Adventure seekers all over the world flock to bridges, cranes, buildings, and other high ledges to harness up to elastic cables and jump off. When they reach the end of their elastic cable’s stretch, they rebound, often several times, and are eventually pulled back to safety. It’s an adrenaline rush of free fall and upward flying that’s hard to describe without experiencing it.
While the reported amount of injuries or deaths from bungee jumping may be relatively low compared to the number of people participating in this adventurous activity, there are still high injury risks involved. Due to the extreme nature of this sport, one should consider bungee jumping insurance or extreme sports travel insurance if they are planning to bungee jump during their travels.
Potential Risks Associated with Bungee Jumping
As with any adventurous sport, there are potential risks that are associated with bungee jumping. Typically, injuries that occur during bungee jumping or BASE jumping are caused by poor safety procedures or equipment malfunction such as harness breaking, cords disconnecting, or incorrect measurement of cord length.
Common injuries that can occur during bungee jumping include eye trauma, rope burns, dislocations of the shoulder or hip, pinched fingers, back injuries, among many others. It’s easy to see why bungee jumping is considered a hazardous sport.
Does Life Insurance Cover Extreme Sports?
Whether or not a life insurance policy will cover extreme sports depends upon the policy you have. Life insurance may cover deaths resulting from adventurous activities, but it is also important to consider any exclusions that your policy may have. For example, high risk activities may be excluded from life insurance coverage or may require purchasing additional coverage or a higher premium. It’s always best to check with your life insurance plan if they cover death caused by high risk activities and whether or not an add-on or rider is needed.
Is There Extreme Sports Travel Insurance?
If you’re planning on bungee jumping, BASE jumping, or participating in any other adventurous sport while traveling, you may want to consider a travel insurance plan that covers hazardous sports. While most travel medical insurance plans won’t cover extreme sports as part of the plan’s standard benefits, you may be able to add an additional adventure sports coverage rider to your policy. This add-on coverage will ensure that you are protected in the event that you are injured while participating in any riskier activities.
If you do opt to add additional adventurous sports coverage to your travel insurance plan, look for the following benefits:
- Coverage for your specific extreme sport/activity
- Emergency medical evacuation coverage
- Repatriation/return of mortal remains
- Accidental death & dismemberment
When purchasing your travel medical insurance plan, be sure to review the policy’s details of coverage in full to ensure that you have the coverage you need, including the details of an adventurous sports add-on or rider to make sure your activity is covered as this will vary from plan to plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is bungee jumping a high risk activity?
Bungee jumping is typically considered to be a high-risk activity as it falls under extreme sports or adventure activities by travel insurance providers. This is due to the potential for severe injury or accidents that can occur during bungee jumping.
How common are injuries from bungee jumping?
While injuries from bungee jumping are relatively rare, they typically relate to mishaps with safety procedures or equipment malfunction. However, just like with any adventurous activity, there is still risk involved. Serious injuries that can occur include whiplash, fractures, spine injuries, eye injuries, and more.
Does life insurance cover BASE jumping?
Life insurance may cover death related to BASE jumping, however, it is always recommended to check with your life insurance provider if high risk activities such as this are excluded from your plan. Typically, life insurance policies that cover high risk activities may have a higher premium. Additionally, if you are planning on BASE jumping abroad, you will always want to check whether or not your life insurance policy offers coverage internationally.
