The Seattle Police Department reported that an officer risked his life to pull a man to safety just moments before a train sped by. Dramatic video footage released by authorities shows officers rescuing the injured man from the train tracks, narrowly avoiding disaster.
The incident occurred on October 7, and the footage was shared by the department on Facebook on October 15. Officers responded to a call at 9:16 p.m. about a 57-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis, sitting on a ledge high above the train tracks near the 2nd Avenue Exit and East Jackson Street. Officers attempted to talk him down, with one officer telling him, “I want to help you and I need you to hear me when I say that.”
Unfortunately, the man fell 25 feet onto rocks near the tracks and sustained injuries. While officers requested inbound trains to be stopped, one train was already approaching. The video shows officers rushing to the man’s side as the train’s horn blared, pulling him to safety just in time.
The Seattle PD confirmed that the man sustained multiple fractures and was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition after being evaluated by the Seattle Fire Department.