Lawrence Andreasen

Who was Lawrence Andreasen?

Larry Andreasen was a diver from the United States. He represented his country at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he received the bronze medal in springboard diving.

In later years, Andreasen several times attempted to set the record for the highest dive from a bridge. On September 29, 1988 he successfully jumped 160 feet from the Gerald Desmond Bridge in Long Beach, California. A 4-foot overhang meant he could not attempt a dive headfirst, thus preventing him from breaking the record. He was arrested for this undertaking.

In December 1988, he was talked down by police from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles in another attempt to break the record. On October 26, 1990, Andreasen was killed diving from the 385-foot west tower of the same bridge. His death was ruled an accident.