Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

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:

Norwegiancopice · 14/12/2024 00:59

I was not as involved as you were but slightly similar. About 40 years ago walking with toddler in buggy and came across a man sitting on a brick bridge over a railway line. I spoke to him but he didn't turn or acknowledge I was there.
His body language was odd and he was looking down at the tracks. Just a narrow footpath on a hill not really safe as traffic was passing but none stopped. Busy Police station nearby so I ran and flagged down a police car. I've never forgotten him or his expression. The Police got him off the bridge and put handcuffs on him and got him in the car.

Hurryuphumphreygeorgeiswaiting · 14/12/2024 10:04

You are amazing OP and the guy will get the help he needs. I felt really emotional reading this as sometimes people have no one to turn to and can't reach out. They feel completely helpless so the only option in their minds is to end their life. You cared that much and not to just drive past. I hope he has family around him to support him and in the coming weeks/months he will feel he has a life, good life to live for.

netflixfan · 14/12/2024 10:41

Thank you for your wonderful courageous response to the poor person. You did a lovely thing there 💓
Yes someone I know talked a person out of jumping off a bridge. But you actually physically stopped them from falling well done cant thank you enough.

WeddingPedding · 15/12/2024 07:25

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

AlleycatMarie · 15/12/2024 22:03

Well done @Difficultfemale that’s amazing. Take care of yourself and give yourself time to process it and make sure you talk to someone about it.

ZonedOutandGhosted · 15/12/2024 22:07

I saved my narcissistic abusive mother’s life. Afterwards I really thought she may be kind to me. She wasn’t, she was just as evil to me and one day after she was particularly nasty to me I said to her ‘but I saved your life ? And you still don’t even like me ?’ And she snarled at me ‘I bet you wouldn’t do it again though would you ???! So I’ll judge you on that ‘

Seriously79 · 15/12/2024 22:18

Well done OP! The world needs more people like you x

Goodtogossip · 16/12/2024 12:30

Sorry I've not been in this situation or have any advice to offer, but wanted to say it's angels like you that restore my faith in humans. So many others probably drove past not giving this person a second thought. Well done you, I'm sure in time, & with the help he hopefully gets, this man will be truly grateful to you for saving his life.

icelolly12 · 16/12/2024 12:52

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)

And other road users who would have been traumatised by the scene. I know someone who now can't drive at night due to someone jumping off a bridge which caused them huge mental health impacts and lasting ptsd.

MabelMaybe · 16/12/2024 13:08

My dad daved a guy's life years ago, on a sea fishing trip. Very fast flowing area (Menai Straits) and a guy on the boat went overboard. Dad saw, grabbed at his collar and kept his head above the water until the rest of the guys on the boat came to help him. I never knew anything about it until one day dad came round to our house and we had a new photograph on our wall, on the fireplace, of the Menai Straits. He just sat there with a cuppa and said "oh, I saved a guy's life there". He could point out where the boat was and everything.

Well done OP, and I'm glad someone came to help you. I'm a first aider, you're taught to be bossy and get others involved because it's less common than you'd think for others to stop and help you, because they see you "doing something" and don't need to stop, when you're desperate for someone to phone 999 or for an extra pair of hands.

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 18/12/2024 14:13

Bunchymcbunchface · 13/12/2024 19:40

Years ago when I was about 12 (2989/1990) my best friend and I used to go to Margate on our own to the pleasure beach on the train.
we were sat opposite each other and these lads got on at a stop, probably around our age. They were messing around on the train, but not doing anything bad. One of them decided to come between us and stood at the door. The next minute he opened the door…….nothing happened for about 2 seconds, then the wind caught it and him and the whole door swang round at terrifying speed and were flattened against the window. He was literally looking at us through the window clinging on for dear life.
My best friend reached her arm round the door pillar and grabbed him and I jumped across next to her and held her as she had her top half out of the train.

it felt like ages but was probably only around 10 seconds, then this man lept across the carriage and grabbed this boy and pulled him in. Thinking back now it must’ve taken a lot of strength.
The kid went flying across the carriage as he sort of threw him in. The guy went absolutely mad at the lad and called him a stupid fu*king idiot etc. He shut the door and asked if we were ok. The kid just sort of laid in a heap on the floor.

It was the end of the 80’s so everyone pretty much ignored him except to tut and say how stupid he was for the rest of the journey!.

That sounds absolutely terrifying!

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 18/12/2024 14:15

wineandgarden · 13/12/2024 23:23

That was really brave and you did so much good! I hope you can get over the trauma to start to feel proud of yourself. I had a similar morning which had a huge impact on me and I ended up having physio for my shoulder and trauma counselling which was brilliant - please do do this - it's really important. The trauma counselling was good in making me talk through the event and then helping me to understand that the more I talked about what had happened the easier it would get to process. She also recommended I write down the event from start to finish. I'd been walking the dog and seen a really weird long shape like a really tall person in the trees, I realised it was a body hanging so I ran towards it screaming and then just grabbed it by the legs and held it up and just talked to that body, telling it was loved etc etc for what seemed like forever. Amazingly two women walked past and were so incredible - one went for help and the other helped me try to get the body down. I was holding it too high so she asked me to lower the body so she could get the cord off - then I ended up cheek to cheek with a WARM cheek (I'd thought it was already dead) and then as I looked it was a teenage girl and it must have only just happened - we got her down, she was 16 and it turned out school, police and parents were all out looking for her. Today she's alive and well and occasionally I see her around town. I don't think she knows who I am but that memory still sits with me. I also have such anger for the two runners who ran past us with music on so loud that they couldn't hear me shouting for help. I walked away in so much shock (dog thankfully not run off!) past ambulance and police and went home. I talked to my family about it and some friends but it's been a really odd event and a formative one. I think I feel alright about it now. I had a friend come with me and we cut down the branch she hanged herself from which was good and helpful. But otherwise it's time I think? Time, counselling, still an odd shoulder from holding up a weight for I don't know how long and I do enjoy shouting at runners for having both earphones in. Take care, get some counselling and keep talking about the event so you can process.

Why anger at the runners?

QuickDenimDeer · 18/12/2024 14:17

Wow, well done you. I’m not so sure it’s what I would have done, being totally honest. It takes a certain type of person.

wineandgarden · 18/12/2024 18:11

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 18/12/2024 14:15

Why anger at the runners?

Show quote history

Because they had earbuds in and had loud music on and didn't hear me calling for help - they were only about 10m from me. I really needed help and they just pranced past in their own little worlds.

MyrtlethePurpleTurtle · 19/12/2024 06:32

wineandgarden · 18/12/2024 18:11

Because they had earbuds in and had loud music on and didn't hear me calling for help - they were only about 10m from me. I really needed help and they just pranced past in their own little worlds.

Show quote history

[deleted because I wrote an unnecessarily catty message]

SummerGardenFlowers · 19/12/2024 06:50

I think I saved one of my friends. She was at a low ebb, another friend and I were on a group chat with her, she said she'd drunk some alcohol and taken a single sleeping tablet and was just going to go to sleep. My other friend didn't bat an eye and said she'd speak to her tomorrow and have a good sleep. I felt like something was off and phoned her husband to get him to go and check on her immediately - when he got there she was blue and needed resuscitation, turned out she'd drunk a lot more than she'd said and had taken an overdose of sleeping pills. I don't think she'd have survived. I'm not actually on friendly terms with her any more but I do occasionally think of this with horror at the devastation it would have caused to her husband and children.

Deathraystare · 19/12/2024 13:27

What a wonderful thing to have done! Glad it al worked out ok.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Swipe left for the next trending thread