Bridge Day Miracles

On Saturday, October 19, the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia hosted its 34th annual “Bridge Day.”  The New River Gorge Bridge is the second largest single-arch bridge, and it is held 876 feet in the air. The festival started at 7:00 in the morning, and ended at 5:00 in the afternoon. There were BASE Jumpers who would jump off of the bridge with parachutes; there were rappels that would hang people below the bridge; and there were zip lines. This is the only time of the year that the interstate is closed for people to walk and look out from the bridge, and the event was truly an unforgettable experience.

BASE jumping stands for Building, Antenna, Span (which includes bridges), and Earth. These are all places from which BASE Jumpers can leap with their parachutes. Since the bridge was opened in 1979, it has been a popular place for BASE Jumpers. One of them includes Lonnie Bissonette, who has been base jumping for 19 years; what makes him unique is the fact that he is in a wheelchair. 

Bissonette became paralyzed from the waist down during a past jump when his parachute became tangled and wouldn’t open. Lonnie had BASE jumped many times before (He was injured on his 1,100th jump!), but nothing like this had ever happened before. Still yet, being paralyzed didn’t stop Lonnie. He had to have a custom wheelchair built so he could still jump, and at Bridge Day, he made a safe landing.

Bissonette's story shows anything can be possible. You should never give up on your dreams no matter how impossible they might seem. Lonnie Bissonette had a large amount of courage and determination, and we can all learn from his story.

-Dylan Crigger