They say decision-making is a life skill, and I guess it proved useful the other day. One man made a split second decision to jump off a bridge to save his life. Why would jumping off of a bridge save your life? Well, when faced with an oncoming truck, it seems like the better option.
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What To Do After An Accident
Experts and rescue personnel always give the same advice after an accident, stay in your vehicle. Granted there are exceptions to this rule, like if you car begins to erupt in flames. However, as a general rule you are safer inside of your giant metal box of a vehicle than you are standing in the middle of the road. Also, sometimes after an accident you do not know how badly you are injured.
I know after my own car accident my adrenaline was pumping so hard I had no idea I was hurt. When I saw the blood in my vehicle I told the officer he cut his arm on the broken glass of my window. I couldn't feel the lacerations across my face and head. I couldn't tell that I was severely concussed, so yea..probably best if you don't move until medical personnel can evaluate your condition.
With that being said, sometimes staying put doesn't always work out. For this man, he decided to get himself and his family out of their car after their accident. WTXL Tallahassee shares that the man's car, who was also carrying his wife and four children, "crashed into a blue car that hydroplaned."
Man Decides To Jump Off Bridge To Avoid Oncoming Truck
Once he helped his family out of the vehicle, this man thought he was in the clear. That is when he noticed a large semi truck barreling towards him. In a split second, he made a decision that probably saved his life. This man made the bold choice to jump off of the bridge, rather than be smushed by the oncoming truck.
While some may disagree with his choice, FHP Captain Jason King is not one of them. He stated, "I would definitely say the best decision in the moment." However, he does mention that he typically encourages everyone to "stay in their vehicles until the dust settles, as they say." Many people are often distracted by crashes and take their eyes off the road to ogle at the destruction. While it is unclear what caused this semi truck to barrel towards the man, I am curious if staying in the vehicle could have helped prevent the issue.
The troopers that assisted the man say that he fell 40 feet from the bridge and his company shared that he broke both of his legs. However, in the grand scheme of things, two broken legs is better than loss of life.
