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Hero lorry driver ‘saves man’s life’ after stopping him jumping from M62 bridge

The distressing image was released yesterday by Vulnerable Citizen Support Leeds.

The Manc - 11th June 2021

A lorry driver has been hailed as a hero after parking underneath a bridge on the M62 where a man was threatening to jump.

A distressing image released yesterday showed a man sitting on the edge of the railing of the motorway bridge – but when an approaching lorry driver became aware of the severity of the situation, he parked his vehicle underneath.

This ultimately prevented the man from jumping and “saved his life”, Leeds Live reported.

The lorry driver kept the vehicle stationary in that same position until the man was safely escorted down.

Vulnerable Citizen Support Leeds – which is a community organisation that provides help and assistance to those struggling with mental health issues and homelessness – shared the harrowing image and story on Facebook, writing: “IT’S OKAY – NOT TO BE OKAY.

The lorry driver parked his vehicle underneath the part of the bridge where the man was sitting / Credit: Vulnerable Citizen Support Leeds

“This is a picture from the M62 motorway bridge [and] a passerby has posted it to raise awareness of the situation at hand [but] what people don’t understand is that to jump on the other side of any bridge, indicates something drastically wrong with their mental health.

“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 that awareness… 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.”

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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:

Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Mon – Fri 10am – 2pm.
The GM 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: [email protected].
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.