Man falls from overpass

Lolita Harper

An unidentified Tustin man who was threatening to take his life fell

from the top of a Costa Mesa Freeway interchange on Saturday

afternoon, causing emergency officials to shut down both sides of the

San Diego Freeway for more than an hour, which backed up traffic for

miles.

At 9 p.m. Saturday, the man was in critical condition at Western

Medical Center in Santa Ana, hospital spokeswoman Sonoma Van Brunt

said. The man had “extensive internal injuries and fractures to his

upper and lower extremities,” she said.

At 3:08 p.m., the California Highway Patrol received a call that a

car was blocking the transition road from the southbound Costa Mesa

Freeway to the southbound San Diego Freeway. On arrival, officers

found the 32-year-old man, whose name is not being released, perched

on the interchange railing, CHP Dispatcher Mike Sheldon said. Sheldon

said it was obvious the man was distraught and preparing to commit

suicide.

The man, who was wearing green shorts, tennis shoes and a white

T-shirt that was partially removed, hugged the overpass railing with

his arms and legs while holding a small knife in his left hand. The

usually bustling thoroughfare was strangely deserted. Only two Costa

Mesa fire engines, an ambulance and a handful of police cars were

parked on the southbound side. About a dozen city emergency officials

stood below the dangling man, with hundreds of cars at a dead stop

about a mile behind them.

Four California Highway Patrol officers surrounded the man on the

overpass while Costa Mesa fire and police officials closed the

freeway below and stayed on the scene for support. The patrol

officers talked to the man, but he staunchly held his position.

The Tustin man told officers in Spanish that he wanted to die

because he had nothing to live for, Sheldon said. As the officers

continued to talk to him, he became more agitated and began swiping

with the knife at the law enforcement officials, Sheldon said.

Over the roar of the circling Airborne Law Enforcement Helicopter,

officers could be heard repeatedly telling the man to drop the knife.

He shouted back, “No, no, no.”

Suddenly, the man let go of the railing, and a handful of officers

rushed to him, grasping at his hands and legs. As soon as they

approached him, the man let go of the railing. The CHP officers

lunged to grab him, ripping off his shirt. They caught hold of his

ankles, and the man dangled precariously over the northbound side of

the vacated San Diego Freeway.

Costa Mesa officials moved closer to the man and prepared for the

eventual fall.

Drivers on an open onramp that ran parallel to the San Diego

Freeway did a double take when they saw a man hanging from the

overpass. They eased off the gas and leaned out their windows to get

a closer look.

“What is going on?”

“Is that man trying to kill himself?” they shouted from their

cars.

Additional CHP officers rushed to hold onto his ankle. The four

men leaned over the railing, trying to get a stronger grip despite

the man’s jerking, shaking and repeated cries of protest. The

officers braced each other. Some motorists also ran to help.

The man took the blade to his throat a number of times. After the

man’s third attempt to slice his neck, an officer removed his baton

and tried to knock the knife from his hand. But the man would not let

go. He continued to resist the rescue efforts.

Sheldon said the man used the edge of the overpass to pull away

from the officers.

In an instant, the man’s leg slipped through the officers’ hands.

The officers grasped desperately for his shoelaces and the soles of

his shoes, to no avail. The patrol officers lunged over the railing,

but he was out of their reach.

The man dropped head first and landed about 50 feet below.

Costa Mesa emergency officials sprang into action. Costa Mesa

paramedic James Trailblinkle was the first person to reach the man

and immediately began lifesaving procedures.

Costa Mesa paramedics said it was obvious that the man had broken

his arm, but could not quantify the extent of the internal trauma.

The ambulance left the scene at 4:19 p.m.

Van Brunt said he was treated by the trauma team and transferred

to the intensive care unit.

The southbound side of the freeway was open by 4:30 p.m., and CHP

officers stayed on the northbound portion to finish their

investigation. All lanes were open by 5 p.m.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].