A DUI suspect jumped from an interstate bridge in Hoover Sunday morning after police initially found him passed out behind the wheel of his car.

Hoover 911 received a call at 5:22 a.m. from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency about a car stopped in the center lane of I-459 southbound near the Highway 150 overpass. A patrol officer arrived on the scene at 5:26 a.m. and found a silver Nissan Altima stopped in the center lane, said Hoover police Lt. Keith Czeskleba.

The motorist, a 27-year-old man, appeared to be intoxicated and was passed out. After several tries, the officer was able to wake up the man and had him get out of his vehicle.

While the officer was waiting for her backup to arrive, the driver became agitated and ignored the officer's requests to put his hands behind his back, Czeskleba said. The man then started running toward the concrete bridge railing.

He jumped over the railing, and fell about 25 feet onto the ground below. Officers began giving first aid while waiting for paramedics to arrive. The Hoover Fire Department got on the scene at 5:39 a.m. and transported the suspect to UAB Hospital. His injuries are life-threatening.

"This is certainly a tragic situation and, first and foremost, we hope this individual is able to make a full recovery. Our officer who was the first on the scene, found herself in an extremely dangerous situation,'' said Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector. "It's not uncommon for us to respond to calls where DUI suspects are passed out at the wheel, but when it involves a stopped vehicle in the middle of the interstate, it really increases the chances for a terrible outcome."

Rector said authorities believe the officer did everything she could to gain control of the suspect, while working with an extremely tough set of circumstances.

"Dealing with a driver who is likely impaired is difficult on its own. She had the added danger of a vehicle stopped in the middle of the interstate, and then an uncooperative subject,'' Rector said. "The outcome was bad, but it could have been even worse. We're thankful our officer was not injured and we're very fortunate that no innocent motorist struck the stopped vehicle."

In an unrelated incident, a man was killed also Sunday morning when he jumped from a bridge onto Interstate 65 in Fultondale.

That incident happened just before 9:45 a.m. in the southbound lanes of I-65 at the Walker Chapel bridge. Witnesses told police the man walked off the bridge to his death. At least three accidents followed. His name has not been released pending notification of family.