April 27--A man who planned to fall at least 15 feet from a bridge into a waterway was injured Saturday when he instead struck a passing boat on the way down, a fire official said.
The man, possibly in his 50s, and his friends reportedly were jumping off a railroad bridge along the Dania Cut Off Canal, according to Mike Jachles, spokesman for Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue.
When the man took the leap, he didn't see the boat passing underneath, Jachles said. He hit the boat, then fell in the water, he said. He suffered back and leg injuries, but remained conscious, Jachles said.
Moved by a swift current, he floated to the canal bank on the north side. Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue's Technical Rescue Team used a basket-type stretcher to safely raise him about 10 feet from the water onto land.
He was taken to Broward Health Medical Center. The man's name hasn't been released, so his latest condition was unavailable.
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