What was meant to be the thrill of a lifetime turned into a near-death experience when a young woman plummeted more than 360 feet straight into a crocodile-infested river after her bungee cord snapped mid-jump. The incident, which occurred at a popular tourist site in Zambia, left onlookers screaming and rescue crews scrambling to reach her before predators did. Against all odds, she survived — but not without permanent trauma and injuries that continue to haunt her to this day.
The terrifying fall was captured on video and has since gone viral across multiple platforms, with one Sky News clip amassing over 14 million views in less than a week. The footage shows the woman leaping confidently from the bridge, only for the cord to snap seconds into the descent. She hits the Zambezi River hard, narrowly avoiding jagged rocks and predatory reptiles known to patrol those waters.
The woman, identified as 22-year-old Erin Langworthy from Australia, was visiting Victoria Falls Bridge during a backpacking trip through Africa. The platform she jumped from is one of the tallest in the world. What was advertised as “safe, tested, and unforgettable” nearly became the last moment of her life. In a shocking BBC interview, Erin described how she blacked out momentarily, then came to in the water, her legs still bound by the remains of the snapped cord.
“I had to swim through rapids with my feet tied together. Every second, I thought I was going to die,” she said. “There were crocodiles. I saw them.” She was dragged downstream for nearly 100 yards before being pulled out by local rescuers using long poles. By then, her body was battered, and she had swallowed what paramedics feared was contaminated water, risking severe infection or parasite exposure.
Photos of the aftermath, shared in a now-viral Instagram post, show deep bruising, rope burns across her ankles, and lacerations caused by rocks and debris. Her face, swollen and ash-pale, barely resembles the carefree traveler seen in selfies taken moments before the jump. “She should not be alive,” one paramedic told local media in a YouTube news segment.
The company responsible for the jump issued a statement saying that “equipment failure was unprecedented and is under investigation.” However, past customers quickly came forward on TikTok and Reddit claiming they had raised safety concerns in the past. One viral post reads, “I felt that cord was frayed when they strapped me in. Thank God I chickened out.”
Erin spent weeks recovering in a local hospital before being flown back to Australia, where she underwent multiple surgeries. In a 9News interview, she revealed she now has recurring night terrors and PTSD from the experience. “I hear the snap in my sleep. I wake up choking, like I’m still under the river,” she said through tears. She added that she hasn’t set foot near a body of water since.
The incident has ignited a global conversation around adventure tourism safety. A petition demanding stricter international regulations for bungee operators has surpassed 500,000 signatures. A panel of international safety experts is now reportedly drafting new industry-wide standards to prevent similar incidents. Erin’s case is expected to be presented as a primary example of catastrophic negligence in upcoming reviews.
Meanwhile, Erin is turning her pain into awareness. She has started a YouTube channel and shared her story in a recent video titled “I Survived a 360ft Bungee Cord Snap into Crocodile Waters.” The emotional video — which has already gained over 3 million views — ends with a chilling message: “Think twice before trusting a thrill. I almost didn’t get a second chance.”
Her family continues to speak out, warning other young travelers to always research beyond glossy marketing images. Erin’s father, in a recent tweet, wrote: “They sell adrenaline. They never show the aftermath.” His words have been shared by thousands under the hashtag #ErinSurvived, which is now trending across multiple platforms as a symbol of both survival and outrage.
