Orange County sheriff's deputies helped prevent a tragedy Sunday night on the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge when a 58-year-old woman threatened to jump to her death.
OCSD received a call about 7 p.m., and Deputy Bart Epley arrived on the scene less than two minutes later.
The woman, who had been located by her family but was not responding to their pleas, had one foot on the railing of the bridge and one on the sidewalk.
However, under the coaxing of Epley, she returned completely to the sidewalk and walked to him. She was later taken to Mission Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
"The Sheriff's Department is pleased we were in a position to help this family in a time of need," said Lt. Brian Schmutz, chief of police services in Rancho Santa Margarita. "Fortunately we were able to respond quickly and make a difference tonight in this woman's life, as well as her family's."
The family called 911 at 7:02 p.m., and incident took very little time. The bridge was not closed, although it has been during prolonged negotiations in the past.
It's the second time this year a potential jumper was coaxed to safety by sheriff's deputies on the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge.
Deputies twice made physical saves over the summer. A jumper was grabbed off the Tijeras Creek Bridge on Antonio Parkway near Canada Vista Park, and a teenager was grabbed and pulled over the protective fencing by deputies atop the Banderas Bridge.
In September, a 56-year-old Lake Forest woman was found a few days after she apparently jumped from the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge, which rises about 63 feet above Trabuco Creek near Alicia Parkway.
Only one person out of eight has survived the fall from the bridge, but he took his own life a year later by jumping off the Oso Parkway bridge in Las Flores.
In October, the City Council of Rancho Santa Margarita began considering new options to prevent people from jumping off its bridges.
Editor's note: For anyone seeking additional help consider:
- Suicide—National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Organ Donation—Donate Life
- Mental Illness—National Institute of Mental Health
