— A Raleigh Police officer is not only credited with saving a man's life on Wednesday, but also with showing the man some compassion.

Officer Dan Hicks found a man sitting on the edge of an Interstate 440 bridge over Wade Avenue on Wednesday evening. He said he gave the man his first name, told him he was there to help and simply asked the man to come off the bridge with him.

Hicks said he tried not to focus on what could happen in the situation – the man could fall or jump, hurting himself or others driving beneath the bridge – saying he tried to relate to the man as a person, not as a police officer. When the man agreed to back off the ledge, he instinctively pulled him in in for a hug.

"He got a big old Dan Hicks bear hug, whether he wanted it or not," Hicks said. "The other part of it was he was not going to be given the opportunity to go over that bridge again. He got to stand there with me for a second and get that hug. Call it tactical, call it compassionate, I think it was probably both."

The man got some mental health help after the incident, Hicks said.