Michael R. Gotfried
State Traffic Officer
California Highway Patrol
8/31/1974
Special Act Award (Gold)
In the late afternoon of August 31, 1974, Officer Michael R. Gotfried was traveling westbound on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge when he observed an automobile parked in a turnout a short distance west of the Yerba Buena Island Tunnel. As he slowed to investigate, he saw a man walking toward the guard rail. Quickly parking his car, he ran calling after the man as the man climbed the railing and disappeared from sight.
The officer returned to his car and radioed to report the incident. Officer Gotfried found the would-be suicide working his way along a narrow painter’s scaffold six feet below. The scaffold widened to 30 inches at its far end and was rimmed only along its outer edge and at the broad end by a single one-inch pipe railing approximately four feet high. The platform was mounted to and operated along a six inch wide I-beam running track at floor level. This slim beam provided the only obstacle to fall through the two and one-half feet of space between the scaffold and bridge. The island’s rocky shore was 200 feet below. Officer Gotfried climbed the railing and dropped to the I-beam where he inched his way to reach the platform. By now the man had stepped around the railing’s end and appeared ready to let go. The officer cautiously moved forward and when he got close to the man he grabbed his arm. All attempts to pull him fully behind the railing were unsuccessful; however, the officer managed to hold his position even though the large, extremely strong man made repeated attempts to get back around the railing so he could jump. Eight minutes later Sergeant Myatt arrived at the scene. For more than half an hour the officers talked to the man, often struggling with him when he would suddenly pull on the railing and try to force his way around it to the open side. In desperation, Sergeant Myatt straddled the gap between the I-beam and their perilous perch to provide more room for the two officers to restrain the man. Finally, they were able to bring him to his knees and in this extremely dangerous position below the railing, forced his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. Using stretcher straps to form a harness and with the aid of Treasure Island hospital corpsmen holding on tightly from above, the officers slowly guided the now crying man across the void and raised him upward to a horizontal position as they passed him through the narrow opening between the bridge cable and railing to safety.
The officer returned to his car and radioed to report the incident. Officer Gotfried found the would-be suicide working his way along a narrow painter’s scaffold six feet below. The scaffold widened to 30 inches at its far end and was rimmed only along its outer edge and at the broad end by a single one-inch pipe railing approximately four feet high. The platform was mounted to and operated along a six inch wide I-beam running track at floor level. This slim beam provided the only obstacle to fall through the two and one-half feet of space between the scaffold and bridge. The island’s rocky shore was 200 feet below. Officer Gotfried climbed the railing and dropped to the I-beam where he inched his way to reach the platform. By now the man had stepped around the railing’s end and appeared ready to let go. The officer cautiously moved forward and when he got close to the man he grabbed his arm. All attempts to pull him fully behind the railing were unsuccessful; however, the officer managed to hold his position even though the large, extremely strong man made repeated attempts to get back around the railing so he could jump. Eight minutes later Sergeant Myatt arrived at the scene. For more than half an hour the officers talked to the man, often struggling with him when he would suddenly pull on the railing and try to force his way around it to the open side. In desperation, Sergeant Myatt straddled the gap between the I-beam and their perilous perch to provide more room for the two officers to restrain the man. Finally, they were able to bring him to his knees and in this extremely dangerous position below the railing, forced his arms behind his back and handcuffed him. Using stretcher straps to form a harness and with the aid of Treasure Island hospital corpsmen holding on tightly from above, the officers slowly guided the now crying man across the void and raised him upward to a horizontal position as they passed him through the narrow opening between the bridge cable and railing to safety.