Jumping from the Brooklyn Bridge

In an attempt to identify factors contributing to survival of free fall and impact, we evaluated the records of four patients who survived a jump from the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River in New York Harbor between 1977 and 1985. All four patients were male and ranged in age from 22 to 67 years. They had free falls of between 41.0 and 48.8 meters. All of the patients were brought to the hospital within 24 minutes of entering the water. Three of the four had emergency surgical treatment and the fourth patient had only minor injuries. All four patients survived the suicide attempts. The length of the hospital stay ranged from two to 26 days.