Bianca Vera Jumps Off 40 Foot Bridge To Save Her Life

In an act of courage that saved her life, North Georgia College and State University student Bianca Vera, 22, jumped off a 40 foot bridge Thursday morning to avoid being hit by an oncoming truck -- and swam 100 yards to safety with a broken back, reports Access North Georgia.

According to My Fox Atlanta, Vera was driving to school when her SUV was clipped by a passing vehicle. She pulled over to assess the damage and saw a truck speeding towards her as she prepared to get back into her car.

She told CBS Atlanta: "The only thought that I remember is that thinking the car, the truck wasn't going to be able to stop and he had nowhere to go. It was either my car was going to hit me because it was about to hit my car or I had to jump."

After she jumped, Vera heard the truck slam into her vehicle. She surveyed the damage to her car later, and is convinced that had she would not have survived the ensuing crash -- which resulted in a multi-car pileup.

It took Vera around 45 minutes to swim through the freezing waters of Lake Lanier before she finally reached land, where emergency crews -- who were in the area for other crashes -- heard her cries.

Vera told My Fox Atlanta that she was jubilant when she saw light on shore -- "Hallelujah! It was like a miracle. It was like, 'Oh my God, I cannot believe it!"

Vera was taken to hospital, where she learned that she had broken a vertebrae when she hit the water.

The nursing student had hoped to be back in school this week, but might have to hold off until her back is healed.

Below, check out My Fox Atlanta's interview with Vera, and let us know what you think of this incredible story in the comments section.

Gainesville Woman Jumps from Bridge: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Comments

[Balzac]

05:07 AM on 02/19/2011

This woman is like a real life action movie star. I'm glad she made it.

[Upside]

08:21 PM on 02/17/2011

That truck driver must have been p&ssed.

[pickle541]

09:13 PM on 02/17/2011

Because he drove his truck into a car? Should have been more alert.

[bmora]

05:44 PM on 02/17/2011

I think the key question to ask and answer is if she had to "survey" the damage all over again, would she pull over to a safer spot and perform the inspection. If the answer is no, she's a fool. So let this be a lesson to all.

[Nerdiac]

08:04 AM on 02/19/2011

Hate-filled Commentators Who Enjoy Blaming Victims Tally: 1

[TeeSC]

05:12 PM on 02/17/2011

What a story!  Awesome!

[Harrietinthecity]

05:01 PM on 02/17/2011

This is not an incredible story - this is a horrific one - with the blame placed squarely on the woman.

Why in Hades did she stop on a bridge if the car was still driveable? Someone needs to take her license. She's not a hero, she's a menace. Why didn't she go to a parking lot, or a safer breakdown lane?

Why is the new story about here when she caused a multi-car pileup and put other people at risk?

Arrest her. That sends a perfect message.

[TeeSC]

05:18 PM on 02/17/2011

 The ignorance of your comments astounds me.  You're blaming HER?  She was hit by another car.  She pulled over.  She wasn't in the middle of the road.  When you're hit by another car, you DON'T leave the scene of the accident.  Unbelievable. 

[bmora]

05:44 PM on 02/17/2011

Agree 100%. Idiots like her don't belong on the road. I don't let the others off the hook either.

[scottarino]

04:41 PM on 02/17/2011

The bridge she speaks of are bridges, two of them seperate. One bridge for each traffic direction, so she could not have been clipped by an oncoming car. Also, the waters were very fridged, there's no way it took 45 mins to swim the 30 yards to shore, the waters were to cold for 45 mins swimming. Much of her story is impossible.

[pickle541]

09:05 PM on 02/17/2011

Huffpo misused the word "oncoming," unless you picture her standing and looking at the truck as it approached. The original article said the truck was "speeding toward her." And, a truck really did hit the car- no way to dispute that. Also, you miss the fact that she broke a vertebra when she jumped. It would have taken longer to swim.

Yes, impossible... that's why it's a fantastic story and she's lucky to be here.

[scud420]

03:58 PM on 02/17/2011

And now she's going to be a slave to not just medical education debt, but to plain medical debt as well.

[davesf]

04:31 PM on 02/17/2011

Way to look on the bright side, sparky.

[garyg210]

03:43 PM on 02/17/2011

It may not have been a good idea to stop in the first place but her reaction in the ensuing emergency was sound.

I have myself jumped off about a 30 foot elevation into water for recreational purposes. This may be of interest to anyone who feels the need to jump into water from a height for recreation or in an emergency.

Assuming you are not an expert diver, the key to avoiding serious injury is to try to enter feet first. It helps to maintain stability by stepping out cleanly, not jumping out. This helps with achieving a vertical drop, rather than an uncontrolled arc.

Some people paddle the air with their hands on the way down to maintain stability, although I have never had to do that to achieve a clean jump.

It also helps to put one foot on top of the other and try to lock your legs tightly before impact. This reduces the risk of injury to your limbs and also channels the energy away from your spinal column.

If you can do all of that, it is a good idea to wrap your arms around yourself as well. This blunts much of the impact to your upper limbs and protects your head, neck, and torso.

There may be others who post here who have more advanced training than I do on this and if so I defer to their opinions.

[deckard70]

04:12 PM on 02/17/2011

If you lock your legs straight as you suggest, won't you shatter your legs if you strike bottom? Wouldn't slightly bent knees be safer?

[Robin Welch]

08:49 PM on 02/17/2011

I've jumped 70 feet off a bridge in Panama (once) and many times off a 40' cliff, also in Panama. I can't imagine breaking a bone doing it, but I suppose if you land flat on your back.

[AndrewJacksonSr]

03:42 PM on 02/17/2011

We she be cited for causing an accident?

[pickle541]

09:07 PM on 02/17/2011

Shouldn't the truck driver be cited?

[nmeade56]

03:35 PM on 02/17/2011

Wow, this is something straight out of a movie!

[Ordinary Citizen]

03:23 PM on 02/17/2011

quick thinking, brave and well scary. maybe next time go to the nearest parking lot to get out and look...you may not be as lucky again.

[greenwren]

03:09 PM on 02/17/2011

I cross a four-mile bridge every day. Has shoulders wide enough to pull over for emergencies. But I would NEVER pull over just to inspect my vehicle after being clipped. Wait till you're across, then pull into a parking lot or a side street.

Glad she's OK, or going to be. But hope she's learned more from this than how to tread icy water for an hour.

[wwoody]

02:57 PM on 02/17/2011

She leaped, and fail in the hands of God. This is truly a blessing, to live through this ordeal. I wish her a speedy recovery.

[Warren Johnson]

03:09 PM on 02/17/2011

It wasn't the almighty, it was physics. If she had died when she hit the water, it would have been physics too.

[wwoody]

03:26 PM on 02/17/2011

Okay he used physic to save her.

[Okeif]

02:21 PM on 02/17/2011

For the people who want to wax on about a bridge they've never seen or drove over, and want to discredit the events that led to the article(namely, why pull over on the shoulder) here is the bridge (and wide shoulder) in question.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=GA&aq=0&sll=34.32235,-83.880249&sspn=0.002084,0.00515&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Georgia&ll=34.321657,-83.879507&spn=0.002118,0.004128&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=34.321657,-83.879507&panoid=gZMOD-Baua7HtSKWpYmHrg&cbp=12,332.31,,0,22.6

[Lesperado]

03:00 PM on 02/17/2011

45 minutes to reach shore! Wow!

[wwoody]

03:28 PM on 02/17/2011

Truly a blessing.

[Winnipegger]

01:19 AM on 02/18/2011

That's a really wide bridge!! The truck had to be way over the line to hit her. Thanks for posting.

[VelenoSangue]

02:14 PM on 02/17/2011

People have such low standards for miracles these days. Nice that she got out okay.

(I'd consider it a miracle if, instead of any of the cars being hit, the truck instead magically passed through them like a ghost)

[syntax facit saltum]

02:43 PM on 02/17/2011

My guess is, if someone reported that had happened, you wouldn't have believed it.

[VelenoSangue]

03:11 PM on 02/17/2011

Yes, I'd be extremely skeptical unless there was a wealth of verifiable evidence, like unmodified security camera and cell phone footage.

[wwoody]

03:30 PM on 02/17/2011

It was and Miracle, just base on the number alone.