Dad punctures both lungs in horror accident amid moment of 'stupidity'

A father of three wants others to "learn from his stupidity" after he punctured both lungs by backflipping 40 feet off a bridge.

Tom Scott hoped to "relive his youth" with the stunt off the structure but he was fortunate to avoid death after plunging into the river. The 40-year-old man felt a wave of nostalgia while passing the bridge over the River Wyre in Garstang, Lancashire - as he used to leap from it in his younger days - but this attempt saw him smash to the ground.

The dad was rushed to hospital on Friday, where doctors confirmed he had punctured both lungs and suffered extensive bruising. He believes his moment of recklessness could've left him paralysed or even dead - and is now warning others to avoid similar stunts.

"My girlfriend kept saying don't do it, and I said I'll be fine, I did it loads when I was younger. When I was there, I stupidly decided I wasn't going to jump off, I would backflip off. I'd done it a few times when I was younger but this time I overdid it," Tom, of Blackpool, Lancashire, said today.

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Tom, who is a personal trainer, struggled to breathe when he plummeted into the River Wyre. He began coughing up blood moments after emerging from the river.

He continued: "It was like hitting concrete. I landed flat on my back. My back was really stinging. I came up and went swimming to the shore. I could barely breathe. I saw there were kids about wanting to jump and straight away I said 'don't do it'.

"As I was sat down, I coughed and a lot of thick blood came out my mouth. It felt like there was a snake wrapped around my chest. My girlfriend was terrified and went 'I'm taking you to hospital right now'.

"When I was a kid, I used to jump off that bridge and never had an issue. When we got there, I just thought I'm going to go to the bridge and jump off it. It was just for nostalgia. I just wanted to do something I did when I was younger."

The father dipped in and out of consciousness while medics at Blackpool Victoria Hospital examined his injuries. He added: "They were quite shocked that I hadn't broken anything.

"I could've been crippled or even dead. It was a bit of stupidity and I own that. I massively regret it. I feel massively ashamed, stupid and embarrassed.

"I shouldn't be doing that at my age, but I wouldn't advise anyone to do it. Think about what could be before you do it, because it could happen. What can happen to me can happen to anyone. I'd advise to anyone not to do it. I could've easily died. Just learn from my stupidity."