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Texas deputy praised for ‘quick response’ during attempted suicide

Deputy Rick Bohlmann was working his normal shift when a motorist warned him about a car that was stalled on the side of the road with blood all around it

By Mary Huber
Austin American-Statesman

FAYETTE COUNTY, Texas — Deputy Rick Bohlmann was working his normal Tuesday afternoon shift patrolling traffic in rural Fayette County when he was stopped by a motorist who warned him about a car that was stalled on the side of the road with blood all around it.

The motorist said a man was sitting in the driver’s seat. It was a little after 3 p.m., Bohlmann said.

“I got to the vehicle and walked up to him, blood was all over the pavement and the interior of the car, and he had several wounds on his arms,” Bohlmann said, describing the scene on Texas 71 near Lady Bird Loop, between Smithville and La Grange.

Bohlmann said the man was conscious and was muttering that he had “lost his clip.”

On the passenger’s seat, there was a gun.

The deputy secured the weapon, along with a box cutter that was in the vehicle, and he immediately radioed for backup and emergency medics. He grabbed gauze and bandages from a first-aid kit and treated the man’s wounds, some of which were very deep, he said.

“He said he didn’t want to go on anymore,” Bohlmann said.

When medics arrived shortly after, they took the man to Seton Smithville Regional Hospital in nearby Bastrop County. He was later transferred to Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin, the Fayette County sheriff’s office said.

“I have been to some attempted suicides,” Bohlmann said Wednesday, recalling the incident. “Over the years, I have gotten better at handling it.”

The sheriff’s office sent a news release Wednesday praising the passing motorist and Bohlmann, a 23-year veteran of the department, for his heroism and quick response.

“Our guys here, we have got a good team,” said Lt. David Beyer, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office. “When they do something good, we let them know it.”

©2018 Austin American-Statesman, Texas

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