An apparently suicidal woman in her 40s jumped from the Via California bridge in Dana Point onto the I-5 freeway Friday morning.
The woman survived the fall and was transferred to Mission Hospital, said Officer Chris Goodwin of the California Highway Patrol. The CHP had stopped traffic in both directions.
"We shut down the entire freeway to avoid her hitting any vehicle in case she jumped, and she did jump," Goodwin said.
CHP officers and deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department tried to talk the woman out of the jump, Goodwin said.
The report first came in at 10:09 a.m., said Jim Amormino, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department.
"The woman was on the ledge. They tried to talk her down, but she intentionally let go," Amormino said.
The jump happened at 10:25 a.m.
Amormino said she has a variety of injuries but is expected to survive the fall. The overpass is about 17-20 feet above the freeway.
The woman did drive her car to the bridge, Amormino added.
By 11:30 a.m., traffic was again freely flowing on the 5, Goodwin said.
