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A man in his 40s plunged at least 180 feet over
Niagara Falls in an apparent suicide attempt, but survived and was
lifted to safety during a harrowing rescue.
The unidentified man was only the third person known to have gone over
the falls without a safety device and lived.
Niagara Parks Police say witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a
railing at 10:20am on Monday and "deliberately jump" above Horseshoe
Falls and into the Niagara River.
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Parks police Sgt Chris Gallagher, the first rescuer to reach the man,
told the Toronto Sun: 'We have confirmed reports from witnesses that he
entered [the water] above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and was swept
over the falls.’
He surfaced in the river basin near an observation platform.
'He waded ashore,' said Platoon Chief Dan Orescanin of the Niagara
Falls, Ontario, Fire Department.
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'He must have gotten swept into an eddy, floated over there and was able
to get out on his own.
'That's another stroke of luck,' Orescanin said. 'If he was in the main
current, he would have been swept down river.'
Orescanin said the man was conscious and talking at first but got quiet.
He appeared to have chest injuries, including broken ribs and a
collapsed lung, Orescanin said.
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Breathtaking images showed the victim and his rescuer dangling high
above the falls by an aerial fire truck.
A waiting helicopter flew him to a hospital, where a spokeswoman said he
has critical but non-life-threatening injuries, which was echoed by
rescue personnel.
Orescanin told the Sun: 'He had some abrasions to the head and rest of
his body. He was in good condition, considering.'
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Niagara Parks Police say it appears the jump was a suicide attempt.
It was the first time since March 11, 2009 that someone survived a jump
into the falls.
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On that day, the 30-year-old Canadian man, who was never identified,
survived after he plummeted into the water, but suffered from a
contusion on his head and severe hypothermia.
Kirk Jones of Michigan became the first person to survive the leap on
October 20, 2003, suffering only bruises, scrapes and battered ribs.
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