Burning Man attendee plunges 40 feet from crow’s nest art exhibit and fractures her spine

A Burning Man festival visitor suffered serious injuries, including a broken spine, after falling 40 feet (12 meters) from a climbing frame.

Rachael Gingery, who attended the cultural festival in Black Rock City, Nevada, is said to have climbed the Naga & Captainess artwork, which resembles a sinking ship, early Saturday morning.

After securing the wooden planks, which were attached to a crow’s nest with steel cables, the woman lost her grip on a leaning pole and fell.

Gingery told MailOnline that ‘the fall was an accident that happened when my backpack shifted, causing me to lose my balance and fall towards the bottom of the pole which was at a 60-70 degree angle to the ground, meaning I couldn’t maintain my grip.

“I understood the risk and I don’t blame the artists,” she added.

The Naga & Captainess installation is one of the most popular of the festival this year. The sculpture shows a ship sinking in the desert and also features a snake and interactive treasure chests

An ambulance was called to the scene of the accident and bystanders watched as a medical team attended to Gingery, who witnesses said was still conscious.

Gingery also told MailOnline that she had broken four vertebrae and a rib and suffered bruising to her lungs and spleen.

“I’m in a lot of pain, but I’m thankful the injuries aren’t more serious,” she said.

Gingery also explained that “the same backpack that made me lose my balance and fall also saved me.”

‘Thanks to the hair clip I wore, I was also able to avoid serious head injuries.’

She expects to make a full recovery within six to eight weeks.

Despite the devastating accident, Gingery, who lives in San Francisco, told SFGATE, “We don’t blame the art or the artists in any way,” adding that “we understand the risks we take at Burning Man and are grateful to the artists for bringing their art. We will 100% be back next year!”

The installation is one of the most popular of this year’s festival. The sculpture shows a ship sinking in the desert and also includes a snake and interactive treasure chests.

Partygoers can reach the top of the artwork via wooden slats hanging from slanted steel cables. In the middle, they can slide down a sloping pole.

Gingery’s accident isn’t the only tragedy to hit Burning Man this year. On the first day of the festival, a 39-year-old woman died.

Jewelry designer Kendra Frazer was found unconscious on Sunday at a festival site in the Nevada desert. Emergency services were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Image shows the installation of the ‘I’m Fine’ sculpture by Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, at the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock Desert on August 22, 2024 in Black Rock City, Nevada. Burning Man is a week-long, large-scale desert event focused on art and self-expression, featuring a variety of installations, held annually in Nevada

The statue serves as a symbol of how Ukrainians remain steadfast in the face of ongoing war as Russia attacks Ukraine with a new wave of deadly strikes.

Investigators have yet to determine what caused Frazer, of Tukwila, Washington, to die. An autopsy and toxicology report are pending.

There is no evidence of foul play, the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office told the Reno Journal-Gazette.

Frazer, who went by the surname “Saurus” online, had an Etsy shop where he sold beautiful resin jewelry and psychedelic souvenirs.

In her Facebook biography she is also referred to as a ‘Black Rock Ranger’, a nod to the festival.

It seems she was a regular at Burning Man. In 2021, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014, she shared photos of herself enjoying the famous party.

Kendra Frazer, 39, died on the opening day of this year’s Burning Man festival

A satellite image shows Burning Man 2024. It is one of the most talked about festivals in the world

Burning Man, which takes place from August 25 to September 2, is known as a hotbed of sex, drug use and hedonism.

Last year, a 32-year-old California man died at the party from a suspected drug overdose.

And in 2017, 41-year-old Aaron John Mitchel committed suicide by running into a burning statue, whose annual burning marks the end of the festival.

About 57,000 people are expected at Burning Man this year.

The event has long been one of the most famous and talked about festivals in the world.