A VOLUNTEER rescuer has slammed the antics of a man filmed jumping from the top of the Bethanga Bridge.
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The video shows a man performing a backflip from the peak of the steel structure.
It was unclear when the footage was shot, but it was posted in a Facebook group on Thursday morning.
It appeared to have been filmed by the man’s friends in a boat on Lake Hume.
They can be heard shouting as the man jumps an estimated 20 to 30 metres into the water.
Albury and Border Rescue Squad captain Paul Marshall said there were long-running concerns for people jumping off the structure, and such behaviour could have devastating consequences.
“The lake hasn’t got a current, but you never know who’s coming under that bridge,” he said.
“If a boat comes through it’s going to cause a great deal of damage to yourself, the boat and whoever’s in the boat.
“The force of the water can cause your legs and arms to break, or worse.
“It can push your legs and knees into your face and make you unconscious.
“If you’re unconscious in the water, that leads to people drowning.”
Mr Marshall said if a person was knocked unconscious, help could be some distance away.
“It’s a fair distance from the water to get back onto the shore,” he said.
“It’s a concern.
“They’re going to be in trouble.
“It’s definitely an offence to jump off any of those structures.”
Mr Marshall said it wasn’t just the Bethanga Bridge that was an issue, with other bridges often used to jump into the Murray River.
“Young people are always going to do it,” he said.
“It’s a sense of fun but there’s obviously a lot of risk that goes with it.
“We all love the water at this time of year, with the warm weather, but you just have to be smart.
“Unfortunately with drownings and injuries in the water, you don’t get a second chance.”
Mr Marshall said his group averaged at least two rescues each summer.
His body was found by divers off Table Top Reserve on January 25.
Three lives were also lost in Victorian waters on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
A 45-year-old man drowned while swimming in surf off Philip Island with his sons on Monday.
A 64-year-old man drowned while diving for abalone at Cape Schanck on Tuesday.
A New Zealand man, 27, also drowned at the Grampians on Wednesday.
The Murray is the number one river drowning spot in Australia.
Mr Marshall said it was important people took care while using the river during summer.
“The Murray River is changing every day,” he said.
“It’s dropped 30 centimetres in the last few days which would expose snags that couldn’t be seen a week ago.
“The water level will rise again which will move snags.
“Day to day, it’s changing.”
Mr Marshall said items including motorbikes and shopping trolleys had been removed from the river and weir, which posed a risk to anyone jumping in.
He said death was the worst outcome, but there was also the risk of people being seriously and permanently injured.
“The risk of landing on something like that and causing serious injury is always there,” Mr Marshall said.
Statistics from Royal Life Saving show there were 70 fatal drownings in the Murray between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2017.
Men are most at risk, with a river drowning rate four times higher than women.
The video of the Bethanga Bridge backflip had been liked nearly 3000 times by Thursday afternoon.
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