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A man dealing with car trouble almost lost his life Monday night, but his decision to take drastic measures saved his life.
Damien Hadley jumped from a bridge into several feet of water into and lived to tell the story.
Hadley said he was standing on the side of the bridge after his car broke down Monday.
Another car lost control and was suddenly coming right for him.
Forced to make a split-second decision, Hadley jumped from the Buckman Bridge into the St. Johns River.
"I jumped, (and) a couple (of) seconds later hit the water, swam up and swam to the pillars and held on for dear life," Hadley said.
Hadley said he was in the water for close to an hour and thought that was how he was going to die.
"So I just decided to hold on, and every time the traffic got low I screamed 'Help!' and eventually someone heard me," Hadley said.
Hadley said the person who made the call for help was the mother of the woman who crashed into his car.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department threw down a rope and life jacket for him to hold until a boat rescued him.
"Everybody says I'm lucky. I think I'm blessed by the graciousness of God," Hadley said.
Hadley said he got the chance to speak to the driver who caused him to jump, and she was apologetic. That driver is being cited for careless driving.
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