Ranger Successfully Intervenes In Attempted Suicide

On April 22nd, park dispatch received a call from a concerned mother who said that she believed her daughter was going to take her life and that she could be in the park. Ranger Jim Barnes searched for and found her vehicle parked along Skyline Drive. The 37-year-old woman was semi-conscious when Barnes attempted to communicate with her through locked doors. Because of her condition, she was unable to unlock the doors on her own. After seeing what appeared to be suicide notes on the dashboard and recognizing the woman’s depressed level of consciousness, Barnes broke out the passenger side window with his ASP baton. After removing the woman from her car, Barnes provided emergency care, maintained her airway and itemized a list of medications found in the vehicle so that appropriate medical treatment could be given. The list included antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, pain killers and sleeping pills. She was taken to Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, Virginia, where she was admitted into the ICU.