Rail supervisor prevents suicide

Rail operator Mike Beiser was crossing the Steel Bridge at about 9:30 this morning when he spotted a woman standing on the railing on the west end of the bridge. He immediately called into TriMet’s Operations Control Center. Rail Supervisor Bob Shaffer was three blocks away and responded. He said the woman had gone over the railing and he could tell she was intent on jumping. He immediately contacted the control center and asked for police.
Supervisor Shaffer approached the woman and attempted to talk her into coming back over the railing, but she said she wanted to jump. When she moved closer to the edge, Supervisor Shaffer grabbed onto her wrist and she jumped. He said his adrenaline kicked in and he was able to hold onto her. A passerby helped Supervisor Shaffer keep the woman from falling until police and fire crews arrived and pulled her to safety.