Call the police?? Worried about stranger

To be fair these threads come along with alarming regularity, and it is worrying that so many adults can't just decide to call emergency services anymore, without asking the internet first.

Then they'll invariably call them anyway after a few posts.

Obviously not just this OP, but far too many others also.

Sorry to hear you’ve also had your struggles. With respect, I too had many years of severe MH issues with suicide ideation / attempts, but really don’t agree with what you’re saying. You can’t know until you witness someone’s death what that’s like for that person, even if you think it’s what you yourself want.

Ive also lost a loved one to suicide, so have also seen it from that perspective and it’s a lot more complex from that perspective.

Someone did this for me once. I was having a shitter of a time and went and sat up on a footbridge over a motorway. Just sitting with my legs through the bars zoned out, but someone called it in and the police came out to check on me and get me home.

I remember thinking how crazy it was that someone cared enough about a total stranger to worry about them that much, and wishing I could thank that person for just seeing me. So, I'll thank you instead, for noticing even if it was nothing.

As someone who's spent a lot of adult life being suicidal, I don't think you should feel bad about not stopping someone from killing themselves. It took away their pain. People often don't care about us while we're alive; they just want to make sure we don't die, and that can be torture. 😑 The person needed to escape.

OP. You don't need to justify yourself here. You did the right thing by contacting the police. Its not down to you to approach a complete stranger if they look stressed. You don't know what you might face. I think you did great. Hope he's OK.

I’m in trauma therapy now, three years on. The “what ifs” are awful, even when you’ve done absolutely everything you could’ve done…. Which is why I urge absolutely everyone to always do whatever they can safely do in the moment. If in doubt: act. Don’t seek the opinions of others to sound opinions out first - just act by doing something proactive in that moment.

Admittedly, I’m hyper-vigilant now and aware of risk everywhere. But always better to be safe than sorry.

Really? . Well she did the right thing in the end !. And if you actually read her post , she had her daughter in the car.

Christ, MN is getting nastier and nastier by the day.

Well done, OP. You’re a good person for noticing and caring. Ignore the a-holes on here.

It’s good you rang it in op, I know you and people said about the delay but I’m pretty sure there’s a 50% change I might have just assumed either the person would be ok or someone else would help. Not proud of it but it’s true. Well done, hope he’s ok x

I hope the young lad is OK and was just watching the world go by.

What 3 words has many issues, I wouldn't use it in any type of emergency situation at all, there have been many incidents of it being totally inaccurate, so I would find a different way of getting a location.

Why were you so reluctant to ask the police to check on him?

You did a good thing, you may have saved his life.
Hopefully he's now being looked after.

I can’t believe you need to even ask on this forum what to do.. I would have pulled over and walked back to check he was ok. Imagine if that was your child.

That must have been heartbreaking String

I was in your situation 3 years ago, driving over a bridge. Noticed a pedestrian on the opposite pavement just walking along but something didn’t sit quite right for me. By the time I looked in my rear view mirror I could see him climbing onto the wall of the bridge. By the time I swung my car over and jumped out he was standing on the wall. By the time I reached the wall and grabbed for him he’d jumped.

Please always trust your instincts.

Just a heads-up that the UK emergency number is 999. Calls to 911 will be forwarded to 999, because so many Brits think we're just like America. If you want the fastest available response, though, use the proper number: 999.

As a DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) I always told people who were unsure to report things - either it built up a picture or it was of no consequence. Always better to alert someone in case. My lovely dd1 worked with Student Nightline and Samaritans and I know she'd say the same. She entirely fluffed a grad interview through tiredness because the previous night she'd talked a uni friend down from a bridge and caled the police on him. So proud of her.

I work in the same district as this one and if you called it in it would come to us. Someone would get sent to check on them. What 3 words is really helpful to find the exact location too!

I know that area pretty well, I have a friend who lives in Duckmanton and it is a really high bridge. Hopefully the police have traced him as a welfare check, it’s a really busy part of the motorway, you may have saved him.

I had a very similar situation on the M6 northbound yesterday evening. My daughter was in the car with me so she rang the police and they could pinpoint where I was from the call and hopefully work out where the young lad was.

The handler was really nice and said they'd rather have a wasted call out than people not calling and a tragic scenario.

Can’t see any incidents or delays reported at the junction within the last hour, so hopefully all is well.