How a mysterious parasailing crash killed influencer Tijana Radonjic
Was it an accident?
A 19-year-old influencer from Serbia, Tijana Radonjic, died while participating in an extreme adventure. She went parasailing in an event that would turn out to be even more adrenaline-filled and emotionally charged than anyone expected.
What is parasailing?
Parasailing is a leisure activity in which a person is towed by a boat while attached to a special parachute called a parasail. The higher the speed, the higher the altitude. It allows the person to soar tens of meters above the water.
Image: Malik Cawe / Unsplash
Parasailing over the Adriatic Sea
The content creator wanted to try parasailing in the Budva area of Montenegro, where she flew over the Adriatic Sea at more than 50 meters (164 ft) high.
Photo: Ieva Swanson / Unsplash
Panic attack
According to the Serbian media outlet Republika, Tijana Radonjic suffered a panic attack mid-flight and ended up falling to her death into the sea.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic / Instagram
Witnesses agree on what happened
As witnesses and the aforementioned media report, the young woman "was outside of herself" while flying high above the sea. In a panic, she removed her harness mid-flight. She fell to her death.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic / Instagram
Fatal fall
Despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services, nothing could be done to save the young woman's life. She'd clashed with the water from the height of 50 meters.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic / Instagram
It was all filmed
In fact, a video of the moment before the fall is circulating on social media. It shows Tijana Radonjic up in the air, asking the crew if they can bring her down immediately.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic /Instagram
A free flight in return for some publicity
Local sites like Kuirr claim the influencer was on vacation in Budva when a representative from a parasailing company offered her a free flight over the beach.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic / Instagram
Without fear (initially)
The company's owner, Mirko Krdzic, told Kuirr that the young woman showed no fear about getting into the parachute, adding that she had asked her cousin to record the experience.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic / Instagram
What happened?
"We're all in shock. We don't know what happened," Mirko Krdzic told Kuirr. It appeared that the panic of the moment caused the young woman to stop thinking for an instant, and her reaction turned deadly.
Photo: Tijana Radonjic /Instagram
