Bellevue-resident Mark Afforde stepped onto the edge of the Canyon Creek bridge near Amboy, Wash., at 2:30 p.m. last Thursday for his second bungee-jump of the day.

The first jump – a 20-story drop – had been exhilarating so Afforde felt a rush of excitement as he got ready to take the plunge again. Only this time, Afforde got more than he bargained for.

The bungee cord snapped just after he reached the lowest point in the 300-foot plunge. Instead of springing back up, the 49-year-old plunged roughly 25 feet into Canyon Creek.

His friends rushed down the canyon to reach him along with the professional bungee-jumping crew that had set up the day’s excursion. Before they reached the bottom, Afforde appeared from under the water’s surface and managed to pull himself onto the shore. He was rushed to the emergency room where he was treated for minor injuries.

“I’m seemingly sore and bruised, but the doctors did a CT Scan in the ER and it showed no serious signs of trauma. I’m just all beat up, but well enough to be talking about what happened, so I can’t complain,” he joked.

Afforde remains slightly shaken by the incident, but in good spirits.

“A bunch of my friends decided this was a great means of celebrating our great fortune. People had gone before me and everything was going good. I had a first jump and it was fantastic, so I came directly back up and went again only this time the bungee broke and I hit the riverbed,” Afforde recalled.

The professional bungee-jumping company, bungee.com, alluded to Afforde that in 21 years there had never been an incident of a rope snapping during a jump.

“It was my first time bungee jumping, but it won’t be my last,” Afforde said. “Things like this happen, but I’m not going to let it keep me from trying again.”

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.