7. Fatal Stunt For A Good Cause
On October 2, 1995, Robert Overacker executed a stunt to raise awareness for the homeless. He planned to go on jet ski over the Canadian side of the fall, deploy the parachute & land safely. The California stunt school graduate, fell to his death at age 39 when his rocket-propelled Parachute failed to open. After going over the edge of the falls, Overacker let go of his jet ski. Strapped to his back was a specially designed parachute with thrusters. These thrusters were supposed to deploy before the chute in order to ensure that he was far enough away from the falling jet ski but there was a malfunction. The parachute did not open, causing Overacker to fall to his death. Overacker’s body was pulled from 180-feet below the water of Niagara Falls an hour after this picture was taken.
