"It's a miracle in itself"

If someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it? A seventeen year old high school student in San Fransisco did on a dare while visiting the Golden Gate Bridge on a field trip. He miraculously survived the 220-foot plunge into San Francisco Bay that kills dozens of people each year.

Most jumpers die a grisly death, with massive internal injuries, broken bones and skull fractures. Some die from internal bleeding, while others drown.

But the 17-year-old lived, suffering just a broken tailbone and torn lung. He was rescued by a surfer who paddled over and took him ashore, California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Rardin said.

“It’s a miracle in itself,” Rardin said. “The majority of folks do not survive this type of fall.”

Someone leaps off the iconic bridge an average of once every two weeks — last year, 32 jumpers died. About 98 percent of those plunges end up being fatal and authorities rule most of those deaths suicides.

The Marin County Coroner’s Office and the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District have said that up to 1,500 people have died after jumping off the bridge since it opened in 1937.