As reported in the Review
MAN SURVIVES PLUNGE OVER FALLS: CLICK TO SEE VIDEO
Firefighters and helicopter pilot bring man to shore
Posted By Corey Larocque
After surviving the 188-foot plunge over the Horseshoe Falls, an unidentified man swam in the icy water of the Niagara River for about 30 minutes while rescuers raced against the clock to get him out.
“If it had gone on a couple minutes more, he would have sunk beneath the water,” said Niagara Parks Police Sgt. Chris Gallagher.
It’s believed to be the third time a person has survived going over the falls without some kind of protection, like a barrel.
Police, firefighters, paramedics and a private helicopter pilot worked for about 45 minutes to save the man who went into the water above the falls but stayed afloat in the lower river. He clung to a log at times, and was swimming in the near-freezing water while rescuers prepared on shore.
Click here to watch video of the rescue and continue reading
As reported in the Canadian Press
Reports: Person survives plunge over Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario — A man has survived a plunge over Niagara Falls, clinging to a log long enough for a private helicopter to create a current that pushed him to safety, according to reports.
Investigators tell a Buffalo television station, WGRZ, that the victim was semiconscious when he was rescued and was taken to a hospital in Niagara Falls, Canada. His condition was not immediately known.
While investigators were not yet calling the leap a suicide attempt, they say the man did enter the water on his own. Authorities got a call from a witness telling them a man had jumped into the Horseshoe Falls, as the Canadian Falls are known. A short time later, he was seen near the base of the falls, clinging to a log. (more…)
As reported in the Review
Bystanders shocked by man’s plunge over falls
Hundreds witness amazing fall, dramatic rescue
Posted By Corey Larocque
When you plan a trip to Niagara Falls, a man going over the falls isn’t the kind of sight you can ever plan for.
But hundreds of people near the falls Wednesday afternoon saw a man somehow survive after going over the Horseshoe Falls and then watched a well-coordinated rescue effort pull him to shore.
Aaron Malone and Jamie Cofer, tourists from Knoxville, Tenn., were leaving a gift shop at Table Rock House about 2:10 p.m., when they heard people near the brink of the Horseshoe Falls (more…)
As reported in the Review
Teamwork results in falls rescue, firefighter says
Firefighter takes plunge to pull man to shore
Posted By Corey Larocque
Firefighters have to be ready for anything, but a polar-bear dip into the icy water at the base of Niagara Falls is a unique challenge this city’s fire department trains for.
“That’s my first ice-water rescue – outside of training,” said Todd Brunning, the 34-year-old firefighter who jumped into the Niagara River and swam out to save a man who went over the Horseshoe Falls and lived.
Brunning credits the water-rescue training the Niagara Falls fire department does and the teamwork with other emergency agencies for a successful but unusual rescue Wednesday afternoon. (more…)
