A woman was rescued by police officers and local firefighters after falling into Lake Pontchartrain while trying to catch her cell phone.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office received a call from a passing motorist who witnessed the woman fall at around 3 a.m. last Monday. The victim told investigators that she was arguing with her boyfriend on the phone and decided to pull over in the westbound lane of I-10 to get fresh air.
After exiting her vehicle, the woman’s phone slipped out of her hand and she tried to grab it but instead tumbled over the bridge railing and fell 30 feet into Lake Pontchartrain, according to Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange, spokesman for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
With assistance from local fire departments, the woman was lifted from the marsh area in a basket.
“She sustained some neck and ankle injuries in the fall and was transported to the hospital and later released,” LaGrange said.
He added that the woman was not charged with any crime.Less than six hours later, the Sheriff’s Office was called back to I-10 after a witness saw a man jump over a concrete railing into the lake.
The marine division later recovered the body of Rene Darby III, of New Orleans, near the spot where he was seen jumping into the water. There are no signs of foul play, but investigators are awaiting the results of an autopsy.
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