A police officer risked his life to carry out the daring rescue of a man suffering a “mental health crisis” from train tracks, seconds before a train rushed past.
Video released Wednesday by Seattle Police Department showed the dramatic moment a 57-year-old man was standing on a ledge above train tracks last week while surrounding officers try to persuade him to climb up to safety.
Police were called to a bridge on 2nd Avenue East and East Jackson St in downtown Seattle at 9:16 p.m. on Oct. 7.
“I want to help you and I need you to hear me when I say that,” an officer says.
Police had asked for trains to be stopped — but a train was already on its way through King Street Station below.
Seconds later the man slips and falls 25 feet onto the tracks, sustaining serious injuries. Two officers then go onto the tracks, as an oncoming train sounds its horn, pulling him to safety just as it passes.
“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,” SPD said on Facebook.
“Due to the rescue efforts by first responders, the man survived,” the force added.
The man suffered multiple fractures and was treated at the scene by the Seattle Fire Department and then at Harborview Medical Center where he was said to be in a critical condition.
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