Student Survives Eighth-Story Fall After Dancing on Couch
A University of Georgia student is in intensive care after miraculously surviving a fall from an eighth-floor apartment window.
A 21-year-old University of Georgia student survived a fall from an eighth-story window at The Rambler apartment complex in Athens on Saturday evening, according to a police report.
Kristin Sargent, a senior studying finance and marketing, was found on the building's pool deck after falling through a window screen. The fall occurred around 7:30 p.m., shortly after the Georgia Bulldogs football team defeated the Oklahoma Sooners.
Authorities stated that Sargent had been dancing on a couch or air mattress near the open window. Upon arrival, officers found that a metal pool chair with a cushion had broken her fall. The cushion showed signs of blood, and the chair's armrest had broken off.
Sargent was transported to a local hospital where she is being treated for multiple injuries in the intensive care unit. Her father, Richard Sargent, told Channel 2 Action News that his daughter is conscious and alert and understands the severity of her survival. "She was talking to one of her friends and saying, 'Hey, I'm alive. I can't believe it,'" Richard Sargent said.
The circumstances surrounding the fall are still under investigation, but police are currently looking at the incident as an accident. The Rambler apartment complex has reportedly sent a message to residents reminding them of the safety features on all windows, urging them not to tamper with or remove them.
Sargent is an incoming full-time business analyst at Capital One in McLean, Virginia, and is also a member of the Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Georgia.
Her father expressed gratitude for the support from the school community and the healthcare team, stating, "She's a good fighter, and she's going to be OK."