Leeds

Hero lorry driver ‘saves man’s life’ by parking under bridge to stop him jumping

The lorry driver kept his vehicle under the bridge when he saw a man sat on the edge, and refused to move until he was safe.

Georgina Pellant - 11th June 2021

A lorry driver on the M62 has been hailed as a hero after he parked his vehicle under a motorway bridge where a man was threatening to jump.

Images have emerged today of the scene, which occurred just outside Leeds, depicting a man who had climbed over the railings of a bridge on the trans-Pennine motorway.

Sat crossed legged gazing down upon the carriageway, he looked forlorn and hopeless.

Spotting this driving along, the lorry driver was quick to move their truck onto the hard shoulder and park it directly underneath the man to stop him from jumping - or at least to make the drop shorter if they did.

They then left it there until the man was safely led off the bridge by escorts.

Since then, the image has been shared online multiple times gaining the driver mountains of praise from the local community.

Comments have poured in on social media, with one person saying: "Well done to that lorry driver. hope the person on the bridge gets the help they need."

Another added: "Trucker is a good human and deserves the utmost respect."

A third said: "Fantastic lorry driver he needs a medal. Poor man, hope he gets the help he needs."

Vulnerable Citizen Support Leeds shared the post, saying: "IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY.

"This is a picture from the M62 Motorway Bridge - a passerby has posted it to raise awareness of the situation at hand.

"What people don't understand is that to jump on the other side of any bridge - indicates something drastically wrong with their mental health. But what's next...?

"I have family who have been at this point before and still had to wait a week for an appointment when she found herself on top of a bridge - this post is to raise awareness that - IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY - and you can or should speak out.

"What a trucker - stopping on the hard shoulder and leaving his truck there - to ensure when he did jump - it wasn't a longer distance to the floor."

If you or anyone you know is struggling right now, please know that you are never alone and there are many different places you can reach out to for support right here in Greater Manchester.

These include:

• The Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
• Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: info@andysmanclub.co.uk.
• CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm to midnight.
• Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.

Featured Image – Vulnerable Citizen Support Leeds