Winnipeg woman dies in Gimli skydiving accident

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This article was published 06/06/2022 (1317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 53-year-old Winnipeg woman is dead, after a weekend skydiving accident at Gimli.

RCMP were called to the Gimli Industrial Park just before 7:30 p.m. Saturday, where they found the woman unresponsive on the ground, receiving medical attention from bystanders, police said Monday.

An officer joined the efforts and local paramedics arrived soon after. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

RCMP said the woman, who was a “very experienced” skydiver, was wearing all the appropriate safety gear. Her parachute appeared to open at the right altitude during the jump, but she began to spin and then hit the ground, police said.

There were no issues with the aircraft, and three other people were in the plane at the time of the jump, RCMP added.

Garth Brown, president of Skydive Manitoba, which operates out of Gimli, confirmed the woman had been jumping with the centre. Brown described her as a close friend but would not confirm the woman’s name.

Later Monday, members of Winnipeg’s film community identified the woman as Jean du Toit.

Production staff for the television series Little Bird, where du Toit had recently worked as a member of the accounting department, were stunned by the news of their industry colleague’s death.

Skydiving was well-known as one of du Toit’s passions, one staff member said.

Du Toit, who was originally from South Africa, was a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and spent many years working on Winnipeg-based films.

“On Saturday, we had a tragic event at the Gimli Airport. We will be assisting the authorities in their investigation into this matter, and as such, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on any of the facts or opinions regarding this incident,” Manitoba Sport Parachute Association president Philippe Pare said in an email to the Free Press.

“We would ask that you respect the privacy of the family and the persons involved while we process this incident.”

Gimli is roughly 80 kilometres north of Winnipeg.