Video captures the terrifying instant when a pickleball player plummeted to their death after climbing over a safety railing to retrieve a ball at a sports venue.
CCTV footage obtained by Newsflare depicts the 32-year-old player jumping over a safety railing at a pickleball facility in Kuala Lumpur on December 2.
The video then shows him jumping onto mesh netting covering an open gap, but it ripped under his weight and he …
Other players dashed to the railing before making their way to the first floor. Upon reaching him, they discovered he had passed away, as reported by Newsflare.
“The individual who passed away was playing pickleball on the third floor and climbed over the court’s fence to retrieve a ball, then fell to a lower floor,” stated Wangsa Maju district police chief Mohamad Lazim Ismail in a statement obtained by Newsflare. “The case has been categorized as sudden death.”
Officials at the Playa Racquet Club, where the incident took place, extended their condolences to the victim’s family and relatives.
“We are profoundly grieved by the tragic incident that occurred at our TREC facility, resulting in the loss of a life,” the officials stated. “At this moment, we request understanding and empathy as we respect the privacy of the affected family and loved ones.” “We earnestly urge the public to refrain from speculating while the …” club officials added.
Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis and ping-pong. It was invented in 1965 by three fathers seeking a fun family pastime.
Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum gathered at a location where they had access to an abandoned badminton court. They started using ping-pong paddles to volley a perforated plastic ball over the net.
They ended up with some miscellaneous equipment, which led to the creation of pickleball.
Ashlyn Messier contributed to this report.