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Woman jumps off Chester Bridge

Posted May 05, 2017 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Editor@heraldtrib.com

A 54-year-old Makanda woman was rescued from the rain-swollen waters of the Mississippi River on Friday night after an apparent suicide attempt at the Chester Bridge.

The Chester Police Department has not released the woman's name, but did confirm the woman was rescued alive.

"There was evidence of a suicide attempt," said Chester Police Chief Ryan Coffey, who noted the woman traveled to Chester but did not state why she chose the bridge. "Officers searched the vehicle when they arrived."

Coffey said the original call came in at 9:53 p.m. from an officer checking the Chester Welcome Center, which generally closes at 10 p.m., and who had discovered the woman's vehicle.

Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert said firefighters were paged out at 10:47 p.m. to search for someone who had possibly jumped off the bridge.

"There was a vehicle down at the Welcome Center with a suicide note inside, apparently," Bert said.

Bert said Union Pacific Railroad workers heard a woman screaming for help downriver. With the Chester boat ramp inaccessible due to flooding, firefighters deployed their rescue boat near the old Chester Water Treatment Plant next to the UP's tracks along Water Street.

The woman was found near where Marys River flows into the Mississippi River.

"We went downstream and upstream and could hear her yelling," Bert said. "She was hanging onto a tree limb in the water."

Bert said the woman did tell first responders that she had jumped off the bridge.

"We don't know how long she was in the water," Bert said.

Bert noted the woman was transported to Memorial Hospital for evaluation. Fire units were back in service at 12:16 a.m.

"Search and rescue stuff have been shifted over to the fire department," Coffey said. "It's their thing pretty much at that point.

"We may have an interest in interviewing the individual, which we did, but search and rescue in most situations is handled by the fire department."

Coffey was asked if the woman faces any legal ramifications for her actions.

"We have not decided on charges at this point of time," he said.

The bridge was closed at noon on May 4 due to rising water on the Horse Island chute that is part of the Missouri approach to the bridge. The Mississippi River crested at 44.66 feet around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, the third-highest crest on record.

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