Man Survives Plunge From Key Bridge

Motorists were streaming across the Key Bridge during yesterday's morning rush when one of them saw a man climbing the metal railing that lines the bridge's sidewalk.

Then the man disappeared from view.

Police and firefighters, summoned by the motorist's 7:20 a.m. call, headed up the Potomac River to the scene to begin searching, authorities said.

The center arch of the bridge is about 60 feet above the water, and a plunge from the bridge is often fatal.

Yesterday, it was not.

Police said searchers spotted the head of a man who was "attempting to stay afloat."

Three police harbor patrol officers, identified as Hilliard Dean, Robert Belden and Robert Grooms, maneuvered their boat toward the man.

It was not clear how many motorists on nearby roads and highways glimpsed the drama as the officers pulled the man into their boat.

The man, whose bruises were readily apparent, was taken to shore, where he was attended to by emergency medical personnel from the fire department.

Police said the man, who might have been in his 60s, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment and possible mental observation. His name was not given.