Olympic 007 stuntman dies in accident

Mark Sutton, the stuntman who parachuted during the London 2012 opening ceremony as James Bond, has died in an accident

08:51 17 August 2013

42-year-old Mark Sutton, who appeared in the memorable London 2012 opening ceremony as James Bond, has died. It is believed that Mr. Sutton died after crashing into a mountain ridge after wing-diving from a helicopter in the Swiss Alps.

Based on reports, Mr. Sutton, who was a former army officer, jumped 10,800ft from a helicopter together with a close friend with the aim to descend close to the mountainside. Swiss police said that it appeared Mr. Sutton died after crashing into a ridge of rock.

Jean-Marie Bornet, from the Valais police service, said that this is the first time that something like this happened in the region.

"The weather was good but when a pilot takes part in this sport, the aim is to fly very close to the ground or mountain side," he said.

"If you do this at speeds of 200km/h (125mph), the margin for error is very small."

 

In a statement, Epic TV, that makes extreme sports videos for online, said: "Rescue services arrived quickly and determined that Mr Sutton had immediately died upon impact.

"Mark Sutton's death is a tragic loss for the global wingsuit community. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends at this time."