Woman Dangling From Bridge Will Not Face Charges
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The South Florida woman seen dangling from a raised railroad bridge and rescued by firefighters will not face charges as a result of the incident.
Florida East Coast Railway senior vice president Robert Ledoux told CBS4 News that they are not pressing trespassing charges against Wanda McGowan, based on the recommendation of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.
Ledoux told The Sun Sentinel it's also because McGowan is legally blind.
Police responded to multiple 911 calls the morning of Saturday October 12th, of a woman dangling from the railroad bridge that crosses the New River in Ft. Lauderdale.
McGowan was dressed in all pink because she had just taken part in a breast cancer awareness walk in downtown Fort Lauderdale, along with thousands of other people.
Cellphone pictures and videos of McGowan appeared all over Twitter and Facebook.
The 55-year-old woman was crossing the bridge when it began opening but due to her poor eyesight, couldn't move quick enough to get off the tracks before the bridge completely raised.
A second unidentified woman, was also on the bridge at the time but she managed to step to safety just as the opening between the bridge and land was widening, Ledoux told the Sentinel.
McGowan stayed on and hung on for about 20 minutes, until firefighters deployed a 24-foot ladder to rescue her.
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McGowan, while frightened from the incident, was not injured.
