Virginia State Police troopers helped a Tennessee man suffering a mental-health crisis to safety on Sunday.
According to VSP, Senior Trooper M. Brill made contact with the 42-year-old man on the Barterbrook Road bridge, which is under construction, at approximately 1:35 p.m.
The bridge crosses Interstate 81 at the 221-mile marker.
After 40 minutes of conversation with the distressed individual, they were able to get him off the bridge. He was transported to Augusta Health under an emergency custody order, or ECO.
Four troopers with VSP, T. Johnson, R. Strauss, T. Moreira and P. Sprouse, helped get the man away from any danger. C.J. Aikens and J. Cash stationed themselves below in case it was necessary to stop traffic.
Traffic was never stopped on I-81 during the incident.
The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office and Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad assisted VSP during the incident.
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
For local mental health resources, visit AFP’s Project Mental Health page.
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Crystal Graham
