A man who went bungee jumping to celebrate his divorce ended up plunging nearly 70ft and breaking his neck when the rope snapped.
Unlucky Rafael dos Santos Tosta fractured his neck and lumbar spine in the fall at the Lagoa Azul (Blue Lagoon) in Campo Magro, Brazil.
The 22-year-old is now undergoing intensive therapy following his 20-metre plunge at the beauty spot on February 11.
Rafael had gone to the spot - a lagoon in a disused quarry - to do a bridge swing to celebrate his divorce.
The activity, which is similar to bungee jumping, consists of free-falling before becoming a "human pendulum" as one swings in a huge arc.
After miraculously surviving the horror plunge - albeit with lasting injuries - Rafael told local media: "I have always been a very calm person, but things changed recently.
"After the divorce, I wanted to enjoy life in every way possible. I was doing a lot of crazy things. I was not valuing my life at all.
"Rafael had gone to do the bridge swing with a cousin and a pal three days before his 22nd birthday. When the rope snapped, he ended up plunging into the lagoon, as seen in this footage.
"He fractured his neck and lumbar spine, hurt his back and face, and sustained other injuries in the fall.
He told local media: "You start to see life and be grateful for everything. It's not that I didn't care before, but I didn't look at it with this perspective.
"My life will never be the same. I don't want to be the Rafael I was before. I have to be thankful for being alive, which is already a very big thing.
"Now, almost three months later, Rafael is still suffering from the after-effects of the fall, despite several physiotherapy and treatment sessions.He still struggles to lift heavy objects, feels pain in some areas, and suffers from weakness. The psychological trauma has also failed to go away.
He said: "My sleep is not the same. I'm not able to sleep. I had to seek help. I started having crises, nightmares, and I'm afraid to go to sleep."We think we are strong, but if you have a specialist or a light, it's much better than trying to get up alone.
"Rafael - a production operator who does industrial inspection at a factory in Araucaria, where he lives - has been off work since the accident.
He recalled: "On the day, I was really happy, excited."
Before his jump, he remembers joking about the rope not being able to take his weight.
His next memory was of waking up in the water, with people around him asking him not to move and letting him know that help was on the way.
He said: "I panicked, and I thought, 'What am I doing lying here?
"When I tried to stand up, I remember feeling a very strong pain. I've never felt worse pain in my life."
After his fall, Rafael was stabilised by a medical team from the Military Police Air Operations Battalion and taken by helicopter to Rocio Hospital in Campo Largo.
He recalled his gallows humour at the time, telling local media: "I kept joking, 'Wow, I can't believe I'm riding a helicopter.'"
Rafael also remembered telling his mum about his plans two days before the bridge swing.He told local media: "She said, 'Rafa, are you crazy? What are you doing with your life?' She gave me a moral lesson that I think I'll never forget."
After being told about the accident by Rafael's pal, the family made the six-hour trip from the family home in Figueira to visit him in hospital.
Rafael recalled: "My mother arrived, looked at me with that look like she wanted to punch me, but she hugged me and said, 'Thank goodness you're okay, son.'
"So many things have happened in my life that I think she's already tired of telling me, 'I warned you.'"
Rafael told local media that his love for extreme sports has not gone away, but he will not do any similar activities again because of his family's worries.
He said: "My dream was to go skydiving. I know what happened there, there is an explanation for everything, it was a big mistake.
"I believe that this error is unlikely to happen to anyone else. I'm not the kind of person who refrains from doing things because others tell me not to.
"My mother didn't want me to go jumping, but I went anyway. I wouldn't jump now because of them. If it were up to me, I would already be there."
Since Rafael's accident, the Lagoa Azul remains open to visitors, but it is no longer possible to go bridge swinging there.When contacted by local media, the Civil Police said that there were no ongoing investigations into the incident.
