A man who jumped off the Interstate 5 Bridge on Friday morning was swept up by a waiting patrol boat and transported to an area hospital. The man fell 75 feet to the Columbia River’s surface, according to a Vancouver Fire Department spokesman.
Kevin Stromberg of the fire department said the man suffered life-threatening injuries. The man’s name was not released.
Traffic was stopped in the northbound lanes while police officers from Portland and Vancouver attempted to dissuade the man from jumping.
A witness saw the man on the east-side railing at about 9:02 a.m. and called Clark County dispatchers.
Firefighters and police converged on the scene, on the bridge and in boats below.
Southbound traffic kept moving, but slowed as motorists looked at the emergency vehicles on the northbound span.
At about 9:30 a.m., the man jumped. He was picked up by a Clark County Sheriff’s Office boat, transferred to another vessel and taken to a dock on the Vancouver side of the river, Stromberg said.
The man was treated on scene by Vancouver Fire paramedics and then driven by American Medical Response ambulance to an area hospital for treatment.
Stromberg said at about 10:15 a.m. traffic was flowing smoothly on the bridge.
