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Shoppers' horror as woman leaps from building
Adam Derbyshire13/ 8/2008
SHOPPERS watched in horror as a woman jumped from the top of the Arcades shopping centre in Ashton in an apparent suicide attempt at lunchtime today (Wednesday).
The 41-year-old plunged 50ft after leaping off the top of the car park on to a pedestrianised section of Warrington Street below.
Screams rang out and children, many of whom were in the town centre enjoying school holidays, began crying as they realised what had happened.
Police found the same woman in a distressed state wandering at the side of the M60 in Ashton earlier this morning, it has emerged. But it is understood she refused any more help from officers after being taken to safety.
The woman fell at 12.30pm and suffered serious spinal and hip injuries. Police sealed off the section of walkway for forensic examination.
Eyewitness Chris Hantulik, who sells doughnuts from his stall outside the Arcades, said: “I saw a shadow fall out of the corner of my eye.
“Then I heard a sickening thud, almost like a crunch. I glanced over and saw a body lying on the floor. Someone shouted that she’d jumped off the roof so I ran out and yelled up to the security office.
“A woman came past with a little lad in tears and I heard her say she nearly landed on them. Paramedics were here almost instantly. By chance, they must have been passing and got the call. I don’t know if she was still conscious, but they whisked her off in an ambulance.
“She must have been pretty messed up to do that in broad daylight. It’s the summer holidays, the place is full of families and children.” Roger Hantulik, landlord at the Prince of Orange nearby, said: “The ambulance crews were working on her for a while and then they took her on a stretcher. It’s awful.”
Detective inspector Andy Aston, of Ashton police, said: “The 41-year-old suffered serious spinal and hip injuries and she has been taken to hospital. Her condition is serious but doctors are working hard to stabilise her.
“It is understood that she did indeed jump and, as a result, there are no suspicious circumstances.”
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14/08/2008 at 12:18
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