Florida woman suffers ‘immediate paralysis’ after jumping feet-first off boat into bay, authorities say

Deputies in Florida rescued a woman who suffered “immediate paralysis” after she jumped feet-first into a bay on Sunday, authorities said.

The woman, whose identity was not immediately released, had jumped from an anchored pontoon boat into “very shallow water” in Choctawhatchee Bay near the sea wall, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.

After she jumped in, deputies said that the woman lost feeling in her lower extremities but remained alert and conscious.

Deputies and Fort Walton police responded to the scene and pulled the woman to shore using a large float. The victim was taken to a local hospital. 

No further details on the woman’s condition were immediately provided.