A man suffered traumatic leg and hip injuries Tuesday morning after leaping from a BNSF Railway bridge, also known as the Ghost Bridge, into the Lewis River.
Clark County Fire & Rescue, including a rescue boat, and Cowlitz County Fire District 1 were dispatched around 11:30 a.m. near Dike and Kuhnis roads, near Woodland.
A BNSF employee reported that a man climbed to a high point on the bridge, nearly 50 feet from the ground, and jumped, Clark County Fire & Rescue Chief John Nohr said.
“It was a good height,” Nohr said. “I’m surprised he wasn’t unconscious or otherwise.”
The man was located in shallow water at the base of the bridge, Nohr said. He was placed on a backboard and, while conscious and breathing, taken shortly before noon to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver.
The man may have suffered additional injuries, Nohr said. His identity and condition were unavailable Tuesday evening.
The man was wearing jeans, a highly visible orange shirt and appeared to be 20 to 30 years old, Nohr said. No one else appeared to accompany him at the time of the jump.
“I can’t get inside the man’s head, but it very much appeared to be intentional,” Nohr said. “This was not a recreational incident.”
