Woman Sees Man Sitting On Overpass Ledge — Uses Popular Song Lyrics To Comfort Him

Jun 14, 2021 by apost team

In an act of extreme kindness and compassion, a woman stopped on the side of the road to help a man who was contemplating suicide. Cristina Settanni was traveling on the State Road 408 expressway in Orlando, Florida when she noticed there was a person sitting on the edge of the overpass and he looked as if he was going to jump. 

Settanni is a healthcare worker and was on her way to work when she saw the man and felt compelled to intervene. She pulled over on the side of the expressway and went and sat beside the man and calmly spoke with him. It turns out that he had made many mistakes and felt that suicide was the only way out of facing his family.

This brave and caring woman stayed at the man’s side until the sheriff’s department arrived and Deputy Shaun Cayer pulled the man away from the ledge. Settanni said that at one point the man started to lean forward, closer to the edge, and she just got closer to him and showed him he was not going to be alone. It must have been a tense moment, but everything worked out okay in the end. 

Settanni shared that she had been in a similar state of mind before and so she knew the man needed to hear that somebody cared what happened to him. She decided to recite some popular lyrics from the band Linkin Park to help the man feel less isolated. Incidentally, the lead singer of the band who sang those same lyrics committed suicide in 2017. 

The song is “One More Light” by Linkin Park and the lyrics she shared are: “Who cares if one more light goes out? In a sky of a million stars. It flickers, flickers. Who cares when someone’s time runs out? If a moment is all we are. We’re quicker, quicker. Who cares if one more light goes out? Well I do.” Settanni said the man broke down after hearing the words and she knew that they had connected with him on an emotional level.

Settanni recalled the event for the Orange County Sheriff's Office.“I did pass him at first, I didn’t really think about stopping but I thought as I saw him in my review that I probably should stop, especially because no one else did,” she said. 

Seeing the man alone on the edge struck a chord within Settanni and she couldn’t let it go. She shared, “I stopped because I’ve been where he was so I know what it’s like to stand on the ledge and think that’s your only option. He needed somebody to show that somebody cared.”

Fortunately, Deputy Shaun Cayer was also there because the man did not wish to move away from the ledge on his own. Cayer asked him, “How you doing man? You alright? How are you doing? You okay?” When the man did not agree to move, the deputy grabbed him and pulled him to safety. 

Mental health and suicide are serious issues that should not be ignored, especially in an emergency situaion. ABC News shared that anyone struggling with thoughts of suicide can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and text TALK to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor from the Crisis Text Line for free, at anytime. 

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What do you think of Settanni’s courageous actions? What would you have done in this situation? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to send this story on to your loved ones.