Emergency workers in Birmingham spent more than two hours negotiating with a woman who was suffering a mental health crisis and threatening to jump from a tree onto a railroad track on Friday evening.
The Fire and Rescue Service and Birmingham police responded just before 6:30 p.m. to a report of a person trapped in a tree at Georgia Road and Oporto-Madrid Boulevard.
The crews arrived to find a 32-year-old woman over the tracks, authorities said.
Norfolk Southern stopped trains from traveling on the track as police talked to the woman and convinced her to come down. The negotiations lasted more than two hours.
Birmingham police Lt. Katherine Snider, one of the lead negotiators, was crucial in resolving the situation, authorities said. Norfolk Southern Agent Jay Lacy got into a harness and helped the woman to safety.
She was taken to the hospital to receive treatment.
“Each person who responded and assisted with this call exemplified our motto which is Excellence Through Service,’’ the fire service said in a Facebook post. “Their resilience, patience, bravery and professionalism contributed to the successful rescue of this victim.”
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