Zipliner falls to death

Photo: The Canadian Press

A woman who fell 35 feet to her death from a zip line platform had disconnected herself from the safety system, the attraction's operator said Thursday.

Delaware State Police investigators are investigating how Tina Werner tumbled off the platform at the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure attraction in Lums Pond State Park on Wednesday.

Participants at Go Ape courses are equipped with climbing harnesses and two sets of ropes with carabiners that they unclip and clip to safety wires in sequence as they move through the trees.

Werner, 59, of Felton, had completed the required safety training, and was nearing the end of the course when she fell, said Jeff Davis, a spokesman for Go Ape. The attraction in Bear spans seven acres and includes four zip lines and a variety of swings, rope ladders, bridges and trapeze.

"Participant witnesses have stated that at the time of the accident the participant had unfortunately disconnected herself from the safety system," Davis said in an email.

An inspection found that all of the course and associated safety equipment was in sound operating condition, and that "nothing was broken or unserviceable," Davis wrote.

Late Thursday, state police said in a news release that an autopsy found that Werner died from "multiple blunt force trauma by way of an accident."

According to the website of Go Ape, which is based in Frederick, Maryland, and operates attractions in 15 states, patrons receive a 30-minute training session before being turned loose on the course, which can take them as high as 50 feet in the air.