A Louisiana man is lucky to be alive after jumping off the Basin Bridge as a goof to escape stand-still traffic. Jimmy Jennings was caught on camera sprinting toward the bridge railing, jumping off and making a loud cracking sound as he hit the water below.
"When I hit the water, my shoulders went up, and I had to start swimming," Jennings told KATC.
He said that an injured shoulder (due to the impact) and strong current made it near impossible to swim to shore. Jennings added that he soon found himself so far away that he could no longer see the bridge he jumped from.
After finally making it to land, Jennings said he used a four wheeler to search for help for the next hour. He soon realized he was on an island, so he found a boat to take back out on the water. After hours of looking for signs of civilization, Jennings said he was approached by rescuers with their guns drawn.
"They all had their guns drawn on me, told me get on the ground, I listened to them. They put me in handcuffs," Jennings said.
He later posted on Facebook that it was a bad decision, adding that his shoulders are sore and "only alive thanks to his faith and rescuers.