A stranger saved her on the Natchez Trace Bridge. Why years later she needed to meet him.

Editor's note: This story discusses self-harm. If you or a loved one are at risk, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for support at 988 or 1-800-273-8255.

The Lyft driver made light conversation with the depressed woman in the back seat.

Lauren Clements, now 28, had asked Lyft to take her to the Natchez Trace Bridge, about 25 miles south of Nashville, which, in the  experience, was an unusual request.

She told him she was a photographer, and wanted to get a shot of the award-winning expanse. He asked if he should wait around for her to finish because she might have trouble finding a ride back.

That, Clements told him, wouldn't be necessary.

"You're not going to jump, are you?" the Lyft driver joked.

When she got out of the car, she didn't have any photography equipment with her.

It was the morning of July 2, 2018. Clements wore a Blue Hawaii T-shirt, black shorts and black flip flops. Earlier that morning, she said goodbye to her golden doodle, Ronan. She had already taken about 100 aspirin.

"I was miserable," Clements said. "I felt like no one understood that pain."

Beginning to feel the effects of the drugs, Clements walked past a blue sign that reads, "There is hope" with a phone number for suicide prevention.

She walked to the bridge and climbed over the side. She stood on the tiny ledge, looking down 145 feet to a grass area below.

A lifetime of pain was about to end.

Awards and darkness

The double-arch Natchez Trace Bridge spans Birdsong Hollow between Nashville and Franklin at the intersection of Highway 96. The bridge was completed in 1995 and won the Presidential Award for Design Excellence.

The bridge, however, has a dark history.

Forty-two people have ended their lives by jumping off the bridge, and it has become known among some people as "Suicide Bridge."

In 2018, a coalition formed to work toward making the bridge more difficult for people to commit suicide. The bridge is the responsibility of the National Park Service.

In August 2022, a temporary fence was erected, and permanent mesh netting is expected to be finished by 2025. Since the fence went up, two people have tried, but failed, to scale it. Another potential jumper was stopped by a worker who was putting up the fence.

Taking action:They lost loved ones to suicide on the Natchez Trace Bridge. They say better barriers could prevent more tragedies.

Bridge safety:National Park Service to erect safety barrier at Natchez Trace Bridge: 'This is a big deal'

"The day they announced construction was beginning was one of the happiest days of my life," said Trish Merelo who chaired the Natchez Trace Barrier Coalition.

Merelo's son, 17-year-old John Miller, committed suicide by jumping off the bridge.

"Our objective was to get a barrier, and that's been done," Merelo said.

A nice place to ride

Elliott Lopes, 40, liked to ride his bike along the Natchez Trace because of the beautiful scenery and the relative lack of congestion.

On July 2, 2018, he was the only rider on the bridge, going fast, when he saw a woman standing on the ledge.

What he didn't know was that the woman, Lauren Clements, had already called 911 from the ledge. She told the operator that she was going to jump. The operator kept talking, but she was past the point of listening.

That's when Lopes intervened.

"Maybe there was some sort of divine intervention," he said. "I had a feeling in my stomach something wasn't right."

Without speaking to her, he approached the woman from behind and grabbed her with a bear hug. He pulled her back to safety.

"I was angry," Clements said. "Someone got in the way of what I was trying to do."

He held her there until an ambulance came.

'Just take my hand':Video of deputy stopping suicide on the Natchez Trace Bridge highlights need for aid

'You are not invisible': 12-year-olds leave messages of hope on Natchez Trace Bridge in light of suicides

Lopes got on the open phone line and began talking to the 911 operator explaining what he had done.

In a recent interview, Clements, who had tried several times over the years to take her life, said her life was changed by someone she had never met.

"I was happy that a stranger thought enough about another stranger to step in," Clements said.

As the ambulance pulled away, "I just got back on my bike," Lopes said.

He told his wife later, but that's about it.

"I've always been a humble guy," Lopes said. "But I know it was a big deal."

A professional photographer, Lopes had once been a state trooper. He said his first-responder instincts kicked into gear.

"Doing the right thing at the right time is what we do," he said.

A life turned around

Lauren Clements had been abused as a child. She had been so hopeless through the years, she had tried to commit suicide more than a dozen times.

She's in therapy now, and said she is doing well. She's been traveling a lot, working as a nanny and taking gigs as a photographer to make a little extra money. She hopes to visit Australia someday and hug a koala.

"The progress has been huge," she said.

Just before Christmas, there was something else she had to do.

Saving lives:Williamson deputies save two from suicide at Natchez Trace Bridge

Clements wanted to find the man who pulled her to safety and tell him thank you.

She posted on Facebook about her desire to find the man. A friend suggested she get the 911 call from the incident. When she re-listened to the call, she heard him say his name, Elliott Lopes, to the 911 dispatcher. She contacted him on Facebook, and he agreed to meet.

He walked into her apartment in Franklin and she said the feeling was "surreal."

"It was like meeting him again for the first time," she said.

Lopes agreed.

"It felt great to see her," she said. "She's still struggling with those demons, but she seems to be doing very well."

Clements said they talked about getting together again.

"He wants me to come to meet his family," she said.

Reach Keith Sharon at ksharon@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Natchez Trace Bridge suicide prevention: Stranger saves woman's life