Markel
10-21-2003, 04:29 PM
link (http://news.myway.com/odd/article/id/361878|oddlyenough|10-21-2003::16:46|reuters.html)
Man Survives Niagara Falls Drop, Faces Hefty Fine
Oct 21, 4:35 PM (ET)
By Jonathan Ratner
TORONTO (Reuters) - A "smiling" man survived a 150-foot plunge over the fast-flowing Niagara Falls, only to face charges of mischief and unlawfully performing a stunt, Niagara Parks police said on Tuesday.
Kirk Jones, 40, from Canton, Michigan, is believed to be the first person to survive a drop over the falls without any life jacket or flotation device.
He was remanded in custody and could face a maximum fine of $7,500.
"The man went over on the Canadian side, right at the brink of Horseshoe Falls," said police Inspector Paul Forcier. "(He) survived the fall and ... was taken to the Greater Niagara General Hospital for medical care and psychiatric assessment."
Eyewitnesses told local media that the man appeared to climb over a wrought iron barrier on Monday afternoon to reach the falls.
"He walked over to where we were standing and he jumped and slid down on his backside and went over the brink," the Globe and Mail newspaper quoted eyewitness Lynda Satelmajer as saying. "It was really freaky, actually. He was smiling."
The paper said the man disappeared under the water for about four minutes, before reemerging 100 meters downstream. He declined an offer of help from a Maid of the Mist tour boat and swam to shore.
Witnesses were amazed to see the man had not died.
"We figured that's what it would be, it would be a body, because we figured it was no way anybody could survive," vacationer Terry McMullen told CNN television.
The Horseshoe Falls straddle the Canadian-United States border between Ontario and New York State. They are slightly lower than the American Falls, which are on the U.S. side of the border. But the volume of water is higher.
Dare devils have braved the drop in barrels and boats, a now-illegal practice. But only one person had so far survived the fall without the protection of a boat or a barrel -- a 6-year-old boy who went over in 1960. Unlike Jones, he was wearing a lifejacket.
Large rocks line the base of the falls, and Jones also avoided dangers like strong currents and a vicious undertow.
A local tourist Web site estimates that more than 600,000 gallons of water flows over the American and Canadian falls each second.
The city of Niagara Falls describes itself as the honeymoon capital of the world, and the falls attract more than 10 million tourists a year.
I saw some other stories on the web that showed pictures of him standing on the rocks at the bottom.
Man Survives Niagara Falls Drop, Faces Hefty Fine
Oct 21, 4:35 PM (ET)
By Jonathan Ratner
TORONTO (Reuters) - A "smiling" man survived a 150-foot plunge over the fast-flowing Niagara Falls, only to face charges of mischief and unlawfully performing a stunt, Niagara Parks police said on Tuesday.
Kirk Jones, 40, from Canton, Michigan, is believed to be the first person to survive a drop over the falls without any life jacket or flotation device.
He was remanded in custody and could face a maximum fine of $7,500.
"The man went over on the Canadian side, right at the brink of Horseshoe Falls," said police Inspector Paul Forcier. "(He) survived the fall and ... was taken to the Greater Niagara General Hospital for medical care and psychiatric assessment."
Eyewitnesses told local media that the man appeared to climb over a wrought iron barrier on Monday afternoon to reach the falls.
"He walked over to where we were standing and he jumped and slid down on his backside and went over the brink," the Globe and Mail newspaper quoted eyewitness Lynda Satelmajer as saying. "It was really freaky, actually. He was smiling."
The paper said the man disappeared under the water for about four minutes, before reemerging 100 meters downstream. He declined an offer of help from a Maid of the Mist tour boat and swam to shore.
Witnesses were amazed to see the man had not died.
"We figured that's what it would be, it would be a body, because we figured it was no way anybody could survive," vacationer Terry McMullen told CNN television.
The Horseshoe Falls straddle the Canadian-United States border between Ontario and New York State. They are slightly lower than the American Falls, which are on the U.S. side of the border. But the volume of water is higher.
Dare devils have braved the drop in barrels and boats, a now-illegal practice. But only one person had so far survived the fall without the protection of a boat or a barrel -- a 6-year-old boy who went over in 1960. Unlike Jones, he was wearing a lifejacket.
Large rocks line the base of the falls, and Jones also avoided dangers like strong currents and a vicious undertow.
A local tourist Web site estimates that more than 600,000 gallons of water flows over the American and Canadian falls each second.
The city of Niagara Falls describes itself as the honeymoon capital of the world, and the falls attract more than 10 million tourists a year.
I saw some other stories on the web that showed pictures of him standing on the rocks at the bottom.