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Woman recovering after falling from cliff near Pennybacker Bridge
Both the woman and her dog fell from the cliff and first responders say she and her dog are doing really well, considering the circumstances.
AUSTIN, Texas - A young woman is recovering after falling from a cliff near the Pennybacker Bridge.
Both the woman and her dog fell from the cliff and first responders say she and her dog are doing really well, considering the circumstances.
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According to Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Travis Walden, the woman, whom they believe is about 18, was walking her dog on the overlook near the bridge around 10 a.m. Thursday when her dog fell off the cliff.
The woman chased after it, and that's when she slipped and fell too.
“She landed, and then kind of -- it’s about a 45-degree slope that she slid down into the trees, about halfway between the mid-section and the water,” Walden said.
Hamilton Bradshaw and his coworker Reed McKemie work on the lake and were the first to find her. They heard her screams coming from the woods.
“She was just scared, which is expected -- very expected. But yeah, she was pretty strong. She just muscled her way through it,” Bradshaw said.
When she fell, the woman was left in a precarious spot, making it challenging for first responders to get to her.
“[First responders were] working on a steep incline for sure. Weaving a bunch of guys through heavy brush or trees, you know places where you can’t get a helicopter, you know anything like that,” said Bradshaw, who helped shuttle the first, first responders on-scene to the woman via boat.
First responders needed to get to her and get her off the incline and to the water to load her into a boat.
Crews were able to use ropes to bring the woman down. They then brought her to a boat launch across the lake, eventually airlifting her.
“You know, we did what I hope anybody would do. Somebody needs help then try and get them help,” said Bradshaw.
Walden said the woman was in “good” condition considering the circumstances.
The woman appeared to have suffered an ankle injury and was also complaining of back pain. Her dog was fine and was in the care of Austin police until it could be reunited with the young woman and her family.