CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- A USS Carl
Vinson (CVN 70) Sailor helped prevent a suicide attempt on the Coronado Bay
Bridge, June 19.
Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) 1st
Class (AW/SW) David Lawrence, Air Department's V4 Division maintenance leading
petty officer, first responded to a 60-year-old man's suicide attempt
approximately 4 a.m. after pulling over to assist with what he thought would be
a flat tire.
Lawrence, on his way to the gym before
work, saw the car in front of him slow and pull to the side of the bridge near
the bridge's apex.
"I saw he was an older guy and he
didn't have his hazard [lights] on, so I didn't want him to get hit - and he
was in a black Fiat and it was dark out," Lawrence said. "Most people
going over the bridge at that time won't be paying attention; they're just trying
to wake up."
However, Lawrence's decision to stop was
rooted in his deeply held belief that one's actions have direct consequences,
either positive or negative.
"I try to help anybody I can. What
comes around goes around - I sincerely believe that," Lawrence said.
"Somebody is returning the favors. My health is good. My family's health
is all good. [So I take] any opportunity I get to help somebody."
As Lawrence asked the driver if he
needed assistance, he watched as the man climbed over the concrete barrier and
onto the bridge's ledge.
"I stopped right where I was
at," Lawrence said. "I put my hands up where he could see them; I
didn't want to make any hasty moves."
Lawrence immediately called upon the
training he received while deployed in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills
Training (ASIST) program. Lawrence said the information and intervention skills
he learned from the two-day workshop helped him that morning.
"Just ACT: ask, care, treat,"
Lawrence said. "I didn't get to the 'treat' part; the FBI negotiators and
cops got that. But I asked the guy."
Lawrence's actions also proved how
important how the "care" aspect is as well. When asked by the police
if he wanted to leave the scene, Lawrence declined.
"I told the cops that I was the
first one talking to him," Lawrence said. "I don't know if this guy
got abandoned by someone and so I didn't want him to see me get in my car and
leave. So I stayed there the whole time."
For 15 to 20 minutes, Lawrence talked to
the man, trying to prevent him from jumping while also flagging passing drivers
to call for assistance. Aware of the magnitude of his choice of words, Lawrence
said he talked about his experiences in the U.S. Navy.
"My thought was, 'Please don't
jump. How am I going to keep this guy from jumping? What can I possibly say
that will make him think it's not worth it?'" Lawrence said. "I just
talked about everything I did and tried to let him see that there's positive
stuff out there."
California Highway Patrol and San Diego Police
Officers arrived approximately 20 minutes after Lawrence's initial
communication with the man and assumed suicide prevention efforts. FBI agents,
California Highway Patrol and San Diego Police Officers successfully talked the
man off the ledge and took him into custody shortly before 7 a.m.
Before his morning was over, an FBI
agent informed Lawrence the man wished to see him.
"He was just standing there with a
jacket on, looked at me and said, 'Thanks,'" Lawrence said. "I said,
'Hey, man, you made the right choice. I'm glad to see you're on this side of
the ledge. Have a good day and be safe.'"
Lawrence, a quiet and humble U.S. Navy
Sailor, said he feels little difference since Tuesday morning, shrugging off
any accolades given him.
"I'd do it again today, if I had
to," Lawrence said. "People are saying I'm a hero and thanking me,
but I'd like to think if I didn't do it, somebody would have stopped and did
it."
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