Firefighters respond to series of jumping accidents at Knights Ferry bridge

A woman who was seriously hurt when she jumped off the covered bridge in Knights Ferry on Thursday is among at least three others injured in similar jumping accidents in the past two weeks.

Thrill-seekers using the historic bridge as a high dive to the Stanislaus River below isn’t a new occurrence. But lower water levels from the drought have made it much more dangerous.

“It is always an issue there, so much so that we posted signs on both sides of the covered bridge and signs at the information kiosks,” said Luke Burns, spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Not only are they jumping off the bridge, but off of rocks, too.”

People kick out boards on the bridge to access the exterior, he said.

Burns said park rangers replace missing boards as soon as they find them. They had just replaced one board Thursday when another was kicked out prior to the woman’s jump. The woman, who was in her 20s, was taken by helicopter to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Burns could not give an estimate on the depth of the water because it varies throughout the day based on water flows, as well as large rocks or trees that move along the river floor.

But when river levels drop, so too does the flow, and right now the Stanislaus River is flowing at 150 cubic feet per second or half of the average flow.

The covered bridge is about 25 feet above the water but Burns said park visitors are also jumping from higher rocks downstream.

“On July 4 we had a very serious accident at the Horseshoe Recreation Area,” said Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Kevin Wise. “A rafter decided to dive off of one of the cliffs and he sustained serious injuries, possibly paralyzing injuries.”

Like the woman on Thursday, as well as at least two other people injured in jumping incidents since June 26, the man had to be taken by helicopter to an area hospital.

“It’s taxing on resources because we have to have an engine to land the helicopter and one or two engine companies to treat the patient,” Wise said.

Burns said the Corps of Engineers this year began issuing warning letters to people injured in jumping incidents, reminding them it is not only dangerous, it’s a violation of federal park regulations.

The fine for jumping off the bridge is $150.

The usual summer rafter rescues are being outnumbered by jumper rescues but in both cases, Wise said, people generally misjudge the water.

“The water is deceiving – some places you can walk across, others are deep channels,” he said. “You make a mistake and you end up paralyzed or hurt really bad and it is going to affect you for the rest of your life.”

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 5:21 PM with the headline "Firefighters respond to series of jumping accidents at Knights Ferry bridge."