Shocking footage of hapless man's failed attempt to jump over a canal goes viral

ALARMING FOOTAGE of a man's failed attempt to jump over a canal has gone viral online.

In the clip, which has been doing the rounds on Twitter and YouTube, a man thought to be in his early 20s can be seen preparing to jump over a canal.

He starts by lying down on the ground with his arms stretched out while two friends, off camera, try to assess whether he is tall enough to make the audacious leap.

Just as it seems as though the man is having doubts his friends offer some encouraging words, telling the hapless bloke that he "ain't gonna die" and needs to "get a grip."

That's enough to convince him to go through with the attempt.

Setting off, one of his off-camera friends can once again be heard counting down "1, 2, 3, jump" - but it doesn't go quite to plan.

Starting from a short run-up, the young man makes the colossal error of pausing before he jumps, losing any of the momentum he might have generated.

What follows is difficult to watch, with the man falling woefully short of reaching the other side of the canal with his jump.

Instead, he clatters directly into the opposite inside wall of the canal in a collision that looks likely to have resulted in a concussion and, most likely, some lost teeth.

Watching the clip, you would be forgiven for thinking the man might have died.

Fortunately, a follow-up tweet confirmed that the man, thought to be called "Dave", survived the ordeal, though he was left bruised and bloodied.