Tennessee officers make a heroic edge of your seat rescue of a man attempting to jump off a bridge.
Officers in Sevierville, Tennessee, were called to the Sky Bridge at approximately 9 a.m. on Thursday, January 8th. The call was in reference to a man having a severe mental crisis.
The department immediately dispatched officers from the crisis negation team, the community resourse division, and the criminal investigation division.
Sergeant Deewese Milliron took the lead as the officers made their way towards the troubled man. They found the desperate man standing on the very small ledge on the other side of the bridge's safety rail.
They knew they had to act not only fast, but with extreme accuracy.
These officers showed up ready to save a life and were not willing to see any other outcome.
When attempting to negotiate failed and the man attempted to step from the bridge into oblivion, the officers on scene sprung into hero mode.
With only literally a fraction of a second to spare, Sergeant Milliron and crisis counselor William Rickels did not hesitate. They lunged forward, grabbing the man and preventing him from jumping from his death.
The hair raising next few minutes were captured by the responding officer's body cameras. As Milliron and Rickels clung to the man tightly, pulling him against the railing, other officers joined the life-saving effort.
The scene was chaotic as these heroic officers clung to the man who had gone "dead weight" still attempting to fall from the bridge. his only line of defense against certain death were the officers holding him wherever they could grasp at him. The officers struggled with all of their might to pull the man up and over the railing. Their life saving actions were clearly desperate and fierce, for lack of a better word. Their efforts to save the man caused several wooden planks on the bridge's surface to actually break in the process.
They were ultimately able to pull this poor man back from the edge, into the world of the living. Some officers suffered scrapes and bruises in the process, along with the man attempting to jump.
These brave officers didn't think twice about saving this man's life. These officers are a shining example of everything great about great officers who put their own lives second, day in and out to ensure our safety. I've interviewed officers that have had to save some of us...from ourselves. The experience never leaves them.
We are thankful for these brave and selfless officers with Sevierville PD.
Great job, to all of you.
If you are; or anyone you know is struggling with hopelessness, there is help available. Please reach out to one of the many confidential sources available.
You can text the national "s" prevention lifeline at 988. The McNabb Center also provides a crisis line at 1-856-539-2409.
People do care. You definitely matter.
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