Man rescued from Catawba River in York County, SC after jumping from I-77 bridge
A man has been rescued from the Catawba River after jumping into the water from the Interstate 77 bridge in York County Thursday, officials said.
The man leaped from the bridge before 5 p.m., said Trent Faris, spokesman for the York County Sheriff’s Office. Emergency dispatchers received calls about a vehicle pulled over on the southbound side of the bridge, Faris said.
Patrol deputies, the sheriff’s office dive team, and the Rock Hill Fire Department responded. The man survived the jump and was found on a rock in the river, Faris said.
A swift water rescue team from the fire department used a raft to bring the man back to shore, said Mark Simmons, deputy chief of the fire department.
The man was taken for medical treatment, Faris said.
The bridge separates Rock Hill and Fort Mill, about eight miles from the North Carolina state line with Charlotte.
The incident occurred during the afternoon commute from Charlotte to Rock Hill and caused delays on I-77, officials said. The span is the busiest stretch of road in York County with more than 100,000 vehicles using the II-77 bridge each day, statistics show.
Deputies remained on scene Thursday evening. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, Faris said.
Traffic was back to normal by around 7 p.m., according to S.C. Department of Transportation cameras and officials.
