'It was a stupid idea': Train surfer promises to change after near-death experience
A young man filmed riding on Melbourne train tops and hanging off carriages says his train surfing days are over after a near-death experience.
Matt was left coughing up blood and in hospital after his latest, and last, stunt saw him jump from a train on a Hawthorn bridge into the Yarra River.
The 20-year-old performed the dangerous stunt and last Friday, plunging 10-metres from the train into the water.
“It was quite a stupid idea. We thought it would be a good idea at the time,” Matt said.
“It was like hitting some very solid glass.
“I couldn’t breathe. I was in the middle of the river and I just had to get out.
“I was all alone. There was no one and I just needed help ... I got to the river bank and I was spitting up blood.”
Luckily for Matt, a passerby called an ambulance and he was rushed to hospital.
“I was just really scared. I thought I’d lose him,” Matt’s friend Scarlet said.
“It was a very painful sight. He was lying there shaking.”
Just weeks ago, Matt had spoken to 7 News, saying he did not fear death and would continue to perform the dangerous train stunts as part of the group Sky High Idiots.
RELATED:
'Everyone's going to die someday': Train surfer speaks out
Dangerous train surfers ride just inches from cables
But it seems the near-death experience has changed Matt’s tune.
"It gave me a new value for life," he said. "I mean, it's easy to say everyone is gonna die. But when you're so close to it, it really hits home."
Even his friends are reconsidering their actions.
"If you push the limits far enough, they're gonna push back at some point so don’t risk it," friend Scarlet said.
Matt had wanted online fame by performing the train surfing stunts.
He had filmed his Yarra River jump with a bodycam strapped to his body, but it fell into the Yarra on impact.
Matt said he believes police retrieved it from the river bed and now expects to be charged.
