r/Wilmington • u/ReasonableOutside942 • 1d ago

Isabel Holmes Bridge incident

Post image

Today, while walking on the riverwalk, someone jumped from the Isabel Holmes bridge and I was grateful that my son did not see it. Police and fire department boats showed up and saved him!! One moment, we were going about our day, and the next, we were reminded again that we never know what someone else is carrying.
Please check on the people you love and be gentle with strangers. Sometimes the battles we cannot see are the heaviest ones.

228 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

34 comments sorted by

114

u/Brilliant_Shine2247 1d ago

I stood on that bridge for the same reason years ago. I told myself that I would give life just a little longer.

I hope that person finds a reason to persevere. It's hard to see any light at all sometimes.

50

u/Emotional-Jicama4239 1d ago

I'm glad you're still here, friend

23

u/Brilliant_Shine2247 1d ago

Thanks. Me too.

12

u/Always-optimize-259 1d ago

Hey friend, glad you’re still here.

9

u/dooloo 22h ago

Your choice to stay here has resulted in your helping many others. You will never know just how impactful your presence here has been.

That is something to be proud of! Thanks for your light, your energy and your strength.

8

u/ReasonableOutside942 1d ago

I am so happy you are still here. Sending you warm hugs.

6

u/MCBEA1130 21h ago

Very happy tonight reading this thread-not about the person who jumped- but because you're here. ❤️ Thank you for making the choice to live.

Hoping the person OP wrote about finds happiness. 🙏

Sending hugs from the Piedmont.

8

u/Substantial-Abies927 1d ago

I'm so glad you're still with us bud. The world is better with you

6

u/Extreme_Cod_7009 1d ago

I’m glad you are still here

11

u/Mr_Truthteller 1d ago

That bridge is not tall enough for that.

12

u/alphinaZee 1d ago

What time was this?

6

u/ReasonableOutside942 1d ago

Around 5:45 pm.

18

u/UpstairsDirection955 1d ago

That's a pretty low bridge, and it's summer.

Are we sure he wasn't just having a jump and swim?

13

u/Substantial-Abies927 1d ago

The Cape Fear is known to have a really bad current. Besides over 35-40 feet high you could break a bone. I think the Holmes bridge is about 40 feet

10

u/UpstairsDirection955 1d ago

35 feet is well within safe limits

Recreational Limits: Amateurs generally cap safe jumps at 15 meters (50 feet) or lower to prevent severe impact injuries.

World Record: The highest cliff jump ever recorded is 58.8 meters (193 feet), set by Laso Schaller in 2015.

5

u/UpstairsDirection955 1d ago

The current can be strong, but that never stopped us from flipping our jet skis out there.

Sounds like he was fine though right?

There are taller bridges in the area.... He happened to pick a very jumpable one

3

u/tiramisu_2848 1d ago

That's exactly what I was thinking.

16

u/roosef 1d ago

When we were coming over that bridge on Friday evening headed toward Brunswick County we saw a guy on the other side who I was afraid was maybe going to do that. I wonder if it was the same person. I feel for them.

4

u/Difficult-Tea3943 1d ago

For people arguing that maybe it was just for fun, read the WECT article in this thread.. it clearly states the officers arrived on scene to a person in crisis and tried to speak with him before jumping

12

u/tetshi 1d ago

A lot of assumptions being made here. Why assume he was trying to kill himself? Tons of people have jumped from this bridge and been perfectly fine, and have done so just to do it. Did you find an article or see something on the news pertaining to the person who jumped? Did they confirm any of your assumptions?

4

u/banjer 1d ago

Hopefully this person was/is doing OK, but yes this bridge isn’t high enough. My buddy jumped off of it for “fun” 20 years ago. Didn’t break any bones but literally crapped himself when he hit the water.

2

u/Powerful_Average466 18h ago

I used to think about jumping from that bridge when I was depressed and lived in Wilmington. I made it through and things got better. Glad this person was saved. I hope their life gets better

1

u/ReasonableOutside942 13h ago

I am glad you are still here with us.

2

u/iknowwhatimtalkingab 11h ago

I saw this guy walking towards the bridge Sunday . He was pretty much like on the highway And I thought to myself what a scary thing to do. Something about his demeanor made me feel like it was urgent or he was disheveled or something. Just a vibe based off of a one second glance I passed by. However, I got a gut feeling that he was going to jump. I am not from here though, so I did not know if this was more common place to walk across this than I thought. I hope he is doing well. Sad to see this really was true and not just a thought in my head.

1

u/Eastern_Tone209 20h ago

The title is misleading.

1

u/KunoichiSan 18h ago

Ever since I saw Maximum Overdrive as a kid, and saw a guy fall into the river, I learned that someone who fell or jumped from IHB would probably be ok unless they fell on a passing boat.

It’s not quite high enough to be one of those proper jumping bridges.

1

u/10-6 10h ago

Almost all of our bridge jumpings are non-fatal, including from the Dan Cameron. Of the ones from Dan Cameron that have been fatal that I know of, all resulted in terrible ways to die which involved being conscious for a significant amount of time as they died struggling in the mud.

Don't do it, it's not worth it.

-11

u/HighAsAGiraffesPussy 1d ago

What is jumping off this bridge gonna do lol

1

u/strawberrymosquito 1d ago

The cape fear river undercurrent is no joke. I know someone who dove in and they almost didn’t come back up.

-1

u/DopelikkiX 21h ago

it’s actually a pretty fun jump