Happy ending to potential life-threatening situation Sunday on Big Orange Bridge
By Nelson Daily Staff
Nelson Police said a distraught woman contemplating life tied up commuter traffic on the Nelson Bridge Sunday evening for the better part of an hour.
Nelson Police received a call at approximately 7:18 p.m. a 23-year-old female was attempting to climb to the top of the Orange Bridge.
Officers rushed to the scene to find the Nelson resident seated precariously atop the bridge structure in an agitated emotional state. The woman expressed to police a desire to jump from the bridge structure as a suicide attempt.
Traffic on the bridge was immediately stopped as officers engaged in lengthy negotiations with the young female.
Nelson Fire Department, BC Ambulance Service and Nelson Search and Rescue were also called to the scene to assist.
After approximately one hour of effective negotiations by NPD members, with the assistance of the Nelson Fire Department members and ladder truck, the female was eventually safely removed from the bridge and brought to safety.
The woman was transported to Kootenay Lake Regional Hospital where she was committed based on a mental health assessment conducted by a physician.
