Incredible Rescue: Distraught Woman Trying to Jump Off Livermore Overpass Saved By Police, Fire

By AUTUMN JOHNSON

A distraught woman was rescued last night after quick-thinking fire and police officials worked frantically to keep her from jumping off of an overpass about 30 to 50 feet above the Union Pacific train tracks in Livermore. Fire officials say a police officer was holding the 50-year-old woman by her fingertips through a chain link fence when fire personnel arrived.

Livermore Police Officer Ryan Sanchez, who called the rescue “extremely dramatic,” said the woman’s husband called police just after 10 p.m. to say his wife was threatening to harm herself by jumping off of the overpass at First and Scott streets.

“When Officer Andrew Estes arrived, he saw the woman on the opposite side of the fence, standing on a ledge that was about five to six inches wide, with her fingertips through the fence,” Sanchez said.

According to Sanchez, Estes began to talk to the woman, who was facing the fence at the time, grabbing her hand to comfort and to try to secure her through the fence. Sanchez says more officers arrived and the woman refused to answer any questions from the officers.

“She kept asking to be let go,” Sanchez said. “She appeared to become more determined to jump. As fire crews put the ladder up on the fence, the woman panicked and tried to jump.”

Sgt. Steve Goard, who had climbed up on the fence, with his torso hanging over and Officer Foreman holding his feet, had grabbed onto the woman’s forearm. Officer Sanchez and Lt. Draghi held onto the woman, who was now facing away from them, by the waistband of her jeans while firefighters worked to secure her arms to the fence with nylon straps as her feet dangled.

“Rescue crews were literally stepping on our backs trying to get over the fence to reach her,” he said. ”This was absolutely a team effort between police and fire in saving this woman’s life.”

“She was located at the highest point of the overpass and on the outside of the chain link fence,” Livermore Pleasanton Fire Battalion Chief Joe Testa said. “Firefighters on the roadway side of the fence positioned a ladder and worked with police officers to hold the female while another firefighter accessed the outside of the fence and positioned himself behind the female to ‘hug’ her to the fence.”

Police officials say that had the fence given way at any point during the rescue, all the involved rescuers would have fallen over the ledge.

One of the officers involved in the rescue said, “She is alive today due to the efforts of all involved … There was not room for one more additional body to hold onto her but we would have lost her if we were one person less. It was perfect unity between the fire and police departments.”

Testa said the Union Pacific train traffic was halted through the duration of the rescue, while Livermore Police officials shut down First Street throughout the rescue and for the investigation that followed.

“This was an incident where fractions of a second counted for the citizen in distress,” Testa said. “Firefighters secured fall prevention straps to the female and the firefighter that was outside the fence with her. They then worked to cut the chain link fence and bring both safely on to the roadway.”

More amazing rescue stories on Patch:

• WATCH: CHP Struggles to Save Suicidal Man Trying to Jump Off Freeway
• VIDEO: CHP Struggles with Distraught Jumper as He Dangles From Bridge

According to Testa, First Street was closed for about 45 minutes.

“The rescue took about 15 minutes, during which time multiple police officers and firefighters worked to save this female with the risk of their own fall to the tracks below,” Testa commented.

The woman, a Livermore resident, was transported from the scene by Paramedics Plus ambulance for evaluation.

Livermore Police officials want residents to know there is help for those who are thinking about harming themselves. The local number for the suicide prevention 24-hour hotline is (800) 309-2131.

Photo courtesy Livermore Pleasanton Fire BC

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