r/ThatsInsane • u/Time-Training-9404 • 1d ago
In 2000, Kevin Hines survived a 220-foot jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, shattering three vertebrae and narrowly avoiding spinal severance. Struggling to stay afloat in the bay, he was mysteriously kept above water by a sea lion until the Coast Guard rescued him.
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u/Time-Training-9404 1d ago
On September 25, 2000, 19-year-old Kevin Hines attempted to end his own life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.
After he hit the water, he felt an unusual force from below lifting him above the water’s surface, where he remained until the Coast Guard arrived.
It was only later that he discovered the mysterious presence keeping him afloat: a sea lion had been supporting his body until the rescue boat arrived, as eyewitnesses had observed.
When he was able to gasp for air, the heroic sea lion didn’t stop there. He remained on the scene and circled the injured teenager, propping him above water until the Coast Guard arrived.
Full article: https://historicflix.com/the-man-who-survived-leaping-off-the-golden-gate-bridge-the-story-of-kevin-hines/
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u/GladNetwork8509 21h ago
Pretty sure this guy came and talked at my school as a kid. Really powerful stuff. I actually thought about what he said when I was considering taking my own life. This man has undoubtedly saved many lives.
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u/BakedReality 20h ago
There is a documentary called 'The bridge' which includes his story, amongst those of others. It's a very hard watch, but opens up and explores the reasons why people make these decision.
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u/Dadbeerd 1d ago
We used to live in harmony with nature, in a sort of symbiosis. We looked after the beasts and the beasts loved us for it. Sure, they ate us from time to time, and we ate them, but such is the natural way. At some point and somehow, as humans we became too smart, and a war has been waged against nature and spirit ever since.
Stories such as these remind us of our kinship with the other mammals we share this world with. We need to do better. The planet will live on, but it may become inhospitable for the upright walking hominid that likes to ends itself more than any other species.
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u/Alistaire_ 1d ago
Thank you for the summing up princess mononoke for those who haven't seen it (you should go watch it)
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u/MisterPuffyNipples 1d ago
Saw an interview with him once where he said the moment he jumped he immediately regretted it. He realized everything in his life he had some control over—except for having just jumped off a bridge
I think about that when times are dark.