Constable Tracey Haggart of the Taupo police said the man and two friends had been in a small boat on the river when he decided he wanted to jump.

He was dropped off at the river bank and ran up the hill to the bungy track.

However, when bungy staff refused to let him jump, he pushed past them on to the platform and dived into the river – a 47m fall.

He was knocked unconscious and had to be rescued by bungy staff in a recovery boat before being flown to Rotorua Hospital by rescue helicopter.

s Haggart said the man had consumed "a small amount of alcohol".

"He wanted to jump off the platform for fun," she said in a statement.

Police attended the scene after the 2.20pm incident and spoke with witnesses, but no further action would be taken, she said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2751177a11,00.html (The above link will work until about the 15th of December)

Submitted on 12/07/2003

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: INL/NZPA, 08 December 2003

Copyright © 2003 DarwinAwards.com

Daniel said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Bungee jumping without the bungee, a 47 meter fall is hazardous to your health. (That's 155 feet for us in north America.)

Jack said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
Well, it's certainly unusual enough to commend it to the readers for the final decision!

Greg said:
Maybe Toss: Lacks Excellence
High jump into water, and (it appears) he survived. Dangerous, but not that exceptional

Bert said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I'm sure he told his friends "Watch this!"

Charles said:
Neutral: Honorable Mention
I'll grant this one a grudging HM. Anyone should be able to see that 155 feet / 47 metres is a very long way to fall, whether it is water or concrete at the bottom.