A 21-year-old University of Georgia senior is recovering after surviving a fall from an eighth-floor window at an off-campus Athens apartment building.
Kristin Sargent fell Saturday evening at Rambler Athens on West Broad Street, the New York Post reported. Witnesses told police she was dancing on a couch or air mattress near an open window when she went through the screen and landed on the complex’s second-floor courtyard pool deck.
An Athens-Clarke County police report described by CBS Atlanta says officers, firefighters and emergency crews responded around 7:37 p.m. Investigators found evidence Sargent struck a metal bench during the fall: an armrest was broken and blood was visible on a cushion. Police said the available evidence points to an accident and the case is not being treated as criminal.
Sargent was conscious and alert after the fall but suffered multiple broken bones. Her father, Richard Sargent, told WSB-TV she remained awake and was talking with friends. He described his daughter, a finance and marketing student, as “a good fighter” and said the family expects her to recover.
The building’s management reminded residents that windows throughout the property have safety limiters and warned them not to tamper with, remove or disengage the devices. Authorities have not said whether the limiter on the window involved was engaged, functioning or relevant to the fall.
Rambler Athens said it is cooperating with investigators and reviewing the circumstances. The company asked residents to respect the family’s privacy and wished Sargent a speedy recovery.
Students left messages of support inside the building. Officials have not announced a window inspection or identified any property defect.
