A lorry driver has been hailed as ‘an angel’ and ‘total hero’ after he parked his vehicle beneath a busy motorway bridge and climbed atop it to rescue a man contemplating suicide.
Dan Shillito, from Hull, East Yorkshire, was traveling south on the M1 towards Derby on Saturday evening when he noticed road signs indicating a speed restriction and alerting drivers to an ‘incident’.
But as he edged closer to the bridge at Palterton Lane in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, the Samskip driver saw ‘a leg dangling over the bridge’.
Reacting swiftly, the 34-year-old offered his assistance to a police officer, suggesting he could position his truck under the bridge to help prevent the man from ending his life.
The incident occurred just days before World Suicide Prevention Day, which is marked on Wednesday.
Video footage captured by a motorist in the traffic jam shortly after 7pm shows Mr. Shillito stepping out of his lorry and climbing onto its roof.
He can then be seen helping the man on the bridge above him, by holding his legs and feet until help arrived.
It is understood the man survived and has been recovering from his ordeal.
Lorry driver Dan Shillito has been lauded as a ‘total hero’ after he stopped his vehicle under a busy motorway bridge and climbed onto the roof to aid a man in distress. Pictured: Mr. Shillito can be seen assisting by supporting the man with his shoulders.
The married father-of-two, who has been driving lorries for eight years, modestly said he ‘just did what anyone else would do’
The incident happened on the bridge over the M1 at Palterton Lane in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Saturday evening (file pic)
Since being uploaded to social media, the video has garnered over 5.3 million views and thousands of comments, with many commending the trucker for his ‘heroic act’.
But the married father-of-two, who has been driving lorries for eight years, modestly said he ‘just did what anyone else would do.’
Recalling the events of that night, Mr Shillito told Daily Mail: ‘I was heading down the M1 to Donington Park Services, because I had a delivery for Bristol the next morning.
‘I saw a notice board saying there was an incident and just presumed there had been an accident, but as I got closer I realised there weren’t any cars involved and I couldn’t understand what had happened.
‘That’s when I saw a traffic officer on the other side of the road jumping over the central reservation and waving at all the cars to stop.
‘He walked over to the bridge – and that’s when I saw a guy’s leg hanging down.
‘I just shouted out to the traffic officer to ask if he wanted me to pull my truck underneath the bridge to stop the man from falling on the ground.
‘The officer moved a car and a trailer out of the way, and I pulled my truck underneath the bridge.
‘I then got out to see what was going on and I just saw this guy off the bridge. There were three or four police officers all holding on to him.’
Dan Shillito, pictured with his wife Rikki and children Amelia and George, said he had been ‘overwhelme’ by hundreds of messages on social media thanking him for his
Mr Shillito recalled he was then asked by one of the police officers if he could get on the top of his truck to help the man.
‘I got up there and went over to the guy. I put his feet on my shoulders to support him, so I was holding him up and held onto him for a few minutes.
‘Eventually four police officers came onto the top of the truck and took over.’
Footage shows emergency service workers helping the man, who was taken to hospital for checking over before being sent home.
The heroic lorry driver said the impact of his actions did not fully hit him until the following days.
‘I was quite focused on just doing what I needed to do. I wasn’t panicking, I just saw what I could do to help, and did it all in the moment.
‘It was only afterwards once everything had been done and I drove away that it sort of hit me. I felt this adrenaline.
‘My only thought was to try to save the guy and make sure he doesn’t fall.’
After the footage was posted onto social media, Mr Shillito said he received ‘hundreds of messages’ – including one from the man’s son thanking him for saving his dad’s life.
Dan’s wife Rikki, with whom he shares children Amelia, 12, and George 2, also expressed how she was ‘so proud’ of her husband among the thousands of comments that have emerged on social media.
Others called Mr Shillito a ‘beautiful human being’, a ‘guardian angel’ and ‘an absolute hero’.
‘I’ve felt really overwhelmed,’ he added. ‘It’s sinking in now, I’m realising what has actually taken place.
‘It’s a good feeling the fact I’ve managed to help someone, but obviously I feel for the guy involved as well. I just hope he continues to get better and ends up living a happy life.’
In a statement, Derbyshire Police confirmed that no-one was injured by the incident on Saturday.
A spokesperson said: ‘We received a call concerning the welfare of a man on a bridge close to junction 29 of the M1 at about 6.30pm on Saturday 6 September.
‘Officers were deployed to the scene and the man was led to safety with the help of a member of the public.
‘No-one was injured and the man was taken to hospital to be checked over.
‘A stretch of the motorway was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident and was later reopened.’
For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
