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Harry Rossetani / AP
Niagara Falls emergency officials rescue a man who plunged over the falls in an apparent suicide attempt on May 21, 2012.
Reuters reports — A man survived a 174-foot plunge over Niagara's Horseshoe Falls on Monday but sustained life-threatening injuries, Canadian police said.
The man, whose name has not been released, became only the third person known to have lived through a fall over the massive cataract without safety devices.
Canada's Niagara Parks Police said witnesses reported seeing the man climb over a retaining wall about 20 feet above the brink of the falls at mid-morning and deliberately jump into the swift waters.
He surfaced a few seconds later in the lower Niagara River Basin below, near an observation platform, police said.
He "was located by a Niagara Parks Police officer along the rocky shoreline as he collapsed in waters that were up to the subject's waist," police said in a statement. Read the full story.
Harry Rossetani / AP
In a rescue that lasted about 30 minutes, staff from several agencies extricated the man, thought to be about 40 years old.
He was flown by an air ambulance to a hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, for treatment
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Unless you have been in the depths of depression, you probably know nothing about what brought this person to the point where he thought he had nothing to live for. Compassion for your fellow man, no matter the circumstances, would go a long way in solving some of today's problems. But that's just me.
well said scott. the cruelty of many of these posts, sadden me greatly.
Uhh JackieK, independent, the smart Kevin is talking about Taxes not health care and Canadians pay taxes too...another smart one! geeez!
Just saddens me that another person had to risk their life to also save this man but more than anything it is sad that there is so little compassion left in our society...
I've been to Niagara falls twice but didn't jump either time. I preferred to stay dry.
Dear JackieK, independent: 1) Just because Canada has socialized medicine doesn't mean that it's not taxpayer funded. It is. Where do you think that money comes from?
2) It wasn't a bunch of doctors from the local hospital that came and pulled this guy out of the soup. That part of it had nothing to do with healthcare at all.
3) Even with socialized medicine, you can bet your ass that if there was some kind of disaster caused by a business that required people to be treated in a healthcare facility that Canada would be looking to that business to recoup their costs. This situation isn't much different.
Maybe what you need is some "how the world really works" comprehension.
First off, only an @!$%# would bitch about taxes being used to save a human life.
Second off, are you seriously comparing a suicide attempt to a disaster, and a business to a human being?
No, I am replying to the above comments complaining about taxes, you dumbass. If you read my post, you would see that I quoted another one.
The fact that this is a suicide attempt has nothing to do with it. Most municipalities look to the people causing a problem (yes, that includes suicide attempts) to pay them back for what they spent to rescue.
Regardless, my point was that the people who are saying that there are no taxpayers to reimburse are completely clueless. I was trying to paint a connection between when one person does something stupid and when a business does something stupid. This guy obviously had more issues than depression. Otherwise he would have just quietly offed himself instead of trying to make a spectacle of it.
Niagara Falls doesn't kill people.. people do
At the time of rescue, the taxpayers didn't know if he jumped or was pushed so they gotta pay.
I think I saw Jim and Pam on the Maid of the Mist exchanging vows.... :)
Sign that dude up to be the next Tarzan ! WoW !
teach him to do the yodel, and have him jump
off falls and hog wrestle hippos and crocs!
Appearing on the talk show circuit in 3, 2, 1...
Does video exist?
And ths scores are just now coming in: Russia 8.5, France 8, Great Britian 8.5, USA 7.5, Canada 5.5
Now this is funny. LMAO
I think he was just really hot and wanted to take a dip in the falls to cool off and has really bad depth perception!
This guy definitely came from the shallow end of the gene pool. He would have been better off climbing into a chipper machine. At least he would have gotten the outcome he was looking for. Despite all the well-wishers comments, he probably won't survive with any quality of life. Bummer.
Bush pushed him.........
Why does everybody assume he was suicidal? Our society promotes extreme stunts maybe that's all this was.
If it was a stunt, he blew it. And now the taxpayers have to clean up his mess and eat all the medical expenses to try and save his sorry ass. That's the tragedy here.
Yeah, a human life is saved and you call it a tragedy. They should pull him out and shove YOU in.
bill, the tragedy is your heartless comment. i am honestly shocked how many people turned this into a joke, a political issue or a tax expense issue. what is wrong with you people? seriously, have none of you ever faced bad times? how can you judge so easily?? sad, just very sad. :(
2 cantwaitfortheend.......
I can see that you have never been to the falls.
Feeling suicidal?, just go skydiving, and see if you can withstand pulling the ripcord.
Just keep looking up, and you don't even have to worry about watching the deck get closer ! !
Good one, 7.62 ! !!
Watching y'all go back & forth over who has the most 'compassion' for this clown is like watching an episode of the "Bickersons" ! ! He wants to die, LET HIM ! !
I saw too many good men go home in caskets to worry about some clown who wants to be a human bobber.
Wonder if he lost his tewk??
Guys like you make me wish the Viet Cong had better aim.
I think this resolves the issue. Nick Wallenda can survive the fall and doesn't need to be tethered when he does his tightrope walk across the falls next month.
AMEN, GUNNY.
the headline should read: idiot survives jump over niagra falls and endangers the lives of rescuers who save him
It was probably a French Canadian, trying to sneak across the boarder. Now I suppose we'll have to listen to press 2 for French, as well.
maybe he's a dare-devil, in which case he could profit
Yous. Generally good news, methinks, except that he's probably a liberal. A.
If he lives and after he gets out of the psyc ward he'll become a multi-millionaire...no worries after that!
Talk about HEARTLESS COMMENTS! A man has to be in an extremely dark place to want to end his life. Jumping off Niagara falls guarantees that death was truly his incentive. Yet by nothing short of a miracle he survives! Instead of jumping to conclusions of talk show tours and tax dollars, why not show a little compassion and be inspired by a true miracle? The man had no intention to survive. It's awful to hear so many comments that incinuate so much regret that he did!
thank you Jeff, glad to see there are some caring people here.