A harrowing scene reminiscent of a Hollywood thriller unfolded on Oct. 7 when police officers saved a man from being killed by an oncoming train by pulling him off the tracks just in time.
The Seattle Police Department released video footage on Tuesday capturing the rescue of a 57-year-old man who was experiencing a mental health crisis.
The man had positioned himself on a ledge 25 feet above the train tracks, while officers attempted to talk him into climbing back from the edge.
Officers responded to a call at around 9:16 p.m. at the bridge near 2nd Avenue East and East Jackson Street in downtown Seattle.
Despite their efforts to calm him, the man slipped and plummeted onto the tracks, suffering significant injuries from the fall.
In a moment of quick decision-making, two officers went down and across the tracks to save him. As the video shows, one officer can be seen pulling the injured man to safety just as the train rushes past blaring its horn.
Police had previously requested to stop train traffic, but one was already barreling toward them through King Street Station, leaving little time to react.
According to the Seattle Police Department’s statement on Facebook, “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.”
Their swift response ensured the man survived, though he sustained multiple fractures in the fall. He was treated at the scene by the Seattle Fire Department and later transported to Harborview Medical Center, where he is reported to be in critical condition. The police credited the actions of first responders for saving the man’s life.