Stupid News Story of The Day

(Next week, you can help daddy work on his new fear of bridges.)

Dad breaks leg trying to cure phobia

LANTANA, Fla. - A father broke his leg trying to cure his daughter's fear of heights. Troy Stewart and his 10-year-old daughter Meagan were on their daily bike ride Monday evening when Stewart suggested they jump off a 15-foot bridge as a way of curing the girl's fear of heights.

Meagan made the jump into the Intracoastal Waterway safely, but her 31-year-old father ended up with a broken leg.

"At first he said, `Do you want to do it or not?'" Meagan said. "I thought, `It's kind of high,' and then he's like, `Trust me.'"

Stewart was able to get out of the water and waited nearby after Meagan rode her bike the half mile home and alerted her mother, who called authorities.

"In his mind, he was playing," said Mandy Potter, 32, of her partner of 10 years. "But I don't condone his child's play."

Stewart was not charged with a crime since Meagan jumped willingly. However, officials from the state Department of Children & Families planned to interview him.

"This is an example of what not to do as a parent," police Capt. Andy Rundle said. "And let this be a lesson to everybody: Somebody's tried it, and it's not a good idea."