Woman Survives Bridge Jumping

A woman who jumped from the Ravenel Bridge on Wednesday survived and waited five hours to be rescued below the cable-stayed span, according to law enforcement.

The 30-year-old Charleston woman was spotted by a motorist around 4 a.m. Wednesday climbing over the edge of the bridge near the first diamond, according to reports.

Charleston Police conducted a sweep of the bridge in the early morning hours, but they did not locate any signs of the woman, the report states. They also scanned parking lots for unoccupied vehicles, but found nothing to suggest a person may have left their vehicle before walking onto the bridge.

Nearly five hours later, law enforcement spotted the woman below the bridge on the "rock islands" surrounding the support beams, according to police spokesman Charles Francis.

The Charleston County Rescue Squad, the U.S. Coast Guard and boats from the Sheriff's Department and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources assisted in the search.

Francis and Sheriff's spokesman Major Jim Brady confirm the woman survived, but no further information on the woman's medical condition is currently available.

Her name is being withheld by Patch since she did not die in the incident and she faces no criminal charges. There have been three suicides by jumping from the Ravenel Bridge since December.