Dr. Richard Henriksen, a surgeon and veteran Norwegian BASE jumper, was attempting to somersault into a jump from a metal high bar set up on the edge of a cliff in Møre og Romsdal county when the bar gave way, sending him plummeting over the 4,000-foot drop. The stunt was captured on camera by the Norwegian television network NRK, who happened to be at the site filming a story on BASE jumpers.
The footage subsequently went viral, with millions of views on YouTube. Henriksen opened his parachute in time to survive the fall. Eyewitnesses doubted he would make it.
Confusion exists about the origin of video clips from the incident, with some sources attributing them to Sportsvideoer and others to NRK. In unrelated incidents, a bus drove off the E136 in Møre og Romsdal, and a school bus in Sør-Fron ran off the road on Tuesday. Questions remain about the bus accidents, including what caused the bus to drive off the road in Møre og Romsdal and whether there were any injuries or fatalities in that incident.
Further unknowns surround the BASE jump incident, such as how exactly the metal high bar gave way during Henriksen's stunt and what the exact number of views or viral metrics are for the footage on YouTube. The incident highlights the risks of extreme sports, particularly BASE jumping, which involves jumping from fixed objects like cliffs, buildings, and bridges. Henriksen's survival despite the equipment failure has drawn attention to safety protocols in such stunts.
The viral nature of the footage has sparked discussions online about the ethics of broadcasting near-death experiences. Meanwhile, the separate bus accidents in Norway raise concerns about road safety in the region, with authorities likely investigating both incidents. The BASE jump occurred in a popular area for extreme sports enthusiasts, adding context to why NRK was filming there initially.
Henriksen's background as a surgeon adds an unusual dimension to the story, given the medical expertise involved in understanding such high-risk activities. The eyewitness accounts of doubt about his survival underscore the perceived severity of the fall. As video clips circulate from multiple sources, verifying the original footage remains challenging for viewers and media outlets alike.