Man saved from river tragedy by two passers-by
By David Raleigh
Two members of the public have helped prevent a river tragedy after talking a man down from a bridge in Limerick.
Shortly before 7pm last night, the man, aged in his 40s, climbed up onto the railings of Shannon Bridge and threatened to jump into the River Shannon.
At approximately 7pm, Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service responded to the man.
"The male had been seen on the bridge by (the fire service's) swift-water rescue crew who were on the river carrying out evening checks on their newly purchased rescue boat 'Fireswift' at the time," said an emergency services source.
"On arrival, the man had been talked down from the railings of the bridge by two passers-by."
The man was treated on scene by HSE paramedics and taken to University Hospital Limerick.
The man was not injured.
"These two people can be proud of themselves. They came across this guy up on the bridge and it must have been a scary thing for everyone involved," the source said.
"All's well that ends well. Thank God we don't have another casualty on the river tonight," they added.
Gardaí were also in attendance at the scene.
The bridge was closed for approximately 20 minutes as the incident was dealt with.
The high prevalence of people taking their own lives on the river in Limerick has led to the setting up of a volunteer service - the Corbett Suicide Prevention Patrol - to patrol the city's bridges.
Last March, a Leaving Certificate student who lost a cousin to suicide three years ago, secured funding to launch her idea "Light up Limerick's Bridges" with anti-suicide messages.
The initiative, which is the brainchild of Katie Whelan, 18, from Rhebogue, Limerick, has resulted in Thomond Bridge in the city been lit up every night with the positive messages.
