Argentina: Woman plunges from 23rd floor, survives
By Associated Press
Jan 24, 2011 12:55 PM CST
A damaged taxi is seen after being hit by a woman, who tried to commit suicide, throwing herself from a 23rd floor, in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Jan. 24, 2011. The seriously injured woman was taken to a hospital while the taxi driver managed to get out of the car before the impact. (AP...   (Associated Press)

Witnesses say they saw a woman throw herself from the 23rd story of a Buenos Aires hotel Monday and survive.

The woman landed in a sitting position on the roof of a taxi whose driver got out just before the impact deeply dented his roof and shattered the windshield.

The woman, a 30-year-old Argentine, was rushed to the nearby Hospital Argerich, where she was being operated on for injuries including internal bleeding and broken hips and ribs, Alberto Crescenti, director of Argentina's Emergency Medical System, told the government news agency Telam. He estimated that she fell nearly 100 meters (330 feet).

The taxi driver, who gave his name as Miguel, reportedly said he saw a policeman looking up and that prompted him to get out just before the driver's side of the car was smashed by the woman's body.

Another taxi driver, Juan Carlos Candame, told Associated Press Television News that he saw the woman climb over a barrier and jump into the void.

The woman plunged from the top of the Hotel Crown Plaza Panamericano, where a restaurant overlooks the landmark Obelisk in downtown Buenos Aires.

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