Skydiver killed in tragic mid-air collision had shared haunting ‘deathwish’ post years earlier

A haunting post from a skydiver who was killed in a tragic mid-air collision has resurfaced following her death.

Georgia Jean, 56, and Levi Pimentel, 29, both died on Friday after their parachutes became tangled during a jump near Lake Elsinore, Southern California, shortly before midday.

The women, who knew each other, both suffered major traumatic injuries and were rushed to hospital, but neither was able to be saved.

Following their tragic deaths, a 2015 blog post from Jean resurfaced, in which she charted her struggles with getting into skydiving, even worrying she could be a "deathwish time bomb".

Georgia Jean died during a skydiving accident. Credit: Facebook/Georgia Jean

She revealed one instructor had even told her she "just can't skydive", but the South Dakota resident had refused to give up and eventually conquered her fears.

Jean wrote, per The Sun: "Whether my instructor was right or not about limitations my body/mind had… I was able to overcome them, AND the incredible fear that I might be a 'deathwish time bomb' just waiting to go off."

Jean went on to compete in skydiving, winning bronze with team 'First Froth' at a mixed formation skydiving event in 2024, and even hosted camps for people to train to skydive, describing herself on Facebook as an "optimist" and "hoper of far-flung hopes and dreamer of improbable dreams."

Jean and Pimentel knew each other before the jump, with Skydive Elsinore stating that both came from out of town and made the jump together, per the New York Post.

The skydiving company said neither woman experienced mechanical failures, with both parachutes opening at the expected altitude, and there were no reported irregularities during their freefall.

It said in a statement: "The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground.

"Skydive Elsinore extends its deepest condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of both skydivers, and is grieving alongside all those affected."

Strong winds with gusts reaching up to 20 MPH were present at the time but it remains unclear whether the weather conditions contributed to the collision.

The two women were around 150ft above the ground when they collided, leaving them both with "major traumatic injuries".

The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and will collect the parachutes as part of its investigation, per the Associated Press.

Pimentel, from Illinois, was listed on LinkedIn as a lead instructor at iFLY Naperville, an indoor skydiving company.

Per the U.S. Parachute Association, in 2025 its members made 3.47 million skydives, of which there were 16 fatalities. According to the organization, 5.6% of members reported suffering an injury that required medical treatment, with the most common being ankle injuries during landings.

Featured image credit: Georgia Jean/Facebook