Sign up to the Hull Live newsletter for daily updates and breaking news Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The team who saved a man after he jumped from the Humber Bridge have described how they worked to rescue him.

Dave Roberts, chair of Humber Rescue, was paged to attend an emergency at the Humber Bridge just after 9.20am on Thursday, with five voluntary crew members all ready to go within 10 minutes.

At 10.39am, a man on the bridge jumped, but he was safely onshore and in the hands of paramedics at 10.41am, thanks to the courageous work of Mr Roberts and his team.

Mr Roberts, 69, said: “We were waiting out of sight of him, and when we saw him enter the water we were only about 20 metres away.

WATCH: What to do in an emergency

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

“I was the coxswain on the boat so my other crew members dragged him into the boat while I drove and organised the rescue, and we got him to shore.

“He was conscious in the boat but very much in shock that he had survived – he was a very lucky man.”

At the time the man jumped, the current in the estuary was 4mph as the tide was going out, meaning the crew members had to be quick to grab him out of the water.

Once ashore, the man was transferred to a stretcher and taken to Hull Royal Infirmary for further treatment.

“This is the 27th person we have brought out alive from the water after falling from the bridge in the 29 years I have been a volunteer,” said Mr Roberts, who also works full-time as an industrial chemist.

“He was very lucky, as is everyone we manage to save.

“We are all volunteers and, personally, it’s almost like a hobby to me, as well as a service.

“I have been involved with the river for 50 years, working with ships, and I still work full-time now.

“But when we get the call we know we have to get to the Humber Rescue site as quickly as possible.”

The Humber Bridge was closed while emergency services treated the man, with all lanes reopening just after 11am.

Speak Up Hull Live's Speak Up campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health issues in young men. With suicide the biggest killer of men under 45, more has to be done to help people in need. By shining a spotlight on these issues, we hope to encourage men struggling with mental health issues to speak up and seek help. We all need to Speak Up for men's mental health.

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: “We were alerted to the concern for safety of a man who had walked on to the Humber Bridge at 9.20am today.

“The man jumped from the bridge a short time later and was recovered from the water by Humber Rescue at Hessle and is being treated by emergency services at the scene.



“The bridge was closed northbound to allow emergency services to work in a safe environment.”

Follow Hull Live

Our daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here.

Follow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!

Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.

Follow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram.