47-year-old Fort Smith man died after Tuesday jump from Garrison Avenue bridge

FORT SMITH -- A man who jumped off the Garrison Avenue Bridge into the Arkansas River and was able to swim to shore died later of his injuries, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Thursday.

Brent Barker, 47, of Fort Smith jumped off the bridge about 10 a.m. Tuesday, the Highway Patrol reported. He was able to swim to shore, where people including maintenance workers at Harry E. Kelley River Park aided him, the Oklahoma agency spokeswoman said.

Responding to the scene were Fort Smith Police Department officers and fire and EMS personnel, who gave Barker medical care and transported him to a local hospital, according to a Police Department news release.

"He died from injuries sustained in the jump around 1:10 that afternoon," the Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.

Authoritie