Hero killed in traffic as he tries to rescue bridge jumper on M1
A GOOD samaritan died in a motorway horror yesterday after running into the road to help a man who had jumped from a bridge.
The motorist got out of his car after he saw the man leap on to the M1, but was hit by another vehicle. In a double tragedy, both men were declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Last night, witnesses hailed the good samaritan as a hero.
Coach passenger Rebecca Martin, a theatre manager from Manchester, said: ‘We came to a screeching halt and found out a man had jumped from the bridge in front of us.
‘I thought it was a car crash at first, but there was no bang. I knew something was very wrong straight away. We were just three or four cars behind it.
‘A car stopped and a man got out to help and was hit by another car. It’s awful. It was bad enough that one person fell off the bridge, but then to find out that a guy who stopped to help was killed is just so sad. He was obviously a very courageous guy – a real hero.’
The 32-year-old added: ‘I don’t know what I would have done in that situation. It’s nice to know there are lovely people out there who would do something like that.’
Paramedics and an air ambulance were called to the scene, on the motorway’s northbound carriageway near Watford in Hertfordshire, at around 10.45am. But neither of the men could be saved.
The road was closed for several hours in both directions while police investigations were carried out.
A silver Audi saloon car was last night seen being towed from the scene. Rupert Gadd, from the Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire police road crash investigation unit, said: ‘A male is known to have jumped from the bridge parapet on to the carriageway.
‘Other motorists have stopped to assist – unfortunately one of those people who stopped was struck by another vehicle.’
A Hertfordshire police spokesman said both carriageways were later reopened. She appealed for witnesses to come forward. The East of England ambulance service said it received a 999 call at 10.48am and had its first rapid response car on the scene in under three minutes. A spokesman said: ‘ We sent two ambulances and a response vehicle, a volunteer doctor and the Hertfordshire air ambulance.’ He added: ‘All of our resources were stood down shortly after midday.’