Woman rescued after taking plunge off Oak Street dead end

A 30-year-old Chester woman was rescued by first responders after she walked around a barricade at the dead end of Oak Street in Chester last week and fell down a steep incline.

According to an eyewitness, the woman was seen around 9 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 9) walking in the middle of the street and seemed to be staggering as she approached the dead end.

Eddie Valleroy, who lives just two houses from the dead end, decided to go outside about that time to roll up his car windows. He saw a woman walking down the middle of Oak Street toward his house.

"I spoke to her and she said she was going home and wanted to take a short cut through the woods at the end of the street," Valleroy said. "I immediately told her that that was a dead end and she could not go past the barricade at the end of the street."

But the woman did not pay him any attention, he said, and she kept walking. When she got to the barricade at the dead end, she walked right around it and kept going, he said.

"All of a sudden she disappeared out of sight," Valleroy said. "It was dark and difficult to see, but I went to the barricade and looked down. There is a sudden, steep drop-off and all I could see was the woman, face down, with her feet sticking up. It was so dark and steep that I knew I couldn't get to her so I called the police."

The Herald Tribune knows the identity of the woman, but since she was not charged, we will not name her.

Valleroy said Chester officers Joe Crain and Jim Winters arrived quickly, and determined they needed help. The Chester Fire Department was called as well as Med Star Ambulance Service.

Within minutes firefighters arrived with rescue equipment and lights. Police and firefighters, assisted by Med Star personnel, safely worked their way down to where the woman was stuck and managed to get her secured onto a rescue basket. They carefully brought her to the top of the hill and onto Oak Street.

According to Chester Police Chief Bobby Helmers, she appeared to be in fair condition and after a brief medical check on site, Med Star personnel took her to Memorial Hospital in Chester for a more in-depth examination.

"She did not appear to be seriously injured," Helmers said. "No tickets were written because there was no crime involved.

"If it hadn't been for Mr. Valleroy witnessing her disappearance down the hill, who knows how long she might have been trapped in that steep ravine on that hillside."

Chester Fire Chief Marty Bert said it was somewhat difficult to get to her.

"That area drops off very quickly and it is heavily wooded with lots of vines and brush," he said. "The darkness didn't help either, but she did not appear to be injured, so she was lucky."