Two Lincoln police officers and one community member praised for role in saving teenager’s life

Some quick thinking on the part of a good Samaritan and Lincoln police officers helped to save a life on Monday.

Jason Ball was driving on West “A” street near Highway 77.

That’s when he saw a boy climbing over the fence on top of the bridge.

He says he had a feeling something was wrong.

“As I got right up to them, what really caught my eye was, I saw them make the sign of the cross and that’s what really stood out to me that something’s not right,” said Ball.

After calling 9–1–1, Ball pulled off on the side of the road and remained on the phone with dispatch until help arrived.

While one officer distracted the teen, another came from behind to grab him.

They pulled him back over the wall before he was able to jump.

The teen was then reunited with his family and taken to receive mental health care.

Ball says he’s just happy that the teenager was okay.

“I did what I would hope anybody would do. I have two young children, if, god–forbid, that happened to be one of them, I would want anybody, anybody that sees something out of the ordinary, to do the same thing,” said Ball.

In recent years, Lincoln Police and Fire and Rescue have undergone more training for calls involving mental health.

The officers were commended for their quick thinking and heroic actions.

“It’s just one of the many rewarding parts of the job, where you can see someone on their worst day, or in a tragic situation and because of the actions of the officers, they will get another day, another chance to go on,” said LPD Officer Angela Sands.

Lincoln is fortunate to have one of the nations only 24/7 mental health medical emergency centers on Bryan West’s campus, with a lot of resources available to those who are struggling.

“From our experience in working with individuals who are suicidal, individuals want individuals to listen to them. They want others to understand the pain they are going through, so we all have the opportunity to help save somebody’s life by reaching out to them and connecting them to resources such as the Bryan West Emergency Mental Health Center, we can help save lives,” said Dr. Dave Miers, Counseling and Program Development Manager at Bryan Medical Center.

Jason Ball says he thought about his own children when he saw the young boy on the bridge.

He hopes this story brings awareness to this important issue.

“There are people that care. There’s always somebody that cares. It hurts me the most that any young person would ever get so sad that they think this (suicide) is the only answer. It’s most definitely not,” said Ball.

If you, or someone you know is struggling, you are encouraged to call the national suicide hotline (1-800-273-8255) or you can fill out an online screening, offered free of charge by Bryan Medical Center. For more information, go to www.bryanhealth.com/services/counseling-mental-health for more!