Cordless bungy plunge causes serious injuries

By AINSLEY THOMSON

A man plunged 15 storeys into the Waikato River yesterday after he pushed past staff and jumped off a bungy platform without a cord.

The 30-year-old Hawera man was seriously injured in the fall at Taupo Bungy and was airlifted to Rotorua Hospital by the Lion Foundation Rescue Helicopter.

Police say the man had been boating on the river with two friends when he decided he wanted to jump.

His friends dropped him off and he ran up the hill to the platform.

Taupo Bungy marketing manager Keith Lewis said the man asked staff if he could go out on the end of the platform. The staff refused and locked the security gate.

But the man pushed past them, scaled a chest-high gate, jumped off the platform and fell 47m into the river. He was knocked unconscious when he hit the water and was rescued by staff manning the recovery boat used to retrieve bungy jumpers.

Mr Lewis said the staff in the boat were fully trained in first aid and water rescue. "They pretty much saved his life."

It was lucky for the man that the Taupo jump was above water.

"If he had been at any other bungy in the country, he wouldn't have lived."

Helicopter pilot Chris Mansell said the man was conscious and groaning in pain on the flight to Rotorua. His condition was still being assessed last night, but he is believed to have spinal and internal injuries.

Constable Tracy Haggart, from Taupo, said the man had drunk a small amount of alcohol.

"I think he was being a bit of a clown," she said. "He did it for fun."

She said the police would not take further action.