Madison Police Department officers were dispatched to the Langdon Street neighborhood Wednesday after a tense situation on a rooftop culminated in a woman falling to the ground and being rushed to the hospital.
While MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said the department only releases formal incident reports on actions that are criminal in nature, he confirmed that officers responded to a check welfare call.
After responders received the call for the developing situation at 150 Langdon Street, he said an individual was on the roof of the building and subsequently fell from the top of the structure.
DeSpain said the individual was transported to a local hospital following the fall and said there was no way to determine how many students may have witnessed the event.
Because no incident report will be filed, DeSpain said while he did not have an exact time for the incident, police responded early in the morning, likely around 5 a.m.
Lt. Marylou Ricksecker said the individual was not a University of Wisconsin student but was a Langdon Street resident.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said he was notified of the incident by MPD around 3 p.m. in a report to all City Council alders. He said MPD confirmed the individual had sustained life-threatening injuries due to the fall.
“The fact that other students saw it happen is just horrific,” Resnick said.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, Resnick said the individual was not expected to survive the injuries sustained.
No additional information was available about changes in the individual’s condition, DeSpain said.
University Health Services Director of Counseling Danielle Oakley said students who may have witnessed the incident might be grappling with shock and disbelief following the event.
“If they have their own mental health concerns, an event can make them worse or can bring back traumatic experiences,” she said. “The best is to talk with others about what they’ve been through.”
UHS Director Sarah Van Orman said she urges students to seek out support resources if they are concerned for a friend or about their own personal safety.
UHS provides free walk-in counseling sessions daily from Monday to Friday and has an after hours mental health crisis line available 24 hours a day at (608) 265-5600, option 9.
Correction: The original article ran with a picture that was not the building that the woman fell from. The picture has been removed. Also, Dr. Sarah Van Orman and Dr. Danielle Oakley’s titles were switched. Orman is the director of UHS, and Oakley is the director of counseling for UHS. We regret the errors.
