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US 93 reopens at Hoover Dam bypass bridge after woman taken into custody

A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper was hit by a bus Tuesday morning while a woman was threatening to jump from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge near Hoover Dam, a spokeswoman said.

NHP spokeswoman Chelsea Stuenkel said the trooper was directing traffic at the scene when a commercial bus backed into him. He was taken to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, she said.

U.S. Highway 93 and state Route 172 were shut down while Las Vegas police talked to the woman on the bypass bridge, according to NHP.

All traffic was stopped while negotiators tried “to get her safely into custody,” Metro spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said.

Motorists traveling south were diverted at the dam and forced to turn back toward Las Vegas. Metro responded to the call just after 6 a.m., and the woman was taken into custody almost five hours later. Police said she would undergo a mental health evaluation.

Dozens of cars and tourist-filled buses tried to wait out the road closures in the parking lot of the Hoover Dam Lodge, and visitors sprawled across the lobby. Others trekked up a nearby hill in search of a good view or walked toward the lake.

One man visiting Las Vegas from Orlando had been waiting at the lodge since 6 a.m., when he was diverted on his way to the Grand Canyon. He waited about three hours before leaving.

Others arrived throughout the morning with similar ideas of waiting it out.

David and Kelly Cutlip, from Northern Virginia, said the hazy weather in the valley Tuesday morning seemed perfect for an outdoor trip to the dam.

“We really figured this day would be perfect,” David Cutlip said.

The Cutlips decided in the end that the influx of vehicles would be too much, even when the road reopened, so they drove back to Las Vegas.

NHP reported that the highways were reopened just after 11 a.m., and delays continued as traffic began to crawl through the area again.

Review-Journal writer Raven Jackson contributed to this report. Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find @MaxMichor on Twitter. Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find @WesJuhl on Twitter.

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