A man survived after his bungee cord snapped while he was visiting an adventure park in Pattaya, Thailand, recently.
The 39-year-old tourist from Hong Kong relayed his story to CNN this week, asking the outlet to use only his first name, Mike.
In January, he dove off a 10-story-high podium that was next to a body of water. But when he made the jump, his cord snapped as he neared the water.
Video footage shows the man taking the leap with his arms outstretched and the cord attached to his ankles. However, as the cord reached its maximum stretch, it appeared to break:
Tourist’s bungee cord snaps during midair jump
WATCH: A tourist from Hong Kong plummeted into a lake during a 10-storey high bungee jump in Pattaya, Thailand when his cord snapped midair, sending him plunging hard into the water below. He survived the fall and suffered from severe bruising. He also lost an entire layer of skin from his armpit. The incident happened in February.
Posted by TODAY on Wednesday, March 22, 2023
When he hit the water, a huge splash erupted. Mike said he landed on his left side. He sustained various bruises and later commented, “It was as if someone just beat me up real bad.”
Friends with him at the Changthai Thappraya Safari and Adventure Park saw what happened. The man initially wanted to enjoy the park’s firing range, but chose the bungee jump thanks to his friends’ dare.
Mike said he jumped with his eyes closed and was going to open them again when the cord bounced him back up from the jump. “I realized the cord had snapped when I opened my eyes and I was surrounded by water,” he explained.
Even though his feet were tied, he was able to swim. Park employees immediately rescued him.
“My arms were stretched out, so my armpit area was badly hit. I didn’t know how many injuries I had as I swam up to the surface, all I knew was that my body hurt,” Mike said, according to Stuff.
He also told reporters his armpit was “oozing blood” and missing a layer of skin, according to Yahoo! News.
The park apparently refunded his money and also paid for x-ray and ultrasound scans. Hospital staff later released him with painkillers.
According to Stuff, he previously signed a waiver and the park offered him compensation for the incident.
Upon his return to Hong Kong, Mike stayed in the hospital for three days and also required costly physical therapy. However, travel insurance took care of the payments.
At the time, he also reportedly developed a lung infection that he believes is the result of accidentally ingesting the park’s dirty lake water.
Park founder Nithit Intim said the incident was the first time he had seen a cord snap.
“Our staff explained that if any mishap happens or any accident takes place, our company will compensate medical bills. But the client can’t demand for compensation on other kind of expenses,” Intim told CNN.
Meanwhile, the bungee jump operator said nothing like it had ever happened before. He also noted the equipment is licensed and apologized for the incident, per Stuff.
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