FOX21 News Colorado

Deputy grabs falling woman by her clothes, saves her life

EL PASO COUNTY, Co. — The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office is hailing one of its deputies as a hero, after he saved a woman’s life earlier this month.

It happened during the morning rush hour on May 12. Deputies say callers noticed a woman on a bridge overpass over Highway 115 along South Academy Boulevard. They were worried she was going to jump.

When deputies arrived, they found the woman in distress. She told them she wanted to jump off the bridge and into the heavy traffic below.

Deputy Ricardo Garcia began speaking to the woman while other deputies tried to stop the traffic on South Academy. That’s when, they say, the woman “abruptly fell” from the ledge she’d been sitting on.

Garcia reacted fast. He reached over the railing, grabbed the woman by her clothes as she was fallling, and – with the help of additional deputies – was able to pull her back to safety.

The woman is now receiving mental health treatment at a hospital.

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health counseling or in a crisis situation, you can make a free, confidential call to a professional 24/7:

Call: 844-493-8255

Text: “TALK” to 38255