Scott T. Hartigan helped to save a woman from falling, Dana Point, California, October 27, 2008. A 39-year-old woman intent on committing suicide climbed onto the narrow ledge of an interstate highway overpass and held by her fingers to a chain-link fence along the edge of the overpass. Motorists, including Hartigan, 46, business operator, and his brother stopped on the overpass. While his brother held to the woman’s fingers from the other side of the fence and talked to her, Hartigan scaled the 10-foot fence and positioned himself on the four-inch ledge, which was about 35 feet above the highway pavement. He straddled the woman from behind, pinning her to the fence. The woman struggled against him, but Hartigan retained his hold of her for several minutes. Law enforcement personnel, including a highway patrol officer, arrived, as did firefighters. Seeing that Hartigan was stressed, the highway patrol officer went around the nearer end of the fence and made his way about 80 feet along the ledge to Hartigan and the woman. He helped to secure the woman to the fence with a line that was passed through it and then directed Hartigan to return to safety. Hartigan scaled the fence back to the overpass deck as the officer took his place in pressing the woman to the fence. The officer handcuffed her to the fence as she continued to struggle. When those on the overpass cut a hole in the fence, the officer, who had been joined by a sheriff’s deputy, passed the woman through it to safety and then followed her there. She required hospitalization.
81735 – 9331
81735-9331