A public television employee jumps off the Parliament hall's balcony to protest at the government's austerity drive in Bucharest, Dec 23, 2010. [Photo/Agencies]

BUCHAREST - A man apparently distraught that budget cuts had reduced benefits for his disabled child dived more than 20 feet (about 7 meters) from a balcony onto the floor of Romania's parliament Thursday, but survived and shouted "Freedom!" as he was stretchered from the chamber.

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Shortly after Prime Minister Emil Boc greeted lawmakers, the man, Adrian Sobaru - identified by the country's public television station as one of its engineers - hit the floor with a thud that reverberated through the chamber.

No one else was injured, and Sobaru's injuries were reportedly not life-threatening.

Boc looked startled and, along with other lawmakers, rushed over to Sobaru. Speaker Mircea Geoana briefly postponed the session.

Boc called the incident a tragedy, said he was shocked, and appealed for calm in what he called "these tough times."

The session resumed without opposition lawmakers, who walked out when their request to reschedule a motion of no-confidence motion in the government was not approved. The opposition needed 236 votes to topple the government - which survived because not a single vote was cast in favor of the motion.

Romania is mired in recession and the government recently cut public sector wages by one-quarter. And the sales tax was increased from 19 to 24 percent, as the government worked to keep the deficit at 6.8 percent in 2010. The country's economy is expected to decline by 2 percent this year, after contracting by 7.1 percent in 2009. The cuts have angered many Romanians.

A video shows Sobaru standing on a balcony above the area in which lawmakers were sitting, then diving off. A handful of lawmakers watched him fall. Photos show him wearing a white T-shirt bearing the words "You've pierced us. You've killed our children's future. Freedom."

The first line was a reference to President Traian Basescu who, upon winning the presidential race in 2009, said, "I've pierced them," using a line from a well-known Romanian movie.

New organizations quoted colleagues as saying Sobaru had a disabled child whose benefits had been cut. The public television station TVR said he jumped "for personal reasons," and said the station had given him material support for "health problems he had in his family."

Sobaru sustained face wounds, and other non life-threatening injuries, said Catalin Carstoiu, manager at the University Hospital. He will undergo surgery and psychological counseling, Carstoiu said.