘was just trying something new'

Telegraph5 days ago

A mother of four who died while skydiving was 'just trying something new', her son said.
Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, Devon, and Adam Harrison, 30, from Bournemouth, Dorset, died in the area of Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon, at about 1pm on Friday.
Ms Taylor's son Elias Baaklini, 20, a business student from Acton, west London, said: 'She was a very caring woman, always supporting no matter what it was.
'She didn't care as long as you were happy, we all loved her a lot and she will be very missed.
'She was a very positive woman as well, she liked to do exciting things so it's just a tragedy that she went off to have fun, do something she'd never done before, experience something new.'
He told PA: 'We don't know too much about what's happened but I think when you go on these types of things it's not what you're expecting, especially now with the safety measures they have, it's such an unlucky thing to happen.
'We just want to know what happened, the cause of it.'
'We were just constantly in tears'
Restaurant owner Bachir Baaklini, 46, who has two children with Ms Taylor, including Elias, said his family wanted 'justice'.
He said: 'We need to find out what caused this so no one else dies the same way. It's a shock, Friday and Saturday we were just constantly in tears, you don't think it's a true story.'
Mr Baaklini, paying tribute to his ex-wife, said: 'She was a very funny human being. She was a very, very good mum. She was a nice lady. We are a close family.'
Scott Armstrong, Ms Taylor's partner, told the BBC: 'She was a lovely person, she was my best friend. She was an absolute nutcase who just loved adventures.
'If she had £10 in her purse and you needed £10, you got it. She would put her own needs out of the way.'
He said her death had left him 'lost', saying: 'She was my only friend, I don't even know where home is now.
'I'm speechless. We lost our world.'
Investigation under way
In a statement issued on Sunday, SkyDive Buzz in Dunkeswell said it was 'heartbroken' by the incident and was fully co-operating with the investigation.
It said: 'We are heartbroken to confirm that an incident occurred on Friday, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives. Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and everyone affected by this devastating event.
'As per standard procedure, the relevant authorities were contacted immediately, and the appropriate investigation protocols were initiated without delay. A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will now investigate the accident.
'Once complete, a report – including conclusions and any recommendations – will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC), and other relevant bodies.'

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