What began as a playful joke turned into a near-death ordeal for Erin Langworthy, a 22-year-old Australian, during a bungee jump at Victoria Falls in 2012. On a trip to the iconic natural wonder on the Zambezi River, Erin decided to take a 360-foot leap from the bridge. She had even sent her mum a joking postcard: “I’m doing a bungee jump tomorrow, so I’ll say goodbye… only joking!”
Erin was the 105th jumper that day. At first, her fall seemed smooth, captured on camera with arms outstretched. But in a terrifying instant, the bungee cord snapped. She plunged into the powerful, crocodile-infested Zambezi, bound at the feet by the broken cord. Knocked unconscious for a moment, she resurfaced disoriented, struggling to determine which way was up. The cord tangled in rocks and debris as she was swept through the rapids, forcing her to dive repeatedly to free herself. Despite bruising and internal trauma, Erin swam to the Zimbabwean side, where staff pulled her to safety.
“I’d seen crocodiles that morning,” she recalled, “but I couldn’t even think about that. I was coughing up blood and struggling to breathe. My lungs were on fire.” She credits instinctively keeping her arms out during the fall with preventing a head-first impact.
Erin was hospitalized in Victoria Falls, placed on a ventilator, and treated for partially collapsed lungs and potential infections from the river water. Remarkably, she suffered no broken bones. Reflecting on the ordeal, she said, “The bungee team were incredibly apologetic. I think it’s a miracle I survived.”
The accident prompted Zambia’s tourism minister to reassure the public about the jump’s safety record, even offering to jump himself alongside Erin to demonstrate confidence. As for Erin, her mother insists she’ll never jump again—but Erin hasn’t entirely ruled it out.
