Officer's Quick Thinking, Presence Of Big Rig Helps Prevent Teen Suicide In Arlington
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - The Arlington Police Department is heaping praise on one of its own for quick-thinking that helped prevent a suicide Wednesday morning.
Police said around 8:30 a.m., a teenage boy looked like he was getting ready to jump off the Kelly Elliott Bridge over I-20.
Cpl. Deric Sheriff, a 15-year veteran motorcycle officer, flagged down an 18-wheeler and directed the driver to pull up and stop underneath the bridge.
The big rig was 13 feet tall, a perfect height for this unusual situation.
"I asked if he could pull under the bridge just in case the individual decided to jump. And that's what happened. As soon as the truck driver was able to get under the bridge, the subject jumped off the bridge. Fortunately the driver was there and he landed on top of the trailer," Cpl. Sheriff said.
The teen was not injured.
Police took him into custody but he is not facing charges. Police said they took him to a hospital to get help.
Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson tweeted Wednesday afternoon, "We had some help from a big rig this morning as a teen was contemplating jumping from an overpass. APD Motor Officer Deric Sheriff was instrumental in directing the truck driver before the teen jumped & later landed on the trailer. Excellent crisis intervention to help this teen!"
The driver of the truck that pulled under the jumper, Dwayne Crawford, said that he has seen suicide before and has experienced it in his family.
"I've had it happen in my family – loss due to suicide and it's not a good thing," Crawford said. "(I) always ask what could I have done. Well, today, I did something. Maybe he can get some help. Maybe he can't. But today it didn't happen."
