Crisis on bridge at West River Road and 55th resolved after 3 1/2 hours

(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that law enforcement, a county social worker, and a friend of the man in crisis talked a 19-year-old back onto the bridge at the intersection of 55th Street NW and W River Road May 10.

According to Lt. Malinda Hanson with the OCSO, law enforcement, the Rochester Fire Department, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance responded to a person in crisis call at about 6:35 p.m.

Callers on W River Road told dispatch a man was standing on the wrong side of the bridge railing and “didn’t look well” Wednesday evening.

Law enforcement partially blocked W River Road traffic shortly before 7 p.m. and spoke to the man for about 3.5 hours before he returned to the bridge and was taken to Mayo Clinic for evaluation.

Hanson said a rescue team prepared to administer life-saving measures under the bridge during the scene, but no one was injured Wednesday.

Hanson said the incident was resolved relatively quickly after an Olmsted County community outreach worker and one of the man’s friends arrived on the scene.

Terri Dose is a specialist on the county’s outreach team and is one of the workers that got the man to safety.

“I sighed because I had kinda been holding my breath that whole time,” Dose recalled.

The team of four licensed social workers is often dispatched to emergency scenes and they’re needed now more than ever.

“There’s a lot of folks that are struggling and challenged with what to do in a scenario where they’re struggling. Maybe with their mental health or substance use or they have family friends and they don’t know what to do and a lot of times people just resort to calling 911,” explained the program manager Sidney Frye.

In 2021 there were more than 1,100 calls for service for the team. Last year in 2022, that number exceeded 1,500.

So far this year, there have already been more than 800 calls, leading specialists to believe it may be a record-breaking year.

“It’s crucial and it’s really needed I see it every single day, how important it is,” Dose said.

That service especially important during that Wednesday night crisis call.

“I had huge relief, I’ll tell you that, when his feet were back on the road,” she said.

A call that resolved without tragedy thanks to these dedicated first responders.

If you or someone you love is in need of crisis assistance, just dial 911 and ask for a social worker.

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(ABC 6 News) – A person in crisis drew a large law enforcement presence in northwest Rochester Wednesday evening.

Traffic was shutdown shortly before 7 p.m. near Essex park as law enforcement spoke with a person in crisis.

The incident happened on the 55th Street Northwest bridge by the intersection of West River Road.

Traffic re-routed as crews spoke with the person. At last check law enforcement was still at the scene.

ABC 6 News will update this story when additional information becomes available