The South Yorkshire teens said their act of bravery was just ‘instinct’
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
Two teenagers have been called ‘heroes’ after they jumped in the way of a moving train to stop a man from killing himself.
The friends were waiting for the last train home on Saturday (25 May) when they saw the man in a sleeping bag on the Bolton-upon Dearn station platform.
Freddie Corbett, 15 and Harley Hollingworth, 16, jumped onto the tracks and pulled the man to safety in South Yorkshire, UK.
Harley told the Mirror: “I wasn’t worried about the train, I just wanted to make sure Freddie got him off the tracks.”
The man got out of his sleeping bag while they were on the platform, and went on the train tracks, saying: “I’m going to kill myself tonight.”
Freddie responded: “You’re not doing that mate.”
The teenagers said the train’s headlights were visible, with Freddie estimating that it would have pulled into the station just 45 seconds after they pulled the man off the tracks.
So despite the threat to their own lives with the train so close by, Freddie and Harley jumped onto the tracks to save his life, with the former calling the brave act as ‘just natural instinct’.
Both sets of parents said they were proud of their sons’ bravery and quick-thinking, with Harley’s dad, Dale Hollingworth, stating: “He’s just a typical grumpy teenager but clearly you can see he has a heart of gold… I’m still overwhelmed to be honest.”
However, some members of their families were not best pleased, as Freddie revealed: “My grandma said later: ‘You stupid idiot, you could have got squashed’.
“But my parents are proud. I hope he [the man] gets some help now.”
Gary Robinson, who works for Network Rail, re-iterated that the boys saved the man’s life, paying tribute to the pair on social media.
“Called out tonight to a male with intent to self-harm on the railway… these two lads were his angels,” he began.
“Dragged him off the railway… sat with him talking till I got there and make no mistakes… saved his life!
“Kids get a bad press but with humanity like those lads [have] shown tonight we are in safe hands!
“These two lads are a credit to their parents and I can’t speak highly enough about them. If you see them buy them a J20 (not old enough for pints yet).”
He concluded by reminding people of the Samaritans helpline: “Anyone feeling like things are getting too much please call 116 123 where someone will listen without judgement. Small Talk saves lives.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.