AUSTIN — A woman's cellphone GPS may have helped save her life after falling off a cliff near Pennybacker Bridge, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
ATCEMS Commander Paul Alvarez told KVUE the woman's brother-in-law knew something was wrong when he hadn't heard from her. He tracked her cellphone and found it at the edge of a cliff Friday morning near the popular Loop 360 overlook.
"When he got there, he heard her calling out and called 9-1-1," Alvarez said.
The woman had fallen nearly 90 feet. Medics found her near the water's edge.
"We don't have calls of this nature that frequently, but the call we had this morning is what we train for," Alvarez said. "We train hard, and when we get a call like this, it pays off."
Crews had to rappel down the cliff to rescue the woman, who was in her 30s. A helicopter took her to the hospital with serious injuries, but she is expected to survive.
"You just have to be cautious and aware of your surroundings," Alvarez said.
The Pennybacker Bridge outlook is one of the best spots in Austin to take photos because of the scenic views of Lake Austin and the downtown Austin skyline. But after Friday's events, Alvarez wants to remind visitors to stay at least 10 feet away from the edge of the cliffs.
"Man, I've been here so many times. I've sat right on the edge with my feet hanging over. I've never had a fear or concern of falling over," Brandon Weber III, an Austin resident, told KVUE. "Gosh, knowing that someone fell over -- that's terrible, man. That's something I'll keep in mind, for sure."
According to ATCEMS, medics have had to make at least five rescues at this spot since the beginning of January 2016.