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How does one deal with a fatality on a load? Do the living jumpers go to jail?

I hope I never find out.

I would think that would depend on the agreement that the jumpers on the load have. But I would not leave the scene before making sure there is nothing I could do to help a mate in need.

Il never leave. Jail or no jail

This

You remind me of a eunuch in Munich.

There are jumps out there that I would not hang around if there was a definite fatality.

Think about this:
You might be overseas with a bunch of mates jumping in a third world country that has a backwards political system. You have a nice government run object to jump, like a dam wall in Africa or a broadcasting tower. They see any attempt of entry as terrorism in places like this. If you jump and all goes well its no big deal, but a total mal and a guy on the load going in could very easily change the situation.
In places like this the authority does not think rationally, they make a spot judgement call and you could get lost in the system. If they arrest you, you might wait in jail for 2 years or longer for a hearing, and the sentence might be something ridiculous too.

In this case if we had a pact that we leave a fallen friend behind, I would stick to that pact, and I expect any of my mates to stick to it if I am the dead jumper.

Nothing you can do will bring a mate back, so why have both a jail sentence and a dead mate?

But if these were the circumstances then you would probably find me doing a solo or not jumping

You sir, are a bigger bad ass than I. I don't think I'd jump if I might be mistaken for a terrorist. The T word just aint worth it.

Like I said, its just a possible scenario, and I would most likely not jump in those conditions.

But they don't call me "Dan the biggest baddest bad ass in the world man" for nothing

Ignorant concerned citizens can call the police over all kinds of stuff. some jumpers think that neighbors have mistaken them for out of season deer hunters.

mistaking stealthy people ignoring security fences while wearing bulky backpacks? yeah, I can see people calling the police all stressed out about "terrorists."

all too often, if a call sends a unit out, then a report will be written.

plus, in less developed parts of the world, cops will threaten people with the most heinous crimes in an attempt to solicit the largest bribe!

as far as fatalities, location matters. TF or El Cap? the authorities respond vastly differently.

were do you jump usaly?
arround in europe a jump off a Antenna or Building will take you arround the terrolaw,you might just get fined the first time but try figure out..
getting caught serval times in DK will give you jailtime from the terro law..

I pretty much stay conservative as to where I jump, but thats not the point as far as I'm concerned. BASE to me is about the people...the experience shared, and the bonds made. Might sound cheesy, but what I find in BASE is what I lost when I medically discharged from the military. I know a few jumpers (I'm sure there are a lot, but I don't know that many jumpers) that seek the thrill of hard ground work paying off on hot, high risk objects. To me, that is awesome. And I love that too. But to me its more about the shared experience, not the jump alone. With that said, I would stick around, because I wouldn't jump where I could end up in a torture camp unless I had been given orders to engage targets as they appear. A lot of people on this site are super experienced, super accomplished, ninja BASE jumpers (and most probably just try to come off that way). I am fine with being a conservative pussy. But since this thread was created, I thought I'd give my $.02. I'd go to jail and take the fine if a jumper on my load went in, because walking away doesn't ease the nightmares, but making sure a comrade is extracted properly and his family is notified correctly doesn't make them worse. Even though my family knows the risks, I would rather someone I called a friend was there to comfort them, and tell them the story from beginning to end.

Because I have only jumped in the western US I really don't have to worry about SUPER corrupt government. Hell, according to Space, sometimes you can drink beer in cuffs.