Shock moment daredevil's ‘death dive' cliff jump world record attempt ends in horror as 21-year-old rushed to hospital

The Irish Sun

15-07-2025

THIS is the shocking moment a daredevil's attempt to break a cliff diving world record turned into a terrifying brush with death.
Dramatic footage shows Vali Graham at the top of Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota, psyching himself up for the big jump.
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Dramatic footage shows Vali Graham at the top of Minnehaha Falls
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Just seconds later, Graham hits the waterhole in a tight "pike" formation
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Daredevil Vali Graham jumped 139ft off a cliff in an attempt to beat a world record
Credit: Instagram/philosophyofsend
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Vali was knocked unconscious on impact and had to walk near a mile to his car after coming round
Credit: Instagram/philosophyofsend
The 21-year-old was seen flexing and yelling before hurling himself off the edge of the 139-feet cliff — the height of a 13-storey building.
Just seconds later, Graham hits the waterhole in a tight "pike" formation, but instead of surfacing victorious, he is knocked out cold on impact.
Left unconscious with a shattered body, Graham sustained a burst eardrum, fractured vertebrae, a broken sternum and a fractured skull in the brutal fall.
The Newcastle local, who is a fan of døds — or 'death diving' — had been attempting to beat the current freestyle cliff dive record of 136 feet held by Swiss diver Lucien Charlon.
Miraculously, Graham later revealed on social media that after regaining consciousness, he managed to pull himself from the water.
He hiked almost a mile to reach his car, where friends rushed him to the hospital.
He posted: 'Update: 'God gives us the gift of suffering' after sending this monster 42.5m [139ft] cliff I was knocked unconscious.
'After regaining consciousness I pulled myself out of the water and walked a steep 1.2km [0.74miles] out to our car where my friends took me to hospital.
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The thrill-seeker had surgery on his back and sternum, but said he was walking again just two days after the operation.
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'Back at home now, on my feet and grateful for life, good friends, family and God," he continued.
'A set back is an opportunity to show how bad your (sic) really want it and I am honestly mentally feeling amazing, ready to rebuild my body better than ever and come back stronger, a long way to go but excited for the journey.'
While some fans applauded his spirit, others slammed the post for not thanking the medical staff who saved him.
One user commented: 'Why, in that big caption did you not thank the doctors a single time?
'Lots of thanking god but not the humans that actually operated on you.'
Another asked: 'What about the healthcare staff who actually treated your self-inflicted injuries … it definitely wasn't 'god'!'
A third said: ''Grateful for God' dude you jumped from the height of a 13 storey building and now my taxes have to pay for your dumb choices.'
The stunt has also reignited concerns about the extreme nature of døds diving, with some questioning how close the sport is to fatal limit.
'We are approaching the first 50m 'døds'/'death dive', slowly but surely,' one fan noted.
'Someone is probably losing their life in the pursuit of the world record.'
It comes as a spate of wild and reckless daredevil stunts have sparked global headlines for all the wrong reasons.
In Namibia, a crocodile attacked a man who yanked its tail, mauling his arm with its 5-inch teeth.
Security guard Simson Paulus, 41, ignored repeated warnings to leave the injured 10ft Nile crocodile alone — and was almost dragged into the water in front of horrified onlookers.
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Meanwhile in the UK, a man dressed as a wizard performed a wild somersault down a hill in the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling competition in Gloucestershire.
The wannabe record breaker, known only as 'Tye', launched himself downhill in pursuit of the 7lb Double Gloucester cheese — only to crash hard, landing flat on his back in front of a stunned crowd.
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Graham sustained a burst eardrum, fractured vertebrae, a broken sternum and a fractured skull
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It comes as a spate of wild and reckless daredevil stunts have sparked global headlines for all the wrong reasons