Cruel motorists urge suicidal man on dual carriageway bridge to ‘just jump’

CRUEL motorists urged a suicidal man to hurl himself off a dual carriageway bridge - before a hero PC stepped in to save his life.

Derbyshire cop Ben Wildman, 32, talked the man down from a bridge spanning the A38 as onlookers crowed "just jump".

The acting sergeant described the ordeal as "one of the most testing days" of his career.

He told The Derby Telegraph: "we had a call coming in from a member of the public who was concerned for a man in the Burton area of the A38.

"This man had a history of mental health problems too.

"I found him on the wrong side of the bridge railings with his arms outstretched behind him holding on.

There were members of the public nearby who were beeping their horns and saying ‘just jump’. I was the stranger that cared.

"I turned my lights off and parked up some distance away so as not to spook him.

"I was scared for him, but ultimately I needed to save his life."

"But every time I made conversation he quickly came back to what he wanted to happen to him.

“In the end I was there for 15 minutes. It felt like forever.

"The worst part was that there were members of the public nearby who were beeping their horns and saying ‘just jump’. I was the stranger that cared.”

Ben - who has worked for Derbyshire Police for 11 years - was this week handed an award for his quick thinking.

Chief superintendent Jim Allen wrote: "You are commended for your actions on September 30, 2018, when you prevented a man from jumping off a bridge over the A38 at Barton under Needwood.

"Your communication and negotiation skills and your calmness in a clearly stressful and challenging situation undoubtedly prevented the man from committing suicide or causing serious injury to himself."