Warning: This article contains discussion of mental health which some readers may find distressing.
A teenager has met a tragic end in a parasailing accident after reportedly experiencing a ‘panic attack’.
On Wednesday (May 28), emergency services announced that a vacationer in Montenegro had died from a significant fall after detaching from a safety harness during a parasailing activity.
Here is what we know about this unfortunate event.
Tijana Radonjic was a 19-year-old model and social media influencer from Novi Sad, Serbia. She gained a following for her content centered around travel.
Radonjic was in Budva, Montenegro, often referred to as the ‘Hawaii of Montenegro,’ to create a promotional video with a parasailing company aimed at increasing tourist engagement during the summer season.
According to the Daily Mail, she accepted the offer of a complimentary parasailing ride in return for the video.
It was reported that the teenager lacked prior experience with parasailing and was supposed to glide over the Budva Riviera, towed by a speedboat.
Observers reported that she appeared composed when being secured into the harness, and the company stated she had received sufficient safety instruction.
However, distressing footage seems to depict the model enduring a panic attack while airborne.
Tijana was observed frenetically removing her life jacket, tugging at cables, and unfastening her harness.
Eyewitnesses on a nearby beach reportedly heard her shout: “Put me down! Put me down!”
Local news source Republika also noted that she was heard calling: “Help me.”
Footage revealed that she had removed her harness and jacket and was attempting to free herself from the leg straps while she was over 150 feet in the air above the Adriatic Sea.
Shortly after calling for help, Tijana slipped out of the canvas seat and was seen tumbling downward.
She fell head-first into the sea, from a height of approximately 150 feet.
Paramedics recovered her unresponsive body and transported her to the marina, where emergency services pronounced her deceased due to the 50-meter fall.
Parasailing company owner, Mirko Krdzic, stated Tijana seemed ‘cheerful’ and ‘in good spirits’ before the activity began.
According to The Daily Mail, he remarked, “She showed no fear of heights or flying. Before we set off, she waved to her friends on the beach and they waved back. Everything seemed fine.”
He added, “We don’t know why she unbuckled her seat belt and harness and jumped out. I guess she didn’t do it consciously, but in a moment of uncontrollable fear.”
He expressed his sympathies, saying, “I am sorry for the death of the young girl. I hope to meet her parents to express my condolences in person. We are all in shock after the accident that happened.”
The company suggested that she might have feared a malfunction with the equipment, noting, “Maybe she wasn’t aware of the height she was flying at. I do not know exactly what happened. She did not show any fear of flying, she underwent training, after which the tragedy followed. Technical inspections of all the equipment are underway, and the results of the autopsy are awaited.”
Investigations into Tijana’s death are ongoing, with authorities indicating that suicide has not been ruled out.
However, Tijana’s grieving family is contesting the notion that she was responsible for her own death.
Her parents, Branka and Goran, shared a touching message before her funeral, stating, “We will never come to terms with this, nor accept that you are gone. You will remain in our hearts forever. Our bravest we love you endlessly and will be missed forever. Rest in peace and may the angels watch over you. Now you are one of them.”