Posted on 08/10/2003 3:42:17 PM PDT by mhking
TWIN FALLS -- Josh Tucker routinely jumped off cliffs, having jumped from nearly every spot at Hidden Lakes in the Snake River Canyon -- except one.
Tucker wanted to go still higher, to a height people said was suicidal -- 131 feet.
"It was my first time that high before," Tucker said. "It was the last spot before I had jumped all the places, and it's the highest spot I know of."
The 20-year-old Hansen resident had just jumped off "Homicide," a jump spot at Hidden Lakes, when he said he wanted to go higher July 28, said Kyle Albertson, 22, of Twin Falls.
"(Tucker) said 'It all looks the same after 80 feet,'" Albertson said. "I said, 'You're crazy.'"
Tucker climbed the canyon wall as "tons of people egged him on," Albertson said. Tucker didn't stop climbing until he had almost reached the canyon rim -- 131 feet above the lake and only about 10 feet beneath the rim.
And then he jumped.
"I hit the water right, but my leg was tilted slightly," Tucker said this week from a hospital bed a Magic Valley Regional Medical Center, where he was still being treated for a compound fracture of his left leg. "It was the (impact of) the water. I didn't hit the bottom or any rocks."
Cliff jumping in the Hidden Lakes area is a popular -- but dangerous -- pastime. A 19-year-old man died there in 1999 while cliff-jumping, and 22-year-old Samuel J. Stone died in 2001 after diving off a 60-foot cliff, according to reports.
Troy Palmer, who manages the lifeguards at Dierkes Lake, said jumping isn't encouraged.
"We certainly don't encourage people to go back there to jump," he said. "We've thought about restricting certain areas, but I don't know if there is an easy way to do it."
The jump and rescue
Albertson, who has jumped at Hidden Lakes for 12 years, said the last person he saw jump from the height to which Tucker had climbed was eight years ago.
"He broke a lot of ribs and probably had some internal injuries," Albertson said. "That guy was drinking alcohol, too."
But Tucker was only high on adrenaline as he looked 130 feet to the lake below, Albertson said.
Still, "I knew something was going to happen, so I moved over to where he was going to land," Albertson said.
After Tucker hit the water, he surfaced and said something was wrong with his leg, Albertson said.
"Then, all these bubbles and blood came to the surface," he said. "I saw a bone sticking out the leg when I looked at it."
"It was like a shark movie, with bubbles and blood," said A.J. Stone, 17, of Twin Falls, who also helped rescue Tucker.
Albertson said he dove into the lake after Tucker hit the water. Albertson and others helped pull Tucker from the lake.
Tourniquets were placed on Tucker's leg to slow the bleeding as others ran to get help.
"I stood by him about an hour," Albertson said.
Lifeguards from Dierkes Lake, about a half-mile away, drove to the lake, said lifeguard Nick Mindock, 17, of Twin Falls.
"His friends had pulled him out, and we put a C-collar on him," he said. "We put him on a backboard and waited for EMTs."
When paramedics arrived, lifeguards and others swam Tucker across the lake on the backboard, Albertson said. The swim was needed to get Tucker to an access road.
"There were about six of us," he said.
Once on the other side, Tucker was carried to a Life Flight helicopter, Albertson said.
Aftermath
Tucker said Wednesday he wasn't sure when he will be released from the hospital. His last surgery was Tuesday afternoon.
"I won't be able to walk for two months, and it will be at least a year before I heal completely," he said.
Tucker said a number of strangers helped rescue him, including Stone and his friends who had Boy Scout first aid training.
"They did everything, and I'm glad they helped," he said.
Now that he has jumped from every spot at Hidden Lakes, does Tucker regret his fateful jump?
"I don't regret jumping, but I won't do it again -- not without a parachute," he said. "My advice is not to do it."
Tucker said his step-father measured the spot from where he jumped at 180 feet above the water. However, Twin Falls police measured the spot and say it's actually 131 feet, a police spokeswoman said.
The thrill -- and danger -- of cliff jumping
Hitting the water after falling for even 60 feet severely jolts the body, Albertson said.
"Sixty feet is the highest I jump, and it feels like your body crumbles when you hit the water," he said. "Usually, I'll have whiplash the next day."
Albertson said most people don't jump from higher than 60 feet.
"I know my limits," he said.
Brandon Farrer, 16, of Jerome, was cliff jumping Tuesday afternoon at Hidden Lakes -- despite having seen Tucker's bloody leg right after he jumped.
"We're going to be a little more cautious now," he said.
Ryan Tippetts, 17, of Jerome was also cliff jumping Tuesday.
"It's fun and relaxing," he said.
Palmer said nearly all serious injuries come from people jumping at Hidden Lakes, though there are smaller cliffs at Dierkes Lake from which people jump as well.
"In the last five years, that (Hidden Lakes) is where 98 percent of all major accidents happen," he said.
Palmer said he considers a major accident to be any time paramedics are called.
Tucker's jump was this year's second major accident, Palmer said, and each year there are about two or three major accidents.
If people decide to jump, they should keep several points in mind, Palmer said.
"Stick to the lower cliffs, and stay in your comfort zone," he said.
Peer pressure is a common problem, Palmer said.
"People often challenge one another to go higher," he said.
Alcohol should be avoided, as it is often involved in accidents, Palmer said.
If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
He would have reached terminal velocity after about 5.5 seconds (120 mph).
So he hit the water at 120 mph.
He's very lucky to be alive.
This is one of those subtle warning signs that the EMT courses tell you to look for - paleness, elevated blood pressure, shortness of breath, bone sticking through the leg...
You ask a great question and demonstrate why I hated math, algebra, and all things related to physics:)
Jack is exactly right.
Wrong...takes 12 sec to reach terminal velocity.
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