Firefighters, troopers rescue one person, recover one body from the Charles at the Mass. Ave. bridge

By bostonzest on Tue, 05/18/2010 - 11:12pm

Story updated at 8 a.m.

The Boston Fire Department and State Police report two men jumped into the Charles River from the Mass. Ave. bridge around 11 p.m. last night.

Boston firefighters and state troopers arrived at the middle of the bridge in time to spot one person in the river "barely treading water." In a statement, State Police say:

State Police Lieutenant Paul Maloney and Trooper John Dwyer arrived on scene and heard screams coming from the water. Trooper Dwyer threw his cruiser's spare tire into the water to assist one of the men, whom they could hear, but not see.

After several attempts, one of the men grabbed onto the tire, and held onto it until a firefighter from Ladder 15 in a survival suit was lowered into the river. The firefighter then held him until a State Police boat arrived to take them to shore.

The man, a 27-year-old Dorchester resident, spent 20 minutes in the water and was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, State Police said.

Around 12:15, divers from the Cambridge Fire Department recovered the body of the other man, a 28-year-old from Hyde Park.

NECN reports the men drove onto the bridge, then got out of their car before winding up in the river.

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Massachusetts Avenue Bridge

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Comments

Ah.

By A Proper Bostonian on Tue, 05/18/2010 - 11:52pm.

Heard about 9 million sirens and then checked here for the story. So now what's going on?

11:15

By Ian Lamont on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 8:36am.

I drove through the Mass Ave/Beacon intersection a little after 11, just as they blocked off the Boston end of the bridge. Judging by the amount of emergency vehicles gathering, it was clear something major had just happened.

Good thinking

By fenwayguy on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 10:15am.

Good thinking on the trooper's part. The Herald reports that there were friends of the men "in the vicinity", who'll presumably be able to shed light on the events leading up to the plunge.

I wonder

By SwirlyGrrl on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 10:46am.

What were they thinking? Did they think there was a catwalk or something just down from the railing? I've heard of people getting flats in construction zones in fog and thinking they were jumping a barrier (not knowing it was a bridge), but it wasn't that misty out last night.

No one would ever make that

By anon on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 11:47am.

No one would ever make that mistake on the Mass. Ave bridge. There's a sidewalk separated from the roadway by a barrier.

UPDATE: One guy jumped in river to try to save the other

By adamg on Wed, 05/19/2010 - 12:55pm.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports foul play is not suspected in the death:

An ongoing death investigation by State Police detectives assigned to Conley's office indicates that one man, a 28-year-old Hyde Park resident, jumped into the water from the bridge and that a friend, a 27-year-old Dorchester man, followed suit in an effort to rescue him.

Responding State troopers threw their cruiser's spare tire into the river for use as an improvised flotation device. After several attempts, the 27-year-old man was able to grasp it and was subsequently brought to shore after about 20 minutes. That man was brought to Brigham and Women's Hospital for evaluation and is expected to survive.

An autopsy is planned for today to determine the exact cause of death, the DA's office says.