Florida woman suffers 'immediate paralysis' after leaping into shallow water feet-first off boat and is rescued by deputies
- A Florida woman jumped feet first from an anchored pontoon into 'very shallow water' in Choctawhatchee Bay near the sea wall on Sunday
- She immediately lost feeling in her lower extremities but was alert and conscious
- Deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office and a Fort Walton police officer were able to bring the woman to shore
- On Facebook, Denise Leach identified the victim as her daughter, saying she has since regained control of her legs
- It remains unclear what caused the woman to suffer immediate paralysis
A Florida woman suffered 'immediate paralysis' after she leapt into shallow water over the weekend.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office reported on Sunday that a woman jumped feet first from an anchored pontoon into 'very shallow water' in Choctawhatchee Bay near the sea wall.
She immediately lost feeling in her lower extremities, authorities say, but remained alert and conscious.
Eventually, deputies from the sheriff's department as well as a Fort Walton police officer were able to pull her ashore in a large float, and the woman was brought to a local hospital.
The woman's identity has not been released, but on Facebook, Denise Leach identified the victim as her daughter, and another user tagged a woman named Kayla Leach, telling her she made the news.
Denise said in her comment that her daughter has since regained control of her legs.
Deputies with the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office as well as a member of the Fort Walton police were able to rescue a woman after she jumped into shallow water on Sunday
Authorities say the woman jumped feet first from an anchored pontoon into 'very shallow water' in Choctawhatchee Bay near the sea wall and suddenly became paralyzed
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'Update for everyone, great news is the paralysis was only temporary and she has regained use of her legs,' Denise commented on the Sheriff's Office post Monday.
'She is in the hospital recovering and should be OK with time,' she wrote, as she thanked the deputies who arrived on the scene to rescue her daughter.
'Special love and thanks to the FWB officer, who by the way is her brother,' Denise added. 'Also, thanks for all the prayers and well wishes from all of you who didn't even know who she is.'
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Leaches as well as the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office for comment.
Denise Leach identified the victim online as her daughter, saying she has since regained control of her legs
It remains unclear what caused the woman to immediately become paralyzed, however experts have suggested she may have injured her spinal cord in the jump.
According to the Oregon Health and Science University, each disc of the spine is 'like a jelly doughnut, with a soft center (nucleus) and tough outer shell (capsule).'
It is therefore possible the woman suffered from a herniated disc, in which the capsule cracks or breaks and the nucleus squeezes out.
Herniated discs can irritate the spinal cord or nearby nerves, causing the spinal cord to compress and leading to weakness or numbness in the arms or legs.
An injury can cause a herniated disc and the accompanying loss of feeling to develop 'even very suddenly,' according to Johns Hopkins University.
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