A Seattle police officer is being nationally recognized for extraordinary bravery after saving a man from an oncoming train in a dramatic late-night rescue near Pioneer Square.
Officer Edward K. Grimmer, 34, will receive the prestigious Carnegie Medal for Heroism, awarded by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission to individuals in the U.S. and Canada who risk their lives to save others.
The incident occurred on October 7, 2024, when Grimmer and fellow officers responded to reports of a man in crisis near a bridge in downtown Seattle. The 57-year-old man, experiencing a mental health emergency, had fallen approximately 25 feet from the ledge, landing near active railroad tracks.
Seattle police reported that the man was seriously injured and unable to move, lying just inches from a live rail line as a train approached at roughly 35 miles per hour.
Despite darkness and uncertainty about the man’s exact location, Officer Grimmer acted quickly. He crossed two sets of tracks and located the man lying on the gravel beside the middle set—directly in the path of the oncoming train. Without hesitation, Grimmer grabbed the man by his sweatshirt and pulled him to safety. The train sped past within feet of both men, narrowly missing the injured man’s legs and the officer’s head.
Grimmer remained with the victim until firefighters arrived and safely transported him to a nearby hospital. The man sustained multiple critical injuries, including fractures to both arms, one leg, his spine, and face, as well as significant head trauma. Officer Grimmer was not injured.
In recognition of his life-saving actions, Grimmer was also awarded the Medal of Honor by the Seattle Police Department and the Seattle Police Foundation—the department’s highest commendation for valor.
“Officer Edward Grimmer’s actions that night were nothing short of heroic,” said West Precinct Commander Captain Robert Brown. “The Medal of Honor and the Carnegie Medal are well-deserved acknowledgments of his selflessness and courage.”
Grimmer is one of 17 individuals selected this year by the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Since its founding in 1904, the organization has honored more than 10,500 heroes across North America.
