County Officials Warn Swimmers – Floaters About Parking and Bridge Jumping [YouTube]
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office is reminding swimmers and floaters that with the hot weather, rivers and bridges are much more crowded, with people and vehicles.
Public Information Officer Brenda Bassett reminds water lovers that parking can become a problem near bridges, intake and outtake locations.
"Over the last weekend, we had a lot of deputies tell us that many of the vehicles were parked illegally along recreation areas and bridges, and some were ticketed and even towed away," Bassett said. "So, we just want to remind everyone to pay attention to the signage and park legally in those areas. Some residential areas require parking permits."
Bassett also has a reminder to resist the temptation to jump off area bridges into the rivers below.
"As we all know, jumping off the bridges can be very dangerous, not just for the jumper, but also for those floating under the bridges who can be struck and seriously injured by a jumper who is not paying attention," she said. "Know that there are county ordinances that prohibit you from jumping off specific bridges and there are signs at each end of those bridges, so there's no excuse."
In July of 2013,, a Missoula man was seriously injured when a jumper landed on him as he passed underneath Bandmann Bridge near Bonner.