San Diego

A 38-year-old woman was in critical condition Wednesday night and her 3-year-old son was in fair condition after both plunged from a downtown freeway overpass in an apparent suicide attempt, police said.

The mother, whose identity was not released, dangled from the 1st Avenue bridge over Interstate 5 by her hands at 12:30 p.m. while her son clung to her waist, police spokesman Bill Robinson said.

Both were seen hanging from the bridge before the mother let go and the two fell onto the northbound lanes of I-5, Robinson said.

Other witnesses told police they saw the youngster hanging on to his mother’s legs before the woman let go, Robinson said.

It was not known if either of the two was hit by a car, but Robinson said “the mother may have been struck.”

The woman was at UC San Diego Medical Center on Wednesday night with severe head injuries, a supervising nurse said.

The boy suffered two broken arms and a broken leg and was undergoing surgery, the nurse said.

Robinson said police are treating the incident as an attempted suicide.