The fact that a man without protective gear survived a plunge over Niagara Falls is "a miracle".

That from Astral's medical correspondent Dr Mitch Shulman.

Witnesses say the man, thought to be in his 40s, climbed over a retaining wall above the Horseshoe Falls Monday, jumped into the Niagara River & was swept over the Falls.

He managed to make his way to shore alone & was talking with rescuers at the scene.  He's now recovering in Hamilton hospital.

The still unidentified man is only the 4th person in history to survive a ride over Niagara Falls.

Dr Shulman tells 610 CKTB News that kind of fall can inflict a lot of trauma on the human body. He says the turbulence in the water could make a person feel like they're stuck in a washing machine & without control of their body. 

The greatest risk is of smashing into a rock or being pulled under the water & drowning.  There's also a good chance of concussion because of teh churn the body & brain go through in a fall from a great height. 

If you survive all that, psychological shock notwithstanding, Dr Shulman says a survivor of a trip over Niagara Falls should bounce back fairly well.