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Rediff.com  » News » Niagara survivor faces fine

Niagara survivor faces fine

Last updated on: October 23, 2003 00:05 IST
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Kirk Jones, the 40-year-old who became the first known person to survive a plunge from the Niagara Falls without any protection , will be charged with  performing an illegal stunt, report agencies.

Jones, from canton Michigan, could be fined $10,000 for the incident, which police believe was intentional, but not a suicide attempt.

Bystanders watched in astonishment as Jones floated by in the Niagara River and plunged 180 feet (54 metres) down the Canadian side of the falls - known as the Horseshoe Falls -- before pulling himself onto the rocks below, said the BBC.

Jones is the first person known to have gone over the famous North American waterfall without any protective device and lived. He was not seriously hurt by the fall and after being admitted into hospital for a check-up and psychological tests has been remanded into custody, the BBC said.  

About a dozen people have gone over the Falls since 1901, usually inside a barrel or some other kind of protective device, though kayaks and jet skis have also been used. Only six of them have survived.

In 1960, a seven-year-old boy who accidentally fell into the water from a boat, survived the fall, but he was wearing a lifebelt. The falls straddle the border between the United States and Canada, with the US side - known as the American Falls - considered rockier and more dangerous of the two. No one has ever survived a plunge over the rockier American Falls.

Describing the stunt as 'stupid' Niagara Parks Commission chairman Brian Merrett said:  "Our people went down in the gorge and got him. That's why we don't condone this. It puts all of our people - the fire department, the paramedics, everyone - at risk to do the rescues. That's why were are so adamant about stunting."

Tourists described seeing Jones jump into the water and disappear over the edge of the falls without making a sound.

 

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