South Carolina Good Samaritan helping at rescue scene dies after falling from bridge

Jessica Nicole Smith, 29, is believed to have pulled over around midnight on Saturday after stumbling upon the scene of a truck crash on Interstate 385 in Greenville County.

Authorities say a 29-year-old woman fell to her death off a bridge as she tried to help people involved in a wreck in Greenville.

She heard a voice and placed both her legs on the edge of the bridge. Witnesses said Smith got out of her auto and went to the truck, checking the cab and bed for victims.

The Coroner’s Office says Smith thought the ground was nearby, but instead she fell 23 feet to the base of the bridge and died. The man’s medical condition was not clear late Sunday, but the coroner’s office said he survived his fall.

The coroner said a cause of death is pending an autopsy.

Family members told WYFF that Smith was a certified nursing assistant who leaves behind a 9-year-old son, Isaiah. “Heartbroken and empty” is how Hope Smith describes how she feels over the loss of sister Jessica Nicole Smith, who came across an accident scene in the early morning hours Saturday. “She would try to help anybody that needed help”, said Betty Smith, Jessica’s grandmother.

She added: “He’s going to be OK because I’m going to make sure of that but it’s going to be tough growing up from the age of 9 without your mom”.

Hope Smith said the day before her sister’s passing, she posted a status on Facebook worrying she would not be around for Isaiah.