During Wednesday’s morning commute, Arlington Police were left to scramble when a call came in about a possible bridge jumper above Interstate 20.
Corporal Deric Sheriff was one of the first to arrive at the Kelly Elliot Bridge. There, a teenage boy was looking down on to the rushing traffic below, which police may not have had enough time to stop.
Instead, Sheriff came up with a plan.
"I was going to try and get some semis to park under the bridge to make the fall a lot less traumatic," said Sheriff.
But the first two he spotted in the traffic that was quickly slowing down were a flat bed and a dump truck, which he didn’t believe would do the job.
That's when he noticed Dwayne Crawford's big rig roll in not a moment too soon.
"He said, 'Hey... this is what I want to do to. Do you have time to help?' And I was like, 'Yeah. Let’s do it'," said Crawford.
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Crawford said he got between two lanes to make sure he was directly in line with the teen who had his back to the interstate. He had just managed to get under the bridge when the moment they'd been watching for came to fruition.
"I was still rolling when he jumped. And as soon as I heard him hit, I looked in my mirror and saw Officer Sheriff waiving his hands," said Crawford.
Though it took the teen a minute to respond, Sheriff said he managed to climb down the ladder on his own.
Hours later, he's still not sure how he came up with the lifesaving idea.
"I don't know where it came from. I don't know if I had seen it on a movie or lethal weapon, I don’t know. I'm just trying to think of a way to lessen the impact," said Sheriff.
Though he and Crawford went back and forth trying to give each other the true title of hero, they both agree they're glad they ended up where they were when they were needed most.
"Whatever this young man had on his heart and his mind, he can get help with it," said Crawford.
If you or someone you know needs help, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline takes calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-273-8255.
