Rene Galindo
Officer
California Highway Patrol
9/17/2003
Special Act Award (Gold)
California Highway Patrol Officers Rene Galindo and Kevin Austin, on September 17, 2003, performed an act of heroism at risk to their personal safety by rescuing a distraught and suicidal victim from a freeway overcossing.
At 6:30 p.m., Officers Galindo and Austin of the Southern Division Commercial Unit were on patrol in the South Los Angeles Area. Both officers monitored and responded to a call of a distraught and suicidal woman who had climbed out onto the ledge of the State Route 91 freeway overcrossing. Officer Austin quickly directed the Sheriff’s department to stop all north and southbound traffic. As Officer Galindo’s arrival, he observed the lone female standing on a two inch ledge, clinging to the north edge of the freeway, directly over the traffic lanes of the Main Street under crossing. She was slowly moving further out over the traffic lanes and in danger of falling. Officer Galindo could see the woman was becoming fatigued; however, she remained inaccessible to emergency scene personnel due to an adjacent concrete barrier wall. The fire department was dispatched, yet it was doubtful that the woman’s strength would hold out long enough to wait for their arrival. Officer Galindo formed a plan to use the height of his enforcement vehicle as a rescue platform and subsequently positioned it directly above her location. He then climbed onto the shell of the enforcement truck and leaned over the wall, taking hold of the woman and preventing her from falling.
As Officer Austin observed Officer Rene Galindo attempting to rescue the woman, Officer Austin climbed up on top of the vehicle, leaned over the wall. While Officer Galindo was holding onto the wall with his left hand, he used his right hand to quickly grab the females’ clothing down near the rear waist area. As Officer Galindo struggled with one arm to bring the female up to his position near the top of the wall, Officer Austin then grabbed the females pony tail with his right hand and her left arm with his left hand. At this point the female became violently combative as both officers struggled to pull her over the retaining wall. The officers were subsequently able to control and secure the female on the freeway side of the wall.