Bernard saves suicide man from M65 bridge jump

Good Samaritan Bernard Shaw (61) was driving down Cuckstool Lane, from Fence, around 8-30am on Sunday, October 6th, when he saw a young man stood on the other side of the motorway bridge railings.

Sensing there was something amiss with the sitiuation, he wound down his car window and engaged him in conversation.

“He looked in his early 20s. He told me he had been having some problems. I was in the process of ringing the police when they turned up. He told me to tell them to stop where they were.”

Mr Shaw spoke with the police and then went back over to the man, who had lit a cigarette.

“I don’t actually smoke but I thought it was a good way in so I asked him for one. I carried on talking to him for a few minutes but then he started to hand over his mobile and told me to give it to his family.

“I could see that he was going to jump so I grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him over. He was in shock, I don’t think he knew what had happened.”

The man was taken to hospital to be checked over.

Mr Shaw said the police said thank you to him on the day but he had not heard anything from them since.

“I just did what anybody else would have done. I hope the lad is OK,” he said.