Pocono News Section

Nurse stops to help save a life

Nurse stops to help save a life - Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 5:01PM EST

Tuesday, Jun 3, 2008 @ 05:01pm EST

A Scranton nurse was in the right place at the right time.

Monday morning, a woman was going to jump off an Interstate 81 overpass.

Traffic was blocked.

But instead of taking a detour, the nurse helped, and saved the live of a troubled woman

Gail O'Leary of Scranton has been a nurse for years, but never had a day like Monday.

"I was coming down the mountain a few minutes late as usual. And as i got to the bottom of the hill, approaching the overpass of 81, I saw a girl," says O’Leary

O'Leary saw a woman trying to jump off an overpass.

“All the years of nursing and life experiences, I felt as if this was a time to pull it all together very quickly," says O’leary.

O'Leary is a behavioral nurse at CMC in Scranton .

Police brought her up to the woman, who we won't identify.

O'Leary talked to her, and calmed her down for about 30 minutes

That was precious time because the woman had taken a large amount of pills.

"I realize that time was of the essence, and that she was getting very sleepy and unable to hold on to the fence much longer," O’Leary.

Fire crews, police, and Scranton public safety director Ray Hayes fortunately pulled the girl to safety.

Hayes says O'Leary's help was greatly appreciated.

“It says a lot about her it says a lot about her and it says a lot about her profession in general. And we were very thankful that she took the time to stop," says Hayes.

But O'Leary didn't stick around for long.

"I moved out of there very quickly right after they grabbed her because I was already late for work."

She got to work, and reflected on the day.

“You feel good that you were able to be part of a team that was actually effective."

A team that with O'Leary's help, likely saved a woman's life.

We’re told the woman is recovering in an area hospital.