Eric Jonathan Hill, a contestant in the upcoming season of "The Bachelorette" died after a paragliding accident, Wednesday.
The upcoming season on "The Bachelorette" has already been grabbing headlines because its star Andi Dorfman, a contestant from the recent season of "The Bachelor," dumped bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis and voluntarily exited the show.
"The bachelorette" show hasn't even aired and tragedy has already struck. Eric Jonathan Hill, a contestant who was supposed to try and win over Dorfman died Wednesday after a paragliding accident. His parachute collapsed and he crashed into a hillside, Sunday.
Us Weekly revealed that Hill was transported by helicopter to a Utah hospital and placed in a medically induced coma, after which, he succumbed to his injuries.
"Due to the slope of the hill, we had a difficult time getting the patient down, so we called in a technical rescue team and some technical medical specialists," Utah's Unified Fire Authority Battalion Chief Brian Anderton told the magazine.
Hill's sister Karen Tracy was first to announce the news. She took to her Facebook account to announce the death of her "little brother."
"Eric shared his final journey with us this morning as all his immediate family were able to be at his side when he passed away," she wrote. "Thank you to all of your love and support and prayers and fasting. We look forward to carrying on his legacy here and greeting him joyfully again someday. I love you so much, little brother!"
According to "Bachelor" blogger Reality Steve, Hill was awarded the first one-on-one date with Dorfman but had already been eliminated from the show at the time of the accident.
With the show yet to be aired and the cast yet to be announced, it remains uncertain how producers of the show will address Hill's passing. Wetpaints shared a few unknown facts about the contestant. According to the article, Hill had connections within "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" circles. He is said to have known both Jef Holm and Brooks Forrester.
Forrester spoke to E!Online about the tragic loss saying Hill lived more in his 32 years than most people did in 100.
"He was always on an adventure, always looking to build memories and meet new friends along the way," Forester said. "I'll miss having the opportunity to go on those adventures with him."
There was more to Hill than just a contestant on the matrimonial show. In 2013, he launched The Global Odyssey, also known as GO with Eric. His goal was to visit all 195 United Nations-recognized countries in record time.
The upcoming season of The Bachelorette is scheduled to air May 19, 2014.
