A 51-year-old Winfield woman hung herself by a rope from a railroad bridge west of Winfield late Monday but failed to kill herself, authorities said today.
“Apparently, she jumped from the bridge and the rope broke,” said Lt. Bill Mueller with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office. “She hit the ground and broke an ankle, causing a compound fracture.”
The woman crawled onto the bridge and tied a rope to the tresses, said Mueller. The location she chose was over the bank of the Walnut River and not the water. Mueller said the woman fell 30 feet from the bridge which is located near a railroad yard on Phillips Sheppard Road. The incident occurred just before 9 p.m.
Sheriff’s deputies, police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene of what was reported to be a car accident. When they arrived, they discovered the woman had made it to her car, then driven her vehicle into a ditch after trying to hang herself. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment and later transported by Eagle Med helicopter to a Wichita hospital, said Mueller.
The woman was probably depressed, said Mueller, but no specific information was given for the reason of her attempted suicide. The woman does have a family, said Mueller.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad yard is often a location of nefarious incidents, likely because of its remote location.
“They frequently have problems down there with people stealing,” said Mueller.