Officer

California Highway Patrol

8/2/1999

Special Act Award (Gold)

California Highway Patrol Officer Gene McGary and Officer Raymond E. Meyer, on August 2, 1999, performed an extraordinary act of heroism at risk to their personal safety when the Officers put themselves between a distraught woman and traffic traveling on U. S. Route 101. If the Officers had not acted as they did, the woman would have fallen to her death. At approximately 9:07 p.m., Officer Gene McGary and his partner, Officer Raymond Meyer, were responding to a citizen's report of a possible jumper on the Betteravia Road overcrossing at U. S. Route 101. Upon their arrival, the officers discovered a citizen attempting to keep a distraught 40-year old woman, later identified as Mrs. Mary Gardina, from falling. Mrs. Gardina was standing on the traffic side of the eight foot overcrossing fence approximately 35-feet directly over the northbound number 1 lane. The citizen, Mr. Larry Rodarte, was holding the woman through the chain link fence. Mrs. Gardina had been arguing with her husband over child custody and in a weak moment, contemplated jumping off of the freeway overcrossing. She suddenly had a change of heart and began screaming for help. Without hesitating, Officer McGary and his partner jumped the fence to the traffic side and held Mrs. Gardina against the fence to prevent her from falling to her death. Officer McGary immediately requested the Santa Maria City Fire Department (SMFD) respond to remove her to safety. In the meantime, Mr. Rodarte gathered a length of rope from his vehicle and strung it through the fence around the officers and Mrs. Gardina, securing them to the fence. The SMFD removed Mrs. Gardina to the off ramp shoulder where she was placed in protective custody. The SMFD then returned to the overcrossing where Officer McGary and his partner were also removed from their precarious perch. Mrs. Gardina was transported to the Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria where she was admitted for a 72-hour psychiatric hold.