Seattle police have released a video showing officers responding to a call about a man experiencing a mental health crisis on a downtown bridge. The man stood on a ledge about 25 feet above train tracks as officers tried to persuade him to come down to safety.
In the video, one officer can be heard pleading with the man, saying, “I want to help you, and I need you to hear me when I say that.” However, before officers could get him to safety, the man slipped and fell onto the rocks next to the tracks.
At that moment, a freight train approached at high speed. Officers immediately rushed to the tracks. With the train’s horn blaring, one officer managed to drag the man off the tracks just seconds before the train passed.
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Seattle police detailed the event in a Facebook post, stating, “Policemen on the lower platform ran across the tracks to rescue the man while a train approached them at high speeds. An officer dragged the man to safety, risking his life, with only seconds to spare.”
The 57-year-old man suffered serious injuries, including multiple fractures, and was unable to move after the fall. Despite police requesting a halt to incoming trains, the freight train was already en route when the call was made.
Thanks to the swift actions of the officers, the man survived. He was treated at the scene by the Seattle Fire Department before being rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.