Man talked out of bridge suicide attempt by Derby teen
The man was preparing to throw himself from a bridge over the A38
Two weeks ago Nathaniel Dryden was on the way to his weekend job at a Covid testing centre when he saw a young man preparing to throw himself from a motorway bridge over the A38.
The 17-year-old and his colleague rushed to the bridge and then talked the man, believed to be in his 20s, out of his suicide attempt.
Nathaniel convinced the man to get in the car and travel with him to the testing centre where the emergency services were called.
"We slowly got closer to him. He was crying, he was saying 'life's not worth living' and that he's got no mates, he's got no one. I was just saying 'Everything's alright'. It took a couple of tries, but he finally got in."
"I wasn't talking to him like his boss, I wasn't talking down to him. I was talking to him like a mate, having a couple of laughs and that, and we finally got him into the car."
"At the time I didn't think much of it, just to save the man was my main priority. After, I was just glad that he was safe."
The man was then taken by his parents to the Royal Derby hospital for treatment.
Nathaniel's actions have earned him a nomination for a British Citizen Youth Award.