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http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4704741/detail.html
ASHLAND, Ohio -- An Ashland county man was flown to the hospital after a motorcycle stunt took a near tragic twist, NewsChannel5 reported.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon at the annual "Kamikaze Jump," in which people drive dirt bikes, four- and three-wheel machines off a dirt ramp and into a pond to see who can go the furthest. The event is held on private property.
When one 25-year-old man launched his dirt bike off the ramp and into the pond, but didn't come up, the crowd knew something was wrong.
"I just thought he was going to swim to shore somewhere ," said witness Jason Weiler. "I thought maybe he was messing around and stuff. And you know, he didn't come up for a while, that's when everybody started panicing and swam out and got him,"
With each jump there are divers in the water to assist immediately, organizers said. The divers responded, as did two sheriff's deputies on the scene , as well as several bystanders.
"He was probably under water for over a minute before they found him and got him back to the shore, maybe two or three minutes," Sgt. Don Sims said.
The man was revived and later taken by helicopter to Akron General Medical Center. His condition has not been released.
Why do this? Many jumpers say, "why not ?"
"I don't know, the excitement, the rush. I mean it's just a blast jumping a bike in a lake and there's not too many people you talk to who can do that," one man said.
He had a black eye from his jump.
"I'll be back next year, same bike, same time, same channel," he said.
After the accident, all of the jumpers put on life jackets.
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4704741/detail.html
ASHLAND, Ohio -- An Ashland county man was flown to the hospital after a motorcycle stunt took a near tragic twist, NewsChannel5 reported.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon at the annual "Kamikaze Jump," in which people drive dirt bikes, four- and three-wheel machines off a dirt ramp and into a pond to see who can go the furthest. The event is held on private property.
When one 25-year-old man launched his dirt bike off the ramp and into the pond, but didn't come up, the crowd knew something was wrong.
"I just thought he was going to swim to shore somewhere ," said witness Jason Weiler. "I thought maybe he was messing around and stuff. And you know, he didn't come up for a while, that's when everybody started panicing and swam out and got him,"
With each jump there are divers in the water to assist immediately, organizers said. The divers responded, as did two sheriff's deputies on the scene , as well as several bystanders.
"He was probably under water for over a minute before they found him and got him back to the shore, maybe two or three minutes," Sgt. Don Sims said.
The man was revived and later taken by helicopter to Akron General Medical Center. His condition has not been released.
Why do this? Many jumpers say, "why not ?"
"I don't know, the excitement, the rush. I mean it's just a blast jumping a bike in a lake and there's not too many people you talk to who can do that," one man said.
He had a black eye from his jump.
"I'll be back next year, same bike, same time, same channel," he said.
After the accident, all of the jumpers put on life jackets.
