A BASE jumping attempt within a remote canyon in southeastern Utah over the weekend killed two people, including a distinguished extreme athlete best known for performing a stunt-filled routine during Madonna’s halftime show in the Super Bowl in 2012.
The local authorities responded on Sunday to reports of an incident at Mineral Bottom, a secluded desert area inside a canyon in Grand County, Utah, the county sheriff’s office said. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene: the athlete, 39-year-old Andrew Lewis of Moab, Utah, and Danny Joe Kregle, who was in his 50s, the sheriff’s office said.
Mr. Lewis, who rose to fame for achievements in extreme tightrope walking, often crossing thin lines suspended high above oceans, waterfalls and deserts, ran an adventure sports business. The company, BASE Jump Moab, offers excursions in Utah including BASE jumping, a high-risk sport that involves parachuting off buildings, bridges, cliffs and other surfaces (BASE stands for “buildings, antennas, spans and earth”).
When the authorities arrived at the scene on Sunday, Mr. Kregle was attached to Mr. Lewis in what appeared to be a tandem BASE jump, said Jamison Wiggins, the Grand County sheriff. Mr. Kregle died on impact, while Mr. Lewis survived for about three hours as emergency medical workers tried to save his life, Sheriff Wiggins said.
The sheriff’s office is still investigating the cause of death for both victims, Sheriff Wiggins said. The office did not say how Mr. Kregle and Mr. Lewis, known as Andy, might have known each other.
Deputies have responded in the past to other BASE jumping accidents near Mineral Bottom. It’s a popular area for the sport but lacks cellular reception and can take up to an hour to reach from Moab, Utah, the sheriff said.
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