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American Morning
Officer Describes Catching Woman Jumping Off Bridge
Aired June 20, 2001 - 10:36 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We move back to a story that we covered earlier this morning -- the incredible pictures we had this morning of a deputy sheriff who saved a woman who was trying to commit suicide. I don't know if we have that video ready to show you, but the sheriff's deputy saw a woman who had stopped on bridge.
Here you see it. She attempts to jump, and the long arm of the law there, as you see, reaches out and grabs her by the shirt and keeps her from falling in.
We're joined by Deputy Robert Burkhead, who is the just described long arm of the law. We see that arm right now holding up an umbrella in the rain, in Wichita.
Deputy Burkhead, listen, we've got to first of all congratulate you on a great job well done. Can you give us a run-down of what exactly happened there?
DEP. ROBERT BURKHEAD, SEDGWICK COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: Well, I was dispatched to check on a woman who was dangling her feet over the edge of the bridge. When I arrived, I talked to her, and she said that she was contemplating jumping over the bridge. After a short conversation with her, she just turned around, acted like she was going to get back in her driver's side door, and made a bee line for the edge of the bridge, at which point I tried to intercept her and just barely caught her before she made the leap.
HARRIS: Did you have any suspicion or any instinct that she was going to jump?
BURKHEAD: Well, she had mentioned that she was going to jump, but I wasn't sure at that time. When she started moving towards the bridge, I knew that she was going to do it.
HARRIS: How close did you guys come to hitting the water there?
BURKHEAD: Well, it's about 35 feet above the river, from where I was, at the bottom of the bridge. So she did end up going in the water, but I was able to swing her to an area, luckily, of deeper water.
HARRIS: No kidding.
So were you left hanging there, or did you jump in? BURKHEAD: No, my left arm was on the bridge and my right arm was holding her. Another officer on scene, Douglas Pryor (ph), and my civilian observer, Dwayne Wentworth (ph), pulled me up over the bridge then ran down and pulled her out of the water.
HARRIS: This is incredible. I know you've been talking to everybody across the country about that today, because it's incredible, and to have this captured on videotape is even more incredible.
Are you OK? Did you get scratched up at all?
BURKHEAD: Well, I pulled a couple of muscles, and I'm a little stretched out today, but I feel pretty good.
HARRIS: I assume you don't get any training for this kind of thing, do you?
BURKHEAD: Well, we have an excellent academy, and an excellent training program after the academy, but this is one of those things that -- thank you -- just happens, and there's nothing you can do to train for it.
HARRIS: How do you feel about being so, I guess, famous this morning about all of this?
BURKHEAD: It's a little overwhelming, but I kind of like it.
HARRIS: It's addictive, buddy. Let me tell you.
Have they said anything about you getting any commendations for this?
BURKHEAD: There have been some rumors, but what was more important to me was that she was safe.
HARRIS: Have you heard from her, or heard about her, at all?
BURKHEAD: I've attempted to contact her or find out some information on her -- I've been worried about her -- but I haven't been able to find out anything.
HARRIS: Boy, you are something else, Robert Burkhead. Way to go, guy. If nothing else, you deserve free doughnuts for life for this one.
BURKHEAD: Thank you, I'll let Winchell's know.
Thank you, sir.
HARRIS: I hope they heard you this morning. Good luck to you, Robert Burkhead.
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