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11.20.08, why are there so many jumps that have no winners?
(this is a great question we are asking ourselves. in order to have a winner,
we need a correct guesser. while we do
get some guesses, we get very few in the course of a year. people tend to
visit and poke around the site, yet they opt not to play.
we're sure if there were a viable prize to be had, we
would be inundated with guesses. in reality, it would be more of a hassle then
anyway.)
07.25.08, Kristie E., (comment lifted from myspace.),
can i push someone off? is that allowed? he frequents that area for fishing but i would love it if he slipped and "fell"
(by no means can or should you "fell" someone
off the bridge. what if someone saw you? on the other hand, since you are such
a good jumperpool friend, we suppose if no one is looking, you can
"fell" someone off, but just this one time. don't be coming around
here again asking for "pretty please, just one more?". we suppose
most of us have a list of people we would like to "fell" off the
bridge too.)
12.17.07, Shawn, St. Petersburg, FL, USA, Do the winners actually win anything or is it just the sick and twisted joy of predicting other people's demise? I'm not saying it in a bad way, just wonderin if there is a pot of gold to the winner. Thanks for all the info and fun stories! Gotta Love the Burg baby!
(winners are posted on the jumper
pages. we know, "bfd". we imagine offering money on this crap may bring
legal issues we'd rather not deal with. besides, it's not like we are raking
in the cash with this thing.
08.02.07, Katy, I live in MN so the hot topic right now is bridges. I have a friend (normally fairly intelligent) that swears a man fell from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and lived because he flapped his arms. It seems so unreasonable that I can't even believe it fits into the Urban Legend genre. Of course I Googled it to prove him wrong but (surprise, surprise) I couldn't find anything. MAYBE I'm just not using the right words. Please advise. Thanks!
(we imagine many jumpers flail about on their way down. it seems a natural response to falling. yet most of these flailing jumpers
succumb to the final impact below anyway. some, however, do survive. we assume they too flailed and flapped their
arms to some degree, yet somehow managed to hit the water in a way that allows them to live through it. we know
for fact, that human arms offer no reasonable lift when flapped in any manner.
we are sorry for the tragic loss in the collapse of your bridge.)
01.18.07, Dave, Florida, USA, I see that there are two "versions" of the bridge in your
photos. Is the set with the rocks surrounding the pilings current... or are the rocks gone?
(the
rock islands were added around the main shipping channel pilings after the
bridge was built. they are an added barrier against wayward ships blundering
their way into the bridge. jumpers that jump where the towers are, land upon these
rock islands.)
08.09.06, Amy, Fair Haven VT., do you have a link to the old swing stunt VIDEO those people did a while back. thanks
alot!
10.29.07, James C., Youngstown, OH USA, For educational purposes, I'm trying to locate a video of Steve Trotter's "pendulum swing." This is for a physics class in discussing circular motion - and why the tension in a rope/cable is much greater than that needed to just support the weight of the object/people. Can you help? Thanks.
(we did have the video for awhile, then poof, it's gone.
anyone?)
08.05.06, emma, Oregon, i think you should have a more detailed description of what happens when you hit the water. minute by minute. that you don't die right away. probably make a few rethink things.
(on the front page we post:
according to the st.
petersburg times©, "anyone who jumps from a point close to the center of
the bridge, hits the water in about 3.5 seconds at about 75 mph. the impact
usually breaks bones and ruptures organs. some live for minutes before they
drown". this is about as detailed as it gets. we assume each jump has
it's very own description, none of which we receive. we're sure most anyone
can imagine the trauma a jumper goes through without reading about it.)
07.31.06, jessica, Apollo Beach, FL., Do you breathe when you are falling? Or is the force too strong to allow air to go up your nostrils and into ur lungs? would ur nose just fill with air? maybe it goes to ur brain? is that where the term air head came from? can you choke on your saliva when u fall? i do it all the time just sitting here. i guess i forget to swallow...maybe thats why my husband gets upset... lol.. sorry bout that last one...u can edit it if u want:) just wanted to fit in with the other ppl asking questions...
(sure one could breathe when falling. skydivers breathe
well enough during a free fall. it's a quick 3.5 second fall from the bridge, so perhaps if one isn't screaming, one may be holding one's breath. air
is available to breath, whether forced or not. you may have a point
about air getting to your brain. between that and what appears to be an
endless supply of saliva, we are currently over loaded with jokes. if you are blonde too, we cannot contain ourselves.)
07.21.06, Twisted Transistor, Saint peterburg FL., I wanted to find more information about the one man who was murdered when he was forced to jump at gunpoint off the Skyway.. Is there an article on your site... Maybe I was looking to fast, but I didn't find it??
(we have no further story on this incident. maybe someone
else does.)
07.20.06, Eazy E., st pete., Do sharks ever nibble on the floaters? (maybe,
but doubtful.)
06.27.06, jessica, lanc. PA, US., I WANT A SMART PERSON TO ANSWER...? i was wondering...people that jump,
commiting suicide-ex.-jumpers of 9/11...do they die in mid-airr because of the
quick/dramatic pressure change? or do they just die when they hit the ground? (of
all the people that run this site, we are far and above the smartest. we suppose it is possible to die
during the fall with a heart attack due to the intense excitement of falling.
however, we are sure most all of these
deaths result from injuries due to impact and/or drowning.)
03.25.06, Steve L., Manchester, UK., You say the Skyway is the #3 most popular bridge in the USA for jumpers. The Golden Gate is obviously number one. What on earth is #2? I'm racking my brain trying to come up with another bridge famous for suicides. I can't think of it.
(the
coronado bridge in san diego is #2. we hope your brain is ok.)
06.24.05, Sarah, Austin, TX, I would really like to see you guys having some sort of alert when someone jumps. You could just send a quick email to the list notifying them to go check it out on your web page. That would be great, and it seems like an easy suggestion.
(yes,
it does sound easy. we have thought about it, but then simply sending mass
e-mails of most any kind puts you into the spammer category with many isp's.
then you end up getting blocked by some and have e-mails returned undeliverable
by others. sad how a few spammer assholes can mess up the internets for the rest of us.
we will let you, the jumper curious, check the site every month or so to read about
the latest in idiot jumper activity. add
yourself as a 'myspace friend', as we send out jumper bulletins on
occasion. we appreciate your suggestion and thank
you for your input. so sarah, what are you wearing now?)
02.02.05, Nick, North Port, FL., Probably a stupid question, but has anyone ever hit the rocks and lived? It's amazing people even live jumping off the edge, so it's probably never happened. Has anyone ever jumped off the skyway, lived, and jumped off again? Great site!
(we doubt it's possible for a human to
fall 190 feet, hit jagged rocks, and somehow manage to survive. as for
jumper survivors jumping a second time, we doubt that has ever happened
either, but we can't be sure. we would think that any second attempt at
suicide would involve another method. after all, the jump didn't work and hurt
like hell, why try that again?)
11.28.04, joe, sarasota, florida, Do you think a car could break through the concrete barrier?
(a large truck might, but we doubt a car could get
enough sideways velocity to break through the barrier. we imagine a vehicle of
any size could somehow manage to flip over the side.)
06.22.04, Jon A., Clearwater, Oh, Hell Yes. This Is Awesome Sight. I Was Just Wonderin, I Havent Looked Over The Sight To Much, But Do You Still Win The Pool if The Jumper Doesn't Die??? Thanks For The Help
(thanks for the good words. this pool is based on anyone
leaving the bridge other than the conventional way. whether they live or die
does not matter.)
06.06.04, tia, This isn't about jumpers but it is about the collapse. I am trying to find an appropriate place to bring this inappropriate commercial to the forefront. I just saw an ad for mitsubishi which showed a "race" to the end of the broken bridge. I was livng in FL when this accident occured and was just sickened by the fact that they are using this in an ad. it would be like using the twin towers in some airplane commercial.
(we
saw the commercial and failed to see the similarity to the skyway bridge collapse in any
way. what we saw was a cool advertisement showing two cars heading
for a drop off. one car stops in time and the other falls off the end. true,
cars did drop off the end of the fallen skyway, but the ad in no way depicts
the skyway disaster. should we stop allowing disaster movies because they depict
real disasters? should we stop police and detective shows because they depict
brutal real life situations? should we stop jerry springer because he shows us
lower life forms that actually live amongst us? we think you are perhaps a bit
overly sensitive about this.)
05.13.04, "Jumpy", Seattle, WA., Whats the deal? did you quit updating or did everyone get prozac and counseling? Nobody has questioned gravity since Feb? I find this hard to believe after a record shattering year last year. (we
update whenever we get something to update. lately it's nothing but hate
mail. this seems to be the longest dry spell we can remember since
starting this pool. check back, as we imagine someone will test the earth's
pull eventually.)
05.13.04, Traci, Georgetown, DE., Do most people who jump from bridges die before they hit the water, or is it the impact of the hit? (it's
not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden impact and that drowning thing
that does the jumper in.)
04.26.04, Damon, N. Kingstown, RI., Just out of curiosity; if you know, how far down will a jumper sink in the water after the unfortunate but amusing fall from the highest point on the bridge? (without
a consistent entry into the water, there is no way to gauge the depth one
would sink in such an event. some may belly flop, where others may enter like
an olympic diver. some may not come up at all and simply sink to the bottom.
there are too many variables.)
04.23.04, jack n., saint pete, my friend Joey wants to know if it counts if the person is "maybe kind of dead" when he or she jumps ("maybe
kind of dead" is still alive. go poke joey with a stick
and tell him he counts.)
04.13.04,
casey, ellenton, fl., what happened the day of the collapse on may 9,1980
(read.)
03.30.04, sad mommy, san diego, do you have any links or help for a heartbroken mom?
without my daughter I don't see any reason to go on. I am open to suggestions if it helps the heartache ... I just can't seem to come up with any on my own. I hope this doesn't sound like a "rant" ... I really want some healthy suggestions..
thank you (we have children and can not
imagine that level of loss. other then the help links here,
we have no idea who could help cope with such a tragedy. we can only imagine
your daughter would want you to be strong and continue on for the both of you.
she will always be with you. remember that and live the life she could not.
don't give in to giving up. do not disappoint her. good luck.)
02.25.04, Erin, Tuscaloosa, AL., why isn't there a web-cam or something of the type?
(it's not like people are flinging themselves off the
bridge every hour. the average is about one per month. the jumper web cam would look
like a still photo 24/7 except for the once a month blur you missed because
you finally had to go pee. besides, the people that control the bridge have no
sense of humor. the bridge does have web
cams, but no public ones that show areas of known jumping activity.)
02.06.04, Biff, How can we see the running list of guesses?
(we won't post all of the guesses. we doubt it is of any
real interest and it's not worth the effort.)
01.09.04, paul, arlington, texas, do you know what the rough estimate of "cut off height" for jumping off a structure into a body of water which would assure death is? i was in sidney not long ago and we did the harbour bridge climb. someone asked our guide if anybody could survive a jump from the top. our guide seemed to think such a feat could be survivable. i said you would be quite dead....no exception.
(since we are not rocket surgeon's, we can only guess
that there are no hard and fast rules about survivability variables of descent
deceleration and impact scenarios into a sodium enriched aqueous solution. the high cliff divers
in mexico seem to be
able to dive from great heights over and over with no adverse effects, yet let
the average person try it and they may not surface afterwards. some skyway
jumpers emerge from the jump as if they hopped off a boat into the water.
others are split up the middle, spilling their insides out, and creating an
instant buffet for the fishes. we would guess someone with skilled diving
talents could maybe leap from a point higher up on the bridge and emerge from the water to
thunderous applause.)
here is more input about this mysterious "cut off
height" for jumping into water:
02.03.04, tta, cleveland, ohio, I didn't have time to peruse your whole q and a page and wasn't sure if anyone posted an answer to the question "what is the highest height a human could survive a fall from into water?"
I remember watching a show called "Worst case scenarios" in which they quoted the
highest height a human could survive a fall if they hit the water properly was about 100 feet. That is a big IF. According to the show they said that even though they would survive the impact into the water, they would be severally messed up if not dead.
Anything above 100 feet would be like hitting concrete. Like I said I can't
remember the exact height but it's around 100 feet plus or minus 10 feet. Hope this enlightens any hopeful jumpers.
(you should not trust everything you see on tv. as has
been proven several times, people have jumped from over 190 feet off the
skyway into the water and survived with scant little injuries. it does happen.
your 100' +/- 10' formula is not even close. people are also killed jumping from lower heights into water.
many die from drowning because they can't swim or they get knocked out. it
wasn't the fall itself that killed them. the nature of water
and the human factor creates many variables.)
12.17.03,
cheyenne, wyoming, what kind of preventions are there to help people who want to kill themselves?
(other then a waist high concrete barrier to keep vehicles
from making the jump, there are no other preventions to keep people from
jumping. jumpers seem to vault right over with little effort. there
are no preventions "to help people who want to kill themselves", as that just makes
no sense.)
12.08.03, Minnie M., Orlando, Fl., Have you been exposed to any brutal suicides?
(no.)
10.25.03, Aaron L., Clearwater, Florida, I am actually asking a real question in hopes of a real responce. I do a lot of BASE jumping, however i am wondering on a few things i have been caught about 4 times from local bay area bridges, piers, and other buildings. I am only 17 and have never gotten anything big past the point of "are you crazy", "do you need to see a doctor", those sort of things. My real question is what is the MAX fine/jail time associated with a jumping off any bridge, in Pinellas county? Does anyone know, also is there any fine/jail time associated with anyone that gives me a ride to the top? I am not looking to commit suicide, or even anything that would break my neck, etc. I would if anything jump from a lower point rather than the top to sacrafice a good leg, arm, or organ. Please let me know what you discover! Thanks again, love the site :-) (honestly)
(first of all, we do not advocate anyone jumping off the
skyway under any circumcise. we know it is against the law and we have no idea
what the punishment is if you get caught. it is our opinion that anyone
leaping off the bridge for any reason is nuts. just don't do it. if you insist
on base jumping off the skyway, however, give
us all the details.)
10.24.03, Amy McMuffin, St. Louis, I have thought about starting a companion jumperpool site for St. Louis but no one seems to be jumping around here. We have some lovely bridges in the metro area and plenty of reasons to jump. Do you have any suggestions to make my St. Louis Jumper Pool a reality? Obviously we only have rivers to jump into...perhaps it's the icky brown water or the giant chunks of slimy debris that make people shoot themselves rather than jumping? Thanks.
(there must be
something intrinsic to the st. louis area where the locals perform deadly behavior that you do not find elsewhere.
let us know if you get it up.)
09.29.03, Joe, Milwaukie, Oregon, USA, Does anyone ever jump the bridge for a thrill? Is there a lower point on the bridge 50-70ft maybe? Just enough to catch some adrenaline! Is it illegal??
We jump for fun and the
thrill - not to be part of any suicide bill! Thanks!
(we have no idea how many jump from the ample sections
of the bridge not high enough to cause death or serious injury. we do know
that such activities are illegal, so if you plan on jumping from the lower
portions, beware and be careful. better yet, stay home. thanks for the link.
there are some great and funny pictures.)
09.22.03, Maybe make a link for assholes who should jump off the bridge and makes the lives of everyone better. They spend all of their time making others miserable, maybe its time to make it public.
(we have thought about doing this from the beginning, as we do
have a short list of someone we wouldn't mind throwing off the bridge, but that is a
whole other web site. however, in these days of the endless lawsuit, listing people's real names
that would rather not be listed, may turn this pool into a feeding frenzy for
the cesspool of lawyers looking for work. we only post names that are publicly
released. as a whole, we wouldn't mind seeing an endless stream of lawyers and
politicians stepping over the edge.)
Bob, St. Petersburg, FL., How many people have died as a result of jumping from the Skyway as of today? Also how many have survived the fall? Have any survivors told their stories?
(we have no idea
the actual number of jumpers from the bridge or how many have died or
survived. the information is not always made public. you could add up the
numbers listed here to get an estimate. a
few survivor stories can be found within the winner's
lists. we're sure survivors have blabbed their stories to others, but
never directly to us. survivors are more than welcome to tell
their stories to us and we will publish their words anytime.)
darcy m., saint petersburg, florida, The Tower of Terror at MGM Studios,
Disney. It is 199 ft tall. And it drops traveling at 39 mph...Soo..how many seconds does that take? The SkyWay Bridge, is how many feet tall? And it takes 3 seconds to hit going 75 mph...So if one could handle the Tower Of Terror, one could almost SURELY handle the Sky way right???
(riding the 'tower of terror' is so very
different then jumping off the skyway. true, they both fall from about the
same height, but dropping at 39 mph in a controlled amusement park ride that
comes to a stop gradually, is generally a bit easier on one's body then
smacking into water or rocks at 75 mph. other differences include: 'tower of
terror', admission is over $60 and parking is a hassle and costs like $10.
skyway bridge, $1 toll with easy close up free parking. the tower, long lines and waiting with
hordes of smelly foreigners. the bridge, no lines, no waiting, fresh sea air.
tower, you have no control over your destination. bridge, you can get back
in the car and go home.)
Chris, Any idea on how long the fall takes? or how fast the person is falling upon impact?
(according to the st. petersburg times newspaper, "anyone who jumps from a point close to
the center of the bridge, hits the water in about 3.5 seconds at about
75 mph. the impact usually breaks bones and ruptures organs. some live
for minutes before they drown".)
what about the New River Gorge Bridge in colorado? it towers over a
thousand feet above solid ground. that should be a suicide magnet. (the
'new
river gorge bridge' is in west virginia. every october on the third
saturday, people legally jump off the bridge during 'bridge day'. the royal
gorge bridge is in colorado and is the world's highest suspension bridge at 1053 feet above
the arkansas river. having been across the span on many occasions, we could
never see our used beer hit the river so far below, it's that high up. people
have taken the plunge, but we have no idea just how many have done so. a
sign in the middle of the span decrees there is 'no fishing from the bridge'.)
Pauli, Newark, DE., We have a very popular jumping bridge -- the Delaware Memorial Bridge -- twin spans -- do you know where it is on the list of most popular bridges?
(we get requests for info on all sorts of other jumping pools and jumper statistics of
bridges worldwide. we tend to
focus on the skyway. to date, we have heard of no other
such crappy jumper guessing site or anything more then the californian's constantly bragging
about having the #1 bridge. if you wish to develop a site about your own local
land based jumping structure, please feel free to lift this site, change it
around, and make it yours. just send us the link so we can share the results
with all the jumperpool fans.)
Emily, San Francsico, Has anyone thrown someone off the bridge? (we
have heard of one guy being forced to jump at gunpoint. apparently he died
anyway.)
06.27.02, Gary V., Sarasota, Florida, Has anybody ever jumped with a parachute, or some other descent
deceleration device? (the only type of descent
deceleration from the bridge that we know of was the
ill-fated cable swing stunt that ended with the cable breaking midway
through the swing. as seen on
tv! the five swingers, four men and one woman, hit the water hard,
some with serious injuries. luckily, no one died. idiots.)
unknown, Can you tell me about people WALKING on the bridge? Is it legal?
Is there a place for pedestrians to walk? Does anyone walk up there who
doesn't have any intention of dying? (the skyway roadbed
is actually interstate 275. there are no pedestrians allowed, as there are no pedestrian
passageways. no bicycles
either. basically, if it can't travel on an interstate, it can't travel the
skyway. non-emergency stopping on the main span is frowned upon.
many do stop for a quick picture, but be sure that eyes are watching and no doubt,
authorities are being sent to investigate. try stopping at the top and time
how long it takes to get hassled. get back to us with the results.)
more:
Jason, clearwater, Fl., I am responding to one of your Q & A answers asking for how long it took to get "harrassed" for stopping at the top of the Skyway. Over the last 5 year, I have stopped at the top 4 times to let someone take a picture or look over the side. Everytime, it has taken about 1 minute or less for a Florida Highway Patrol officer from pulling up and telling us to leave. Usually, I tell them my car got hot coming up the bridge and needed a few minutes to cool down. They have all been nice and just said to get a move on as soon as possible.
(thanks, jason.)
unknown, are the survivors jumping from the low part or what?!?!? (some
have survived by jumping from the lower portions of the span, but several have taken the long
plunge with various degrees of minor to major injuries. a few seem to emerge
from the water as if they know how to jump from great heights and do so
regularly.)
05.04.00, rich k., st. pete., fl., how many couples have jumped? has any one landed on a ship? has anyone fell trying to stop someone?
(we know of only one documented jumper
couple. we have not heard of anyone hitting a boat/ship or falling trying to stop
someone.)
05.04.00, unknown, what is this "crisis phone?" are there actually phones on the bridge that a potential jumper can use to call for help on? and if so, WHY? i say if a person has actually driven onto the bridge and exited her car to take the plunge, then what's the point in calling for help? ALSO what's the male/female ratio on the jumper stats.
my guess is more women than men due to hormone issues. (the
crisis
phones were erected in july 1999 in an attempt to offer potential jumpers
a last ditch chance to save themselves. it's not a bad idea and it has worked
a few times. obviously, many fail to use them and rapidly descend away from
them. many women do jump from the bridge, but more men jump. we
believe more men jump because a woman with probable "hormone issues"
has just pushed them to the point they must end their misery. they long for
the solitude only death will bring. just kidding.
well, maybe not. yeah, we're kidding. uh huh.)
Hillary, Aston, Pa., Why do "jumpers" remove their shoes before jumping? (jumpers
do not normally remove their shoes. the shoes, as well as clothes, are often
ripped off upon impact. hitting the water from that high tends to make impact
somewhat traumatic. several have been stripped naked. so hillary, do you strip
naked often? are you naked now?)
William C., St. Pete, Florida, If some one, lets say, a construction
worker were to slip and fall from the bridge, would it count, or does it
have to be a voluntary leap? Now if it does count what if the worker was
attached to a safety line and does not fall all the way down? (in
the past, we supposed that any accidental jumpage would qualify as a 'jump', even thou
we assume the word 'jump' means they leapt from the bridge voluntarily.
most jumpers simply step off the edge, much the same as a worker slipping
off. neither really 'jumping'. it's mostly just stepping off and falling. we
have since decided to treat
the accidental step, slip, or otherwise flung off as a newsworthy story to post on the
site, but will not count as a jump in the same way as a suicide jumper. we will add any links to the story, as
it would be bridge related reading that may be of interest to this site's
visitors.)
mark, st. pete.,
fl., How tall is the Skyway bridge? (the main span is 1,200 feet long.
the total length of the bridge is 4.1 miles. the cable towers are 432 feet tall.
at its peak, the roadway is 192 feet high,
but we assume the tide has something to say about that. know more than this? tell
us.)
Jenn, Sydney, Australia, Why do you Americans have all the fun? (jenn, it just appears that we have all
the fun. think of americans like this: you are standing at the window,
gazing into an 'insane asylum'. see those people in there? they are us americans!
although we appear to be having fun, we are too far gone to know it. we are
beyond help, don't realize we even need help, nor do we care.
we are on cruise control, yet no one is at the wheel. does that answer
your question? yeah, didn't think so.)
unknown, why don't you have pictures of the jumpers?
(we have never seen a picture of a jumper and we doubt we would ever post a picture of
one. well, we
do have this one.)
unknown, what is the prize, if any? (there
are no prizes here at the jumperpool. we would like to offer t-shirts
or something, but it's not like we make a dime with this site. your name here
is all you 'win'.)
05.04.00, unknown, Do you know of other jumper contest & site
ie: Golden Gate? Also how close is Sunshine from #1 position? (we
have not heard of a pool going for the golden gate
bridge.
it's the #1 bridge for suicide jumpers and from what we understand, it's
very busy. we have no idea how far behind the skyway is from the golden
gate in jumper patrons. the
coronado bridge in san diego is #2. leave it to those freaks in california
to have the top two suicide bridges.)
Vicki, I recall hearing on the news about a person
that jumped with their dog, I believe last year (99). The jumper died,
dog lived. I didn't see anything on your page about it, just wondering
if you have any info?? Thanks (that happened
05.06.98, about 2 months before we started this jumperpool. the dog (shasta)
jumped after the owner did. is that being faithful or what? here
are links to the stories.)
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