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Original poster

I just saved someone’s life…

142 replies

Difficultfemale · 12/12/2024 20:00

Ok not just, but this morning. Was on the way to work, brilliant mood, high vibe tunes in the car, driving over a motorway bridge and noticed a man stood looking over the railings. On a closer look he had cans of alcohol around his feet and was stood on the bottom rung rather than the pavement. I just knew.

Stopped in the road and wound down my window to speak to him, but as I was doing this he started to climb over. Adrenaline kicked in and before I knew it I’d jumped out of my car, left it with the engine running in the middle of the road, doors open, and was running over. He was completely on the other side of the railings when I got to him. Gripped him and somehow managed to pull him over the railings. He was clearly under the influence of many, many, substances as he just wanted to ‘fly’ and was fighting the whole time. At this point I was feeling a bit out of my depth, to say the least. Unable to let go, unable to call police, I had clearly not thought this through and the panic was setting in quickly. I was screaming for help (rush hour traffic) and luckily, after what felt like an age, a man stopped to help and rang the police. The relief I felt on seeing him was immense! Luckily we managed to keep him safe until the police came but it felt like forever. I’ve had a courtesy call to let me know that thankfully he’s in a mental health suite and getting the help he needs.

Anyone else have a similar story they can share? And/or advice on how to deal with it, if (god forbid) I, or anyone else here, ends up in a similar situation ever again?

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 12/12/2024 20:29

Well done. That was a wonderful thing you did.

I live near a junction on the M1 that often has people threatening to jump Sad. There are signs from the Samaritans posted everywhere. I feel so sad for people who feel that this is the only option.

No17CherryTreeLane · 12/12/2024 20:30

Flipping heck @Difficultfemale
My heart was pounding just reading your account, I can't imagine the panic you felt at the time.
Bloody well done you 👏
Hope you're having a well deserved stiff drink or 3 tonight!

frockandcrocs · 12/12/2024 20:30

OP, you should be so proud of yourself. Your post made me a bit emotional.
A friend of mine was that man a few years ago- and an absolute angel of a man held onto her and saved her life like you did to that man today.

MumonabikeE5 · 12/12/2024 20:32

My husband got an award for saving a man when he was a teenager. He saw they man was putting car fumes into his car in a car park, and he dragged him out of the car.

30 years on he still remembers it clearly. It’s never shared in a Jokey way, he was deeply touched by the experience

well done you.

i hope that that person holds on, and this event is the one that leads them to full recovery .

Original poster
Difficultfemale · 12/12/2024 20:37

FiveLeavesLeft · 12/12/2024 20:24

You’ve done an amazing and very courageous thing today. Suicide is like a bomb going off and the reverberations can go on through the generations. You’ve probably spared a lot of people a huge amount of pain.

My mum took her life in a public place and I will always wonder if something as simple as a kind word or a smile might have saved her. It’s life-affirming to know that people like you exist.

Would echo what other posters have said about taking care of yourself - and to bear in mind that the effects of such a shock can take a while to become apparent.

Oh @FiveLeavesLeft , this just made me cry, the thought that I could have made that big a difference and saved people from having to feel like you do about your Mum is incredibly reassuring. I’m so happy that I saved him, you never know how you’re going to react in a situation like that and I’m glad I did what I did. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I’m so sorry about your Mum.

OP posts:
LemongrassLollipop · 12/12/2024 20:37

What a brave and strong person you are! It takes a lot to go from observing, realising he needed help and then getting up there on the bridge and getting him down.

Freeze/flight/fight..... Could have gone either way but your instincts kicked in and wow you saved someone's life!

Amazing 🤩

Nikitaspearlearring · 12/12/2024 20:39

You asked about other instances... I was thinking about this the other day when there was a thread about two dch left in a cold car for four hours.
I was about nine or ten, on holiday with my parents, would've been somewhere like Brighton. It was a blisteringly hot day. I came off the beach to get an ice-cream. Walked past a parked car and saw a baby lying on the back seat. It was bright red in the face and screaming. The front window was open a tiny bit. Bear in mind this was in the 1960s so quite normal not to be in a baby seat. Anyway I could see this baby needed help so I approached a couple and showed them. The doors were locked and the man tried to get his hand in the window, couldn't - asked me to and I couldn't. He saw a kid with a little plastic spade and borrowed it. Got it into the gap and after a lot of manoeuvring, got the triangle end of the spade over the thing that pushed the window down and managed to pull it up (wasn't a handle, more a tab that you pushed down/pulled up). Got that window down, got his arm in to get the back window down and got the baby out. By this time there was a crowd around and a policeman turned up. He left a note on the car and took the baby away. He told the couple they'd done the right thing, that the baby wouldn't have lasted much longer in there. So I think I was instrumental in saving a life!

Skyrainlight · 12/12/2024 20:41

Wow, that's incredible!! You are a real life angel.

RampantIvy · 12/12/2024 20:42

💐@FiveLeavesLeft

sociallydistained · 12/12/2024 20:43

Wow I can't imagine how you must feel now it's a lot to process but thank goodness for you! Your lack of hesitation literally saved his life. I hope you're okay xx

EnjoythemoneyJane · 12/12/2024 20:44

You did a brilliant thing, OP. I used to volunteer with Samaritans and one of the things you’re taught is that statistically the majority of people whose suicide attempts are subject to intervention do not try again; they’re ultimately happy to have a second chance at life.

healthybychristmas · 12/12/2024 20:45

That's absolutely incredible. You are just the sort of person he needed at just that point in his life. Something magical happened in that moment. He will never forget you and you will never forget him. It's amazing.

haysaw · 12/12/2024 20:46

This is amazing, well done. There are good people in the world x

Original poster
Difficultfemale · 12/12/2024 20:46

Nikitaspearlearring · 12/12/2024 20:39

You asked about other instances... I was thinking about this the other day when there was a thread about two dch left in a cold car for four hours.
I was about nine or ten, on holiday with my parents, would've been somewhere like Brighton. It was a blisteringly hot day. I came off the beach to get an ice-cream. Walked past a parked car and saw a baby lying on the back seat. It was bright red in the face and screaming. The front window was open a tiny bit. Bear in mind this was in the 1960s so quite normal not to be in a baby seat. Anyway I could see this baby needed help so I approached a couple and showed them. The doors were locked and the man tried to get his hand in the window, couldn't - asked me to and I couldn't. He saw a kid with a little plastic spade and borrowed it. Got it into the gap and after a lot of manoeuvring, got the triangle end of the spade over the thing that pushed the window down and managed to pull it up (wasn't a handle, more a tab that you pushed down/pulled up). Got that window down, got his arm in to get the back window down and got the baby out. By this time there was a crowd around and a policeman turned up. He left a note on the car and took the baby away. He told the couple they'd done the right thing, that the baby wouldn't have lasted much longer in there. So I think I was instrumental in saving a life!

Wow @Nikitaspearlearring , amazing that you acted so quickly at such a young age. I bet you wonder where that baby ended up a lot. You should be amazingly proud of yourself.

I think there must be a lot of every day hero’s out there that go under the radar. Thank you for sharing and I hope this thread can shine some light on some of those that have helped others.

OP posts:
Ihopeithinkiknow · 12/12/2024 20:51

I remember watching one of those ambulance type programs where a man was on the side of a bridge and was gonna jump and my then 7 year old daughter told me that when she gets older she is gonna drive a van with a load of mattresses in the back in case she ever sees anyone like that lol as she was saying it she looked surprised that nobody had ever thought to do that bless her. Well done to you though you should be proud of yourself and I hope the man gets the help he needs x

Nc546888 · 12/12/2024 20:51

Gosh my heart was in my mouth just reading that well done OP

nocoolnamesleft · 12/12/2024 20:51

You did amazingly well to react quickly enough. You didn't just save the individual you grabbed, but his family and friends too. Look after yourself. (And a second vote for tetris, the psychologist who gave me EMDR for PTSD really reckoned it works)

Propereastender · 12/12/2024 20:55

That’s amazing, OP. I hope in the future you can look back and feel nothing but pride in what you did. Do make sure you try to access some support though. A colleague’s partner is a police officer and is currently having to take time off after saving someone in similar circumstances. He’s seen all sorts of awful things but this was the incident that had taken it out of him. Look after yourself.

FridayFeelingmidweek · 12/12/2024 21:03

Humanity and kindness does exist. Well done! Feel proud that you have those innate instincts and care for another human being.

Personally I don't have a story to share, but I do believe that sometimes just talking to someone (the quiet person in the office, elderly relative) can make such a difference to someone's day and life. Most people want to feel seen, and to feel valued.

Keep talking it through with us here, or friends and family. It's an important part of processing.

OnlyinBlackandWhite · 12/12/2024 21:04

You did an amazing job, OP, really amazing. Such a brave thing to do without any thought for yourself or your safety.

It's odd that these split second decisions define someone else's life, in your case, for the better as a few seconds later, or someone who just drove by, and it would have been very different.

Take care of yourself and I agree with everyone saying seek support if you start to feel a bit wobbly about it all, which you might well.

Original poster
Difficultfemale · 12/12/2024 21:04

Propereastender · 12/12/2024 20:55

That’s amazing, OP. I hope in the future you can look back and feel nothing but pride in what you did. Do make sure you try to access some support though. A colleague’s partner is a police officer and is currently having to take time off after saving someone in similar circumstances. He’s seen all sorts of awful things but this was the incident that had taken it out of him. Look after yourself.

My partner is also in the police and it’s frightening just how often he has to deal with these cases. I think that I’m probably more attuned to look for it after listening to his stories but at least I’ve got someone at home to talk to that has experienced the exact same thing. And I will, thank you.

OP posts:
mindutopia · 12/12/2024 21:04

How incredible. You have done an amazing and life changing thing. No personal experience, but I was in hospital awhile back (for a life changing surgery of my own), but I was on a ward that got a lot of trauma cases. There was a young man they wheeled in next to me who had jumped off a building a few hours earlier and lived. He was only 20. I think of him often actually. He survived the jump (actually he was probably in better physical shape than I was!), emotionally really struggling and his family wasn’t very supportive. I hope he’s okay and he’s found some support.

Lubilu02 · 12/12/2024 21:08

Unbeknown to you and him, you were his guardian angel today.

I can't put into words what an act of selfless bravery that was. I suspect your past trauma you mentioned had something to do with it. Those who've visited that dark place understand the pain that people can feel as if it's their own.

You are a truly amazing person for what you did ❤️

Tracystubbs · 12/12/2024 21:08

I'm going back about 7 years ago,and I was at work

A bloke walked in and there was something about him that made me think he could do with a friendly face

I made a point of saying hello,but he ignored me,so I backed off and watched him

Long story short,we got chatting

His girlfriend had left him for another man,he was meant to be going on holiday with her but it looked like he was going to have to cancel and a few other bits that where not a big deal in the grand scheme of life but had hit him at his lowest point and built up so he felt he couldn't manage anymore

He was heading to a busy motorway bridge that's not far from my house and something made him stop and come into my work for something to eat,before carrying onto the bridge to commit suicide (thank god he did)

I sat with him for hours-about 4 hours after my shift finished and by the time we parted ways,he looked a bit better,he'd promised to see his gp and to come back to let me know he was OK

About a month later,he did come back in,looking much better

He realised his girlfriend was a female cocklodger and was better off without her,had found a mate to go on the holiday with him and sorted out a lot of his other problems-life still wasn't perfect,but it looked brighter

We stayed in touch and he's now married (to another lady),theyve had a baby,bought a lovely house and hes much happier

It's a weird feeling knowing I saw him at his lowest and I helped save his life-im so glad he walked in that day

PickleJelly · 12/12/2024 21:11

@FiveLeavesLeft I am incredibly sorry for your loss and pain. I have also very very recently lost my mum to suicide, which happened in a public place. Its all still such a blur at the moment but I also wonder the same, what if someone had seen her, or questioned her, or even just smiled at her to be honest. Would it have made a difference.

@Difficultfemale you have done an amazing thing and you should be so so proud. There are places where you can get counseling if you are affected by suicide/attempted suicide. Please do get some support.
As a previous poster has said, suicide leaves behind heartbreaking devastation. Not only have you saved this man's life, you have saved his family and friends.