Back in days of old it wasn't all that unusual to see kids double-dared to jump off the old Clyde River Bridge. The timing was best at high tide and the launch point was at road level.
In all a jump of around 5m or so.
It may have been OK most of the time if you landed feet first. For those who landed on their backs or bellies there was the shock of having the air knocked out but they survived.
The new bridge however is12 metres in height from the water at high tide.
This week saw an interesting development in the "rite of passage" antics of a few kids of late primary, early high school age who decided that leaping from the new bridge might be more fun than the leaping off of the adjacent jetty.
Watched by his mates the bridge jump resulted in the boy injuring his back and being dragged to shore by his friends.
Adults nearby checked on his welfare, doing the usual checks to determine if the boy still had feelings in his extremities.
Shortly after the boy was attended to by an ambulance.
Maybe, if the new bridge jump is popular (as it was with the old bridge) with local kids we could add bridge jumping to our local tourism "to Do list" as they have in Bosnia with the Mostar Bridge. Hamish and Andy might be drawn in to be the first celebrities to give the new attraction some promotion.
NOTE: Advice to anyone considering jumping off a bridge: Roads Regulation 2018 4 Jumping onto or from bridges and other structures
(1) A person must not jump onto or from any portion of a bridge or other structure that is situated on, or forms part of, a road. Maximum penalty—30 penalty units. (2) A roads authority may, either unconditionally or subject to conditions, exempt any person or class of persons in writing from the operation of this clause.
