Student cheats death in 65ft bridge plunge
Published: August 27, 2007
UK — AN Edinburgh University student had a miracle escape after plunging 65 feet off a bridge across a remote mountain gorge in New Zealand.
Business and finance student Desmond Loy slipped and fell while trying to take a photograph in the Abel Tasman National Park, in the country’s South Island.
Remarkably, the 19-year-old, who has just finished his first year, suffered only bumps and bruises as he landed in a river, rather than on the jagged rocks on either bank.
Mr Loy, originally from County Down, Northern Ireland, lost his footing while leaning off a swing bridge, trying to get a photo to put on his online diary.
Marooned by the river for several hours, it was only when two English tourists passed by that he was finally able to raise the alarm.
One stayed with him while the other ran for almost an hour to get help.
He was eventually airlifted to safety and taken to hospital in Nelson, at the northern tip of the South Island.
Speaking from hospital, Mr Loy said he couldn’t believe he escaped so lightly, adding that he was almost at the end of the bridge when he decided to go back for the photo opportunity.
He said: “I leaned forward and remember feeling a bit woozy and a bit dizzy. I closed my eyes and I could hear the trees and then boulders going ‘thud’. It seemed a long way down.”
His father, Desmond Snr, said that if it hadn’t been for the passing tourists the story may not have had such a happy ending.
He said: “We’re thanking our lucky stars. I think some of the headlines over there are about the ‘luck of the Irish’ and ‘miracle man’.
“We’re very, very happy that we’re getting our son back in one piece.”
Mr Loy had only just embarked on his travels to the southern hemisphere, having arrived in Auckland via Hong Kong.
On his website, which he updated regularly, he spoke of his admiration for the wild and remote countryside in New Zealand.
Writing last week, he said: “The shops are few and far between, and people still ride horses to round up sheep.
“The landscape is phenomenal and small farms and tiny puffs of civilisation in the shape of a miniscule supermarket and fish and chip shop punctuate the long winding roads that BMW and Mercedes seem to like for their car advertisements.
“The first night sets the tone for the rest of the trip as we arrive at our lodge set right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, with rolling sands and beautiful views.”
Today his aunt, Valerie Loy, told the Evening News that the whole family was looking forward to having him home safely.
She said: “It really is a miracle he is still here today. He was very lucky to have landed in the water.
“The first his mum and dad heard of it was when he phoned from hospital to say what had happened.
“We’re making plans to get him home now. He is quite an adventurous character and has always been interested in travelling. We’re so relieved he is okay.”
A hospital spokesman in New Zealand said Mr Loy had been conscious after his fall but “very cold and shivery”.
An Edinburgh University spokesman said he couldn’t comment on individual students.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: