Electrocuted in a Hot Air Balloon

On the morning of May 22, 2016, 22-year-old Rebecca Hay was floating over the English countryside in a private hot air balloon, waving at people at a car boot sale below. Seconds later, she was on fire. The balloon had drifted directly into a set of 33,000-volt power lines. "One minute I was waving like a celebrity," she recalls. "Next I was on fire."

The Collision

Rebecca was the sole passenger in a small basket piloted by a 64-year-old man. Her boyfriend Brett, who crewed for ballooning friends, had arranged the ride. The morning was calm and beautiful. "It felt calm, it felt safe," Rebecca says. "I wasn't anticipating anything happening."

Hot air balloons cannot be steered conventionally. Pilots adjust altitude to catch different wind currents, which determines direction and speed. That morning, the wind carried them toward a farm shop near Earl's Barton, Northamptonshire. Rebecca leaned over to wave at the crowd below. When she straightened up, she saw thick black power lines directly ahead. There was no time to react.

"I remember thinking about jumping out, but I didn't think concrete was the best material to land on," she says. She grabbed two ropes, bent her knees, and braced. The balloon slammed into the cables.

The Electrocution