West Columbia Police Officers Foundation

Supporting Those Who Protect Us

News Article

PFC Neal Nelson was honored recently at the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association Banquet. Nelson received the Medal of Valor for heroism.  His nomination read as follows:

In the late afternoon hours of December 26, 2009, our department responded to a suicidal jumper on the Gervais Street Bridge.  The forty-two year old female had climbed over the railing and was holding onto a light pole.  Officers, including Nelson, attempted to talk the woman down from the bridge.  Despite their efforts, the woman jumped into the frigid waters of the Congaree River.  PFC Nelson ran to the river’s edge and quickly removed his duty gear so that he could enter the water in an effort to go after the jumper. Another officer remained on the bridge to call out the woman’s position to Nelson.  The river was at flood stage and the weather and water were extremely cold.  Records indicate that the air temperature was approximately 46 degrees at the time of the incident.  The water temperature was around 52 degrees.  The combination could alone be deadly due to the risk of hypothermia.

 

An onlooker who lived nearby gave PFC Nelson a canoe and paddle to assist him in his rescue efforts.  Without so much as a life jacket, Nelson paddled the canoe through the swift water to the woman’s position.  He grabbed the woman and managed to keep her head above water while trying to paddle her to safety.  The woman was barely conscious and the river was moving very swiftly.  He was finally able to get the woman to shore down river.  Due to flooding, emergency personnel were unable to get to them.  The City of Columbia launched a powerboat to get to Nelson and the woman and transported them to an area where EMS personnel were waiting.  The female was transported to the trauma center at Palmetto Richland Hospital in critical condition.  When her condition improved, she was moved to the psychiatric ward of the hospital.  PFC Nelson was treated for exposure.

 

If not for PFC Nelson’s quick and unselfish actions, there is no doubt that the woman would have died.  PFC Nelson most certainly put his own life in jeopardy to save this woman.  There is no better example of a public servant willing to put his life on the line for the public than PFC Neal Nelson.

PFC Neal Nelson is awarded the Medal of Valor at the 2010 S.C. Law Enforcement Officers’ Association Banquet.

West Columbia Officer Honored For Heroism

Date: 10/12/2010