Shocking moment new dad falls 152-foot while working on Detroit’s Ambassador Bridge – and SURVIVES after partner and daughter of man who drowned in the same river nearly 30 years ago ran to get help
- Spencer Baker, 27, survived a 152-foot fall into the Detroit River from the Ambassador Bridge that connects Michigan to Canada
- Two women who previously lost their father and partner in the same river decades earlier raised the alarm sending rescuers to pull Baker from the water
- Baker broke all ribs on his left side and fractured his cheekbone – he was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where he received medical attention for his injuries
A man survived after plunging 152 feet into the Detroit River from a bridge connecting Michigan to Canada – with the alarm being raised by two women who lost a father and partner in the same river decades earlier.
The man, identified as contractor Spencer Baker, 27, who was working on the Ambassador Bridge and replacing its suspension cables, was rescued on Wednesday evening by a crew aboard a Detroit mail delivery boat.
Bernita Flowers witnessed the terrifying plunge first hand.
‘It brought back a few memories — yes, it did,’ she told WXYZ.
29 years ago, her partner and father to daughter, Terri George, drowned in the same Detroit River.
Spencer Baker, 27, survived a 152-foot fall into the Detroit River from the Ambassador Bridge that connects Michigan to Canada
Baker made quite the splash after plummeting from the bridge where he was working
Baker was working to replace cables on the massive suspension bridge that connects the U.S. to Canada
‘For that to happen, it resurfaced everything I thought I was over,’ George said, speaking of the fall. ‘It shocked me so bad. I couldn’t believe it was happening in front of my own eyes.’ she added.
Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said people who were fishing saw the man in the water and alerted the J.W. Westcott.
The Westcott crews regularly practice man overboard drills and were prepared to respond. They quickly sprung into action and safely pulled the man out of the river.
‘He’s very fortunate,’ Harris said.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lDCydfLw0kc%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US
Detroit Fire Chief James Harris said people who were fishing saw the man in the water and alerted the crew of the J.W. Westcott who brought him aboard
Eyewitnesses were able to capture dramatic footage of the rescue on Wednesday evening
Incredibly, Baker remained conscious throughout the entire ordeal
The Ambassador Bridge which connects Detroit to Canada is North America’s busiest international crossing but there is a 152 foot drop should someone fall from it
‘The force of the impact had ripped most of his clothes off of him,’ Sam Buchanan, captain of the Westcott, told Fox 2 Detroit.
‘His work boots were still on him and his pants were around his ankles and he had his T-shirt on.’
Buchanan said Baker was ferried back to shore where Detroit paramedics took over.
‘We were relieved that he could talk to us, but he was pretty out of it,’ Buchanan said. ‘He kept asking us what happened to him and we told him that he fell off the bridge.
‘We scrambled out to our boat and we got aboard – myself and two crew members, and with the help of the folks in the park they were pointing to where the man was,’ Buchanan explained.
Surveillance cameras captured the fall and subsequent rescue
Bernita Flowers and daughter Terri George ran to raise the alarm
The mother and daughter told how they lost a loved one of their own 29 years ago
Bernita’s partner and Terri’s father drowned in the Detroit Rivers in 1994
‘We had him on our hands probably about two to three minutes after he hit the water so it was a pretty quick recovery and once we got him on the boat we got him back to our dock and the Detroit Fire Department was here already. They were really fast on their response.’
Baker would not go into details as to what caused him to fall but maintains he was ‘doing everything I needed to do, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.’
‘I was just thinking this is it, man, my life is over,’ Baker told CTV. ‘I’m never going to see my daughter again. My fiancée. My whole life flashed before my eyes.’
Baker, who has a four-month-old daughter was still conscious when he was rescued. He was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital but has since been released.
‘I remember being in the water and trying to keep my head up on my back,’ he said.
‘And then I just remember hearing the people on the boat saying ‘we’re coming, we’re coming.”
Spencer Baker, 27, is pictured at home with his fiancee and four-month-old baby daughter
All of the ribs on his left side are broken while his right cheekbone is also fractured, and his ‘whole body is purple.’
‘I feel very, very fortunate,’ Baker says. ‘I’m so thankful for all the people that ran to help me rescue me.
‘It’s been really heartwarming, but at the same time it’s been tough because it’s all going through my head right now.’
Baker will likely be off work for months as he recovers from his injuries.
‘I’m worried about the future because I’ve got to provide for my daughter and my family,’ says Baker. ‘I don’t know how long it’s going to be before I’m fully functional again.’
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with expenses over the coming months.
George and Flowers who witnessed a drowning incident three decades after losing a close family member of their own say the rescue brought them a sense of closure.
‘I think he has a little baby, the victim, and I was just so happy that that baby gets to experience her dad more. It’s really touching,’ George said.
The Ambassador Bridge which connects Detroit to Canada is North America’s busiest international crossing.
The Michigan Occupational Health and Safety Administration is investigating the incident.
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