Lorry driver, 23, desperately hangs onto man climbing over M1 barrier

A quick-thinking lorry driver has described the moment he wrestled a man who was attempting to jump off a bridge over the M1, to the ground.

Kieran Walsh, 23, sprang into action after seeing the man on a bridge above the motorway in South Yorkshire^[1] on Tuesday, April 11. At around 1am, Kieran had set off in his 44-tonne Mercedes-Benz Actros lorry^[2] from Evri’s distribution hub in Barnsley^[3].

Kieran was at the beginning of a long journey back to Warrington when he spotted a pedestrain walking towards a bridge. Something in his mind made Kieran loop around to see if the person was OK and as it turned out, that intuition saved a life.

He said: “As I approached the junction where the road crosses the M1, I saw a pedestrian who appeared to be walking towards the bridge. I looped round to have another look at him to see whether he was OK.

“As I came around the second time, I saw him leaning over the barrier above the southbound carriageway of the motorway. I stopped alongside him, put on my hazard warning lights and tried to speak to him from the cab.

"I didn’t get a response after three attempts, so I put on my high-vis jacket, turned off the engine and walked to him. I tried not to make him panic or worried, and told him I was going to call the office just so they knew where I was, but stepped away to actually call the police.

"At this point, he started to try to climb the barrier. I grabbed him with an arm around his chest, holding him very tightly, with my phone in my other hand as I spoke to the emergency operator.

"The man tried to climb the barrier three or four times, and another member of the public who was driving past and had seen what was happening stopped to help, and we managed to hang on to him. All the while, I stayed on the phone until the police arrived to take over.”

Now Kieran, who lives in Wallasey on Merseyside and works for Kinaxia Logistics, has been recognised by his company with a new ‘Moments that Matter’ award. The accolade was presented to him by Richard Smith and Michael Spence.

The citation on Kieran’s certificate says: “For stopping and helping someone when they needed it the most. You literally made a life-changing decision. Everyone at Kinaxia is so proud of you”.

Richard Smith said: “We are humbled by the actions that Kieran took to assist someone when they were most in need. It would have been very easy to just drive past and not give a second thought, but Kieran showed the foresight and humanity to turn his vehicle around and see if this member of public was OK.

“Through his actions, he undoubtedly made a difference and saved a life. Everyone at Kinaxia Logistics is very proud of Kieran – he is a role model for all the drivers in our business.”

Kieran is based at Mark Thompson Transport’s depot in Appleton, Warrington, and was heading back there with a full load at the time of the incident. Kieran, added: “I hope he is OK. I just felt it was the right thing to do. My mum has always told me to be the best person I can, and someone needed help. I didn’t think about myself.

“Everyone has kept saying that I’m a hero, but I don’t see it that way. I was lucky to be there when I was. I’m also extremely grateful to the other driver. I didn’t get his details at the time, but would like to thank him for stopping to help.”

Where to get mental health help in 2023

• Samaritans^[5]: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected], in confidence
• Platform 1 men's community group^[6]: Support for issues including mental health problems and addiction recovery. Visit the website or call 01484 421143.
• Andy's Man Club^[7]: [email protected]
• PAPYRUS^[8]: A voluntary organisation supporting suicidal teens and young adults. Phone 0800 068 4141
• Mind^[9]: A charity offering support and advice for people with mental health problems.
• Bullying UK^[10]: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying. Click here
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM)^[11]: For young men who are feeling unhappy. There's a website and a helpline: 0800 58 58 58
• MindOut^[12]: Provide support and advice on mental health for members of LGBTQ communities. Phone 01273 234839

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Police^[13] said: "Police were called at 1.07am on Tuesday 11 April by a member of the public reporting concerns for the welfare of an individual at a roundabout over the M1. Upon officer arrival, the individual was brought to a place of safety. Nobody was injured during the incident."

Kinaxia is a UK logistics group employing more than 1,800 staff nationwide with a fleet of over 850 vehicles which transport goods for the retail, leisure, food and drink and manufacturing sectors. The group, which has its headquarters in Macclesfield, Cheshire, has 2.7 million sq ft of warehouse facilities nationwide, offering contract packing, e-fulfilment, returns management, storage services and a complete distribution service.

References

1. ^{^} South Yorkshire (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
2. ^{^} 44-tonne Mercedes-Benz Actros lorry (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Barnsley (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
4. ^{^} 'I was bullied at school for learning to become a makeup artist and now I am a success' (www.examinerlive.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Samaritans (www.samaritans.org)
6. ^{^} Platform 1 men's community group (platform-1.co.uk)
7. ^{^} Andy's Man Club (andysmanclub.co.uk)
8. ^{^} PAPYRUS (www.papyrus-uk.org)
9. ^{^} Mind (www.mind.org.uk)
10. ^{^} Bullying UK (www.bullying.co.uk)
11. ^{^} Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) (www.thecalmzone.net)
12. ^{^} MindOut (mindout.org.uk)
13. ^{^} South Yorkshire Police (www.examinerlive.co.uk)