Hawkins County — Two men seen staring over the Caney Creek Bridge Tuesday evening were actually saving a woman's life, according to a Hawkins County Sheriff's Office report.
Hawkins County Cpl. Mark Harrell was dispatched to the bridge around 6:15 p.m. for a person sitting on it nodding in and out.
When he arrived, he said he saw two men leaning over the bridge as if they were looking and at that time, the report states he thought the person he was responding to had jumped.
As he approached, Harrell said he realized the men were holding a woman who tried to jump. The incident report states Harrell and the men, later identified as Garrett Nicholson and David Reed of Rogersville, pulled the woman back onto the bridge.
The report said she had a belt around her neck and she said "she just couldn't do it anymore". The men told Harrell that she tried to jump and they grabbed her and restrained her until help arrived.
The woman was taken to the Hawkins County Emergency Room for an evaluation, the report states.
As for Nicholson, it was a day he says he'll never forget.
Nicholson said he's a FedEx driver and was finishing up his route on Tuesday evening when he came across an unusual scene: a car parked in the middle of the road, a man and a woman sitting on the bridge.
"First I thought they were broke down, so I pulled up and asked, are you ok, do you need any help," Nicholson said. "And that's when the guy said, 'No, I think she's going to jump.'"
Nicholson lept out of his truck and grabbed onto the woman.
"Just grabbed on and held on with all my might," Nicholson said. "Come hell or high water I'm not going to let this lady fall. If she does, I'm going to go in with her....kept praying, God, don't let me drop her. Please help me, let me hold on to her long enough until somebody gets here."
Nicholson said it felt like forever, but minutes later, a Hawkins County deputy arrived and helped him and the other bystander pull the woman to safety.
Meanwhile, Nicholson finished up his route and went home to celebrate his birthday with his wife and family.
"He always puts other people's needs in front of his own, he always has, and we're super proud," his wife, Patrice, said.
"God puts us where we're needed, and I think that day that's just where I was needed," Nicholson said.
If he and the woman ever reconnect, this is his message:
"Don't give up. People care. I care," Nicholson said.
Nicholson said he also wants to thank the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office for their work.