PEARLAND, Texas – Three teachers rescued a Houston-area high school student who was attempting to commit suicide Thursday, police said.
Pearland police said a male student at Glenda Dawson High School showed up before 6:30 a.m. for school, when a teacher using the stairs near the third floor of the campus noticed the student hanging from a rope in the stairwell.
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After calling police for help, the teacher and two male coaches nearby ran over and lifted the student up and freed him from the rope, police said.
The teachers performed CPR until paramedics arrived. The student was airlifted to a hospital, where he was alive when he arrived, but no further information on his condition was available.
"I mean had it been a mere seconds later, there's no telling what could have happened," said Jason Wells of the Pearland Police Department.
No students witnessed the incident, police said.
Pearland Independent School District officials said classes went on as planned Thursday, but extra counselors were brought in from other schools to help students who may need to talk about the incident.
Preventing suicide
According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there is no single cause for suicide, but it most often happens when stress exceeds the coping abilities of someone suffering from a mental condition.
Recognizing the warning signs of suicide is the first step in getting a person the help they need, experts at the foundation said. Those signs include:
- Talk of being a burden to others, feeling trapped or killing themselves
- Increased use of alcohol or drugs
- Online searches for ways to commit suicide
- Reckless actions
- Withdrawing from activities
- Giving away prized possession
- Displaying moods of depression, rage, irritability, humiliation or anxiety
The foundation has put together an interactive support guide on its website, afsp.org/find-support.
People who need help can also call 800-273-8255 or text “TALK” to 741741.