Hundreds line up for annual leap from West Virginia bridge

Two parachutists take the plunge from the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia

FAYETTEVILLE, West Virginia (AP) -- Wearing a pink Easter bunny costume and a pig's nose, Tad Kellerman took a flying leap off the New River Gorge Bridge on Saturday and landed safely on the river's edge.

Kellerman, a 19-year-old University of Florida electrical engineering student, was among the first parachutists to leap from the 876-foot (267-meter) bridge during the 19th annual Bridge Day.

"There's not a whole lot of thinking when you're jumping. Everything else is gone," Kellerman said before he joined about 300 other skydiving enthusiasts.

The New River Gorge Bridge, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, is the second highest in the United States only to the Royal Gorge Bridge, which towers 1,053 feet (321 meters) above the Arkansas River in Colorado.

Bridge Day has been held on the third Saturday in October since 1980, attracting hundreds of thrill-seekers. About 100,000 spectators also flock to the event each year.

Three people have died during Bridge Day jumps, the last in 1987.

Two people were injured Saturday. One parachutist got tangled in a tree, fell face-first to the ground and was taken to the hospital. The man, who was not identified, suffered multiple injuries and was in stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said. Another jumper injured an ankle.

Gawkers, tourists, jumpers and about 80 vendors selling everything from pizza to sweat shirts packed the 3,030-foot-long (924-meter-long) bridge.

The jumpers climbed a wooden platform on the back of a truck and leaped into the void. Some jumped straight down, while others leaped out, legs and arms splayed.

Mike Bartlett, 27, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was dressed as Spiderman and said he hoped to jump at least four times Saturday. "If you do it one time, you'll come back," he said.

Bartlett also hoped for another perspective of his jump. A small video camera was attached to his helmet to capture images of the approaching ground.

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