At about 3:15 p.m. today (Feb. 21), Festus Police got a call that a young Festus girl, probably 12 to 14 years old, either jumped or fell from the West Main Street bridge onto northbound I-55 below, Chief Tim Lewis said.
He estimated it was a 50-foot fall.
“Miraculously,” Lewis said, it appeared no vehicles struck the girl after she landed on the interstate.
"Vehicles stopped and several drivers got out to render aid and to prevent the young woman from being struck by any vehicles," he said in a written statement.
He said Joachim-Plattin Ambulance personnel arrived and began treating the girl, who was seriously hurt.
Then, she was transported to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur.
Lewis would not give the girl’s name but said her family had been notified.
"At this point, the investigation is continuing," he said in the written statement.
Lewis said police got several calls about the incident. Crystal City Police, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Festus Fire Department also responded to the scene, Lewis said.