Jan. 19--A female was pronounced dead Monday after she fell about 200 feet from the Skyway Bridge over the Calumet River in an apparent suicide, officials said.
The incident spurred the closure of the northbound Chicago Skyway at Indianapolis Boulevard as police investigated, according to Chicago police.
Police were called to the bridge about 12:55 p.m. after a vehicle was found abandoned on the bridge.
After they discovered the unoccupied vehicle, police notified the U.S. Coast Guard at Calumet Harbor, said the Coast Guard's officer of the day, Chris Roggy. The Coast Guard's ice rescue team was dispatched, Roggy said.
The bridge is about 200 feet above the surface of the water, which was frozen, Roggy said. Coast Guard officials retrieved the victim from the surface and transported her to the bank of the river, where Chicago Fire Department paramedics were waiting.
Fire Department officials took the female to Trinity Hospital in grave condition. She was later pronounced dead, according to fire and police officials.
The female's age was not immediately available.
