A teenage girl tragically died in a devastating bungee jump accident after an instructor's "poor English" led to a fatal misunderstanding.

Vera Mol, 17, from the Netherlands, lost her life in August 2015 after jumping from a bridge in northern Spain before her safety harness had been attached, following a catastrophic miscommunication.

The Dutch youngster was among a party of 13 Dutch and Belgian teenagers, all aged under 18, taking part in bungee jumping activities near Cabezón de la Sal, Cantabria.

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Vera Mol was second from last to take the plunge and it was her maiden attempt at the extreme sport. She stepped off the bridge and fell fatally around 32 metres onto the riverbed beneath.

Before her leap, the instructor had called out "no jump" - words that the court heard she may have tragically mistaken for "now jump".

Her death could have been prevented had the instructor employed the proper instruction "don't jump", rather than the ambiguous wording.

The court determined that confusing language was central to the fatal incident and described the instructor's English as "macarronico", meaning "very bad".

It was found that the instructor's command of English was insufficiently competent for him to be supervising foreigners in "something as delicate as jumping into the void from an elevated point".

The instructor stood trial charged with causing Vera's death. Meanwhile, the director of the bungee jumping firm also faced charges of negligent homicide, according to contemporary reports.

Flowtrack, the firm operating the bungee jumping operation where the worker was employed, described the incident as an accident. Nevertheless, Martijn Klom from the organisation acknowledged her death resulted from a miscommunication.

He verified that she was given confusing directions and that whilst she was connected to the rope during her jump - she had not been properly fastened to the bridge.

Beyond the fatal language error, the court was presented with a litany of alarming safety breaches that determined Vera's tragic end.

The instructor had failed to secure the 17-year-old to any safety line whilst climbing to the bridge, meaning she stood unprotected just moments before her fatal plunge.

Judges also learnt the adventure firm had not established a secure waiting zone for the group, compelling the youngsters to remain at what was characterised as "the edge of the abyss" whilst awaiting their turn.

Staff members faced further criticism for neglecting to verify Vera's identification to establish she had reached 18.

At just 17, she fell below the legal age requirement to participate, and the business had not obtained parental consent before permitting her access to the bridge.

Vera's heartbroken relatives have subsequently demanded stricter safety regulations to stop another young person perishing in such an unnecessary and preventable tragedy.

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