NoSoup

MSN - Link to full story (as well as video)


Basically, there was a woman suffering from depression and tried jumping off a huge bridge. There was an officer that right after she jumped managed to grab her and pull her up.

Pretty damn heroic, in my opinion. I realize that it's likely that not many of you live around here, but driving across that thing makes one queasy... playing tug of war at the edge with a crazed women I would imagine would be difficult, to say the least.

*edit: quoted article. Please remember to do that*

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Peetster

Holy crap. That was incredibly brave.

bigoldalphamale

i dont think i would have been as scared about risking injury to my own person to save another's life.

i would be more concerned about that crazy bitch suing me for any bodily harm she may have sustained in my rescue. or being convicted of manslaughter for accidentally dropping her in an unsuccessful rescue attempt. or sued by her family for wrongful death.

sue happy people have, for all intensive purposes, irradicated the 'hero'. i hate everybody who has ever brought frivilous suit. you should all be ashamed of yourselves!

Polyphobic

Very heroic. Also, the woman was apparently suffering from extreme postpartum depression. A very serious condition as I have witnessed it in my wife.

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Averett

You know... I guess it's brave, but I'll never quite understand why police try to stop people from jumping. I might get crap for saying that, but it's how I feel. Will this woman be any better for being saved? Maybe. Yeah, she's alive, but she's still got her problems. Who knows if she'll get help for them, or if she'll try to kill herself again down the road.

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NoSoup

I once read a story (unfortunately I can't find it again) where a man was going to jump from a building and to prevent him from doing so a police officer shot him, aiming for the leg. Well, he missed, and basically knocked him off the building. The officer was fired and the police department was sued for millions for wrongful use of excessive force or something.

Personally, the guy would have died either way, so I think it was pretty dumb for the officer to be reprimanded by attempting to keep him alive...

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losthellhound

Amazing video though..

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Esco

Very brave indeed. Trooper easily could have been pulled over. Trooper just gave that family and the lady a great gift ... another chance.

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unoaman

Good point Averett...will keep that in mind if I ever see you in a precarious position that will probably take your life. No need in helping people that have problems, hell we all have problems of our own to worry about...

Averett

Okay, she wasn't in a precarious position because of an accident or something like that. She put herself in that position. If I were about to jump over a bridge I wouldn't expect you to come and grab me off.

Maybe I'm the asshole here. But she made a choice that put herself there. Yes, the woman may have really deep rooted problems and I honestly hope that she gets the help she needs. But I'll always question why cops will try to catch jumpers.

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MSD

I understand the point you're making, but I think the answer to your question lies in the first half of "to protect and serve"

Averett

Yeah I know... Damn do gooders

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THGL

He could have been easily pulled over with her. That was very brave of him.

I'm sure he's at "local hero" status now.

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Polyphobic

I think the key here is to give the suicidal person a second chance. Just because that person is sucidal at one moment does not make their life forfeit. In fact, quite a few persons who initially try to commit suicide are treated to great success. Being that she was supposedly suffering postpartum depression, this could most likely be the case.

*steps off of soapbox*

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NoSoup

He's actually a national hero at this point, although a minor one. I'm sure he'll be forgotton soon enough...

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ForgottenKnight

No, you wouldn't expect it, and you may not like it when someone does save you. But afterwards, along the road to recovery, and after recovery, you'd be extremely thankful that they did.

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Fearless_Hyena

the "let them kill themselves if they want" vs "save a lost, confused soul" arguments are a moral dilemma for me.

also,

"eventful"?! that makes me sad in a way i find difficult to describe...

analog

A very lucky rescue attempt. I'm not really sure how this counts as brave, though... he was in no danger. The guy is huge, and immediately dropped his weight when he went to grab her, he wasn't going anywhere. Yes, this is a wonderful thing, but people are hyping it as something it is not, it seems.

And if I ever decide i'd like to lead some police on a high-speed chase, i'll just pretend i'm suicidal when they finally catch me, so I can get away with it like this woman did. She should be charged like any other person.

Many people can be saved. People who have simply lost hope and need to be shown that it still exists. Some people just feel that it's the only way to solve their problems. Some people are so wrought with grief that thinking about anything but an end to the pain seems ludicrous. Suicides hurt the friends and families to an incredible degree. The guilt and finger-pointing can sometimes tear entire households apart. I see exactly where you're coming from, I really do, but these people have just lost their way, and we really should try to help them find a direction...

gondath

I would say the cop should have questioned her for the reasons behind her attempted suicide and then let her jump again afterwards if the reasoning was sound.