Man Survives 180 Foot Plunge Down Niagara Falls
OutdoorHub Reporters 05.23.12
In an apparent suicide attempt, a man survived a tumble down the Horseshoe Falls (part of Niagara Falls proper) into the Niagara River basin below the iconic landmark. He is only the third man known to have survived the roughly 180 foot drop without a safety device.
Witnesses told Niagara Parks Police that the man climbed over a railing 30 feet above the Horseshoe Falls and jumped into the Niagara River at roughly 10:20AM local time. Soon after his jump, he was swept over the falls. Despite sustaining major injuries during the plunge, he made it to shore on his own after surfacing. He emerged near the Journey Behind the Falls observation deck.
He was rescued by medical personnel around noon and flown to Hamilton General Hospital. Rescuers had to rappel down a steep and rocky gorge to pull him in a basket back up the cliff where it could be airlifted out. A spokeswoman for the hospital said he has critical, but not life-threatening injuries.
Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara Falls Fire Department said the man waded ashore himself. When rescuers came upon him, he was conscious and talking at first, but then got quiet. Orescanin said he looked to have chest injuries which included broken ribs and a collapsed lung.
The man’s name has not been released, but he is believed to be in his 30s or 40s. The jump is not believed to have been a stunt. “Based on witness statements and surveillance video, it doesn’t appear in any way, shape, or form that this was anything other than a suicide attempt,” Niagara Parks Police Sergeant Chris Gallagher said in an interview with The Guardian.
Daredevils and stuntmen have both successfully and disastrously attempted jumps and tumbles over the falls in one way or another since 1901. There have only been two other people known to have survived an involuntary fall without any kind of protective equipment: in 2003, Kirk Jones survived a plunge and a Canadian man survived unaided in 2009.
Watch the video report from The Guardian below for more info.
