Man rescued on bridge; police apologize for publicizing incident
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/02/2021 (1156 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Two workers in a bucket truck helped first responders rescue a man who was hanging off the Disraeli Bridge, 35 feet above Higgins Avenue, after people frantically called 911 during rush-hour Tuesday afternoon.
While the incident ended with the man being taken out of harm’s way, it touched off a firestorm because the Winnipeg Police Service had posted photos of the man on its social media accounts, including one in which he is holding onto the railing, suspended above the street. The photos were also sent to media outlets in a news release.
One of the critics was Coun. Sherri Rollins.
“Residents in distress should not have to experience a managed release like this in time of need. This type of communication precludes meaningful engagement,” Rollins said in a social media post.
On Thursday, the service deleted the photos and apologized for releasing them.
“Earlier today, we tweeted a media release link (with) photos concerning a person in distress. We recognize the insensitivity of posting these photos (and) the impact they may have,” the WPS said in a statement.
“We apologize for including these photos. We will be more mindful of what we share via social media.”
The photos were taken around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday after police, firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene. They grabbed the man’s jacket to keep him from falling.
Vlad Lebedev and Sergii Koviazn, who work for SRS Signs and Services, came upon the scene with their bucket truck. An officer was lifted up to the man and they were able to pull the man back over the ledge. The man was sent to hospital for a medical assessment.
Lebedev, who has worked at the company for a few months, called it “a good feeling helping somebody out in the city you live in.”
“It’s a first for me,” he said. “Obviously it can be terrifying, it could be sad for the guy, we were just glad we could help.”
