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What I Should Have Said to the Man I Stopped from Jumping Off a Bridge
It’s a scenario nobody wants to find themselves in, but experts have tips on how to talk to a person in crisis
Several years ago, I was walking across a bridge in central London with a friend when something caught my eye. A man who looked to be in his early twenties was standing very close to the edge. It was only as I got closer that I realized he was on the wrong side of the barrier. He was going to jump.
What happened next is a blur. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t be able to grab him if he fell, because of where he was balanced. Several other people had noticed him, too, and one woman took his arm and began to ask him what was wrong. I took hold of his other arm until some men passing by stopped to hold the young man from behind. His position made it impossible to drag him down without risk of him slipping over the edge.
We asked his name and told him that we understood he was in pain. We told him that we would get him help. He didn’t say anything, he just cried.
My friend, flanked by horrified onlookers, called the police. Eventually several officers came and managed to get the man down. It was late and I was exhausted when I finally headed home, but I couldn’t sleep…
