Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! - The Firearms Forum

mrkirker · 02-20-2009, 02:44 PM

He survived broken bungee cord, river plunge
After 300-foot drop, Mark Afforde fell 25 feet into creek — but waded out

TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 9:09 a.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 20, 2009
An extreme sport had an extreme result for Mark Afforde.

The 49-year-old Bellevue, Wash., man went thrill-seeking with his buddies on an afternoon of bungee-jumping Thursday, but he nearly ended his life in the process, Natalie Morales reported on TODAY Friday.

Afforde was making his second jump of the day off the Canyon Creek Bridge near Amboy, Wash., around 2:30 p.m. when the day turned dangerous. He made the heart-pumping 20-story drop, described by bungee.com as not “for those that are weak of heart,” when his bungee cord broke just after he reached the lowest point in the 300-foot plunge.

He fell some 25 feet into Canyon Creek. But even while his horrified friends and a staffer with the professional bungee-jumping crew that had set up the day’s excursion were still scrambling down the canyon to reach him, Afforde, amazingly, was already wading his way out of the whitewater creek.

“I heard and saw the snap,” Afforde told NBC. “I definitely felt the impact, and I was underwater. Once I checked and made certain I could still move and everything was still working, I felt I needed to get out of the water.”

Afforde was taken to the Southwest Washington Medical Center, but complained of little more than a sore backside. An EMT on the scene said it was Afforde’s lucky day — had his cord broken higher up in his descent, the fall likely would have done him in.

Bungee jumping, in which a rubber cord is attached to a jumper’s feet and he or she is sent falling headfirst before the cord rebounds and bounces the jumper back up again, has roots in an ancient culture. Natives of the South Pacific Island of Pentecost long practiced “land diving”: jumping from wooden platforms with vines attached to their ankles. When a BBC film crew made a documentary on the practice in 1955, the land-diving sport was adapted for modern times with the bungee.

Since the extreme sport took off in the early 1980s, millions have jumped from bridges, mountains, buildings and cranes set up at fairs and festivals. Fatalities have been rare. The most noted death was that of Laura Patterson, who was practicing for a bungee-jumping performance for the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Her cord was mishandled and she struck the stadium’s concrete headfirst, dying of a massive head trauma.

Despite his brush with the great beyond, Afforde maintains he will continue to bungee jump.

RonRdRcr · 02-20-2009, 04:00 PM

I love skydiving, but never understood the bungee jumping thing. There is absolutely no failsafe if something were to go wrong.

Ron

Popgunner · 02-20-2009, 04:26 PM

I remember back in the 80's when bungee jumping got popular. I had tons of people calling my sign company wanting to rent my cranes by the hour to jump from. I went & watched some poor souls jump from another company's crane & every jumper would go down & rebound back up always at an angle & bang their heads on the crane. I never let anyone jump off my cranes

. The local fun house had a fancy platform built to jump from & they were busy with it for about 6 months & the fad died. I guess a few die-hards are still doing it from bridges & whatever.

Pistolenschutze · 02-20-2009, 05:16 PM

I'm surprise the sport is not more popular in Australia. I mean, after all, they do have kangaroos there to learn from . . . boing, boing, boing.

We must ask Swanie about that.

berto64 · 02-20-2009, 11:41 PM

The Perrine Bridge is one of the few places it is still legal to Bungee from here in Idaho. I think they've only had one fatality in the last couple of years.

I don't keep up with the sport but you always hear about the fatalities.

glocknut · 02-20-2009, 11:48 PM

I have never understood why anyone would want to jump off of a perfectly good bridge...? It just doesn't make sense to me!

mike
gn

artabr · 02-20-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

I'm surprise the sport is not more popular in Australia. I mean, after all, they do have kangaroos there to learn from . . . boing, boing, boing.

We must ask Swanie about that.

It's funny that you said this. The only person that I myself knows that has made a jump, made that jump in Australia.

Art

durk · 02-21-2009, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glocknut

I have never understood why anyone would want to jump off of a perfectly good bridge...? It just doesn't make sense to me!

mike
gn

I hear that!!

Pistolenschutze · 02-21-2009, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glocknut

I have never understood why anyone would want to jump off of a perfectly good bridge...? It just doesn't make sense to me!

mike
gn

Sort of like jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Perhaps we should ask Al Mount why people do crazy things like that.

02-20-2009, 02:44 PM	#1
mrkirker Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,067	Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! He survived broken bungee cord, river plunge After 300-foot drop, Mark Afforde fell 25 feet into creek — but waded out TODAYShow.com contributor updated 9:09 a.m. ET, Fri., Feb. 20, 2009 An extreme sport had an extreme result for Mark Afforde. The 49-year-old Bellevue, Wash., man went thrill-seeking with his buddies on an afternoon of bungee-jumping Thursday, but he nearly ended his life in the process, Natalie Morales reported on TODAY Friday. Afforde was making his second jump of the day off the Canyon Creek Bridge near Amboy, Wash., around 2:30 p.m. when the day turned dangerous. He made the heart-pumping 20-story drop, described by bungee.com as not “for those that are weak of heart,” when his bungee cord broke just after he reached the lowest point in the 300-foot plunge. He fell some 25 feet into Canyon Creek. But even while his horrified friends and a staffer with the professional bungee-jumping crew that had set up the day’s excursion were still scrambling down the canyon to reach him, Afforde, amazingly, was already wading his way out of the whitewater creek. “I heard and saw the snap,” Afforde told NBC. “I definitely felt the impact, and I was underwater. Once I checked and made certain I could still move and everything was still working, I felt I needed to get out of the water.” Afforde was taken to the Southwest Washington Medical Center, but complained of little more than a sore backside. An EMT on the scene said it was Afforde’s lucky day — had his cord broken higher up in his descent, the fall likely would have done him in. Bungee jumping, in which a rubber cord is attached to a jumper’s feet and he or she is sent falling headfirst before the cord rebounds and bounces the jumper back up again, has roots in an ancient culture. Natives of the South Pacific Island of Pentecost long practiced “land diving”: jumping from wooden platforms with vines attached to their ankles. When a BBC film crew made a documentary on the practice in 1955, the land-diving sport was adapted for modern times with the bungee. Since the extreme sport took off in the early 1980s, millions have jumped from bridges, mountains, buildings and cranes set up at fairs and festivals. Fatalities have been rare. The most noted death was that of Laura Patterson, who was practicing for a bungee-jumping performance for the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Her cord was mishandled and she struck the stadium’s concrete headfirst, dying of a massive head trauma. Despite his brush with the great beyond, Afforde maintains he will continue to bungee jump. __________________ *I don't know if dogs have a heaven, but there will be dogs in mine.* -->

02-20-2009, 04:00 PM	#2
RonRdRcr V.I.P. Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Astoria, OR Posts: 199	Re: Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! I love skydiving, but never understood the bungee jumping thing. There is absolutely no failsafe if something were to go wrong. Ron __________________

02-20-2009, 04:26 PM	#3
Popgunner Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Contributor Posts: 1,764	Re: Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! I remember back in the 80's when bungee jumping got popular. I had tons of people calling my sign company wanting to rent my cranes by the hour to jump from. I went & watched some poor souls jump from another company's crane & every jumper would go down & rebound back up always at an angle & bang their heads on the crane. I never let anyone jump off my cranes. The local fun house had a fancy platform built to jump from & they were busy with it for about 6 months & the fad died. I guess a few die-hards are still doing it from bridges & whatever. Last edited by Popgunner; 02-20-2009 at 04:27 PM..

02-20-2009, 05:16 PM	#4
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! I'm surprise the sport is not more popular in Australia. I mean, after all, they do have kangaroos there to learn from . . . boing, boing, boing. We must ask Swanie about that. __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter)

02-20-2009, 11:41 PM	#5
berto64 VMBB Admin Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Owyhee County, Idaho Contributor Posts: 7,394	Re: Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! The Perrine Bridge is one of the few places it is still legal to Bungee from here in Idaho. I think they've only had one fatality in the last couple of years. I don't keep up with the sport but you always hear about the fatalities. __________________ Be who you are & say what you will, Those that matter won't mind and those that mind don't matter. I'm a bitter clinger, One Nation Under God.

02-20-2009, 11:48 PM	#6
glocknut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: THE FORUM MASCOTT... Posts: 12,482	Re: Ouch! Bungee cord breaks! I have never understood why anyone would want to jump off of a perfectly good bridge...? It just doesn't make sense to me! mike gn __________________ Where O where are you tonight? Why have you gone and left me alone? I searched to world over and a thought i found true love... You met another and PTThhh you were gone....