Man who jumped off Garrison Avenue Bridge is rescued

Paige Eichkorn, Fort Smith Times Record
·1 min read

An unidentified man jumped off the Garrison Avenue Bridge on Saturday, July 2, and was rescued by emergency responders, Fort Smith police said.

Rescue efforts were successful at about 11:30 a.m. The bridge was closed to traffic. The man was pulled out of the river and taken by ambulance to a hospital, according to reports.

The Fort Smith Fire Department rescue team, on left, driver Brian Evans, Capt. Jesse Chandler, and Battalion Chief Ethan Millard, front with eyeglasses, rescue a man who jumped from the Garrison Bridge into the Arkansas River in Fort Smith on July 2, 2022.
The Fort Smith Fire Department rescue team, on left, driver Brian Evans, Capt. Jesse Chandler, and Battalion Chief Ethan Millard, front with eyeglasses, rescue a man who jumped from the Garrison Bridge into the Arkansas River in Fort Smith on July 2, 2022.

Tim Hamby, a fisherman who was by the river, saw the man hit the water hard.

"He was up there watching me on the bridge," he said. "He was close to this end, and then he walked down close to the other light pole. He had been there for a while and fell over."

A man jumps from the Garrison Avenue bridge into the Arkansas River on Saturday, July 2. He was successfully rescued and taken to the hospital.
A man jumps from the Garrison Avenue bridge into the Arkansas River on Saturday, July 2. He was successfully rescued and taken to the hospital.

Hamby said he saw the man float on his back halfway down the river until the Fort Smith Fire Department rescue team got to him.

The Fort Smith Fire Department rescues a man, who jumped into the Arkansas River from the Garrison Avenue bridge.
The Fort Smith Fire Department rescues a man, who jumped into the Arkansas River from the Garrison Avenue bridge.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Person rescued from Arkansas River Saturday in Fort Smith