A quick-thinking Fife electrician has been hailed a hero after saving a man’s life.
Robert Hadden, 24, was driving along Victoria Road in Kirkcaldy when he spotted someone perched on the bridge high above the precipice below.
Fearing for the man’s welfare, Mr Hadden turned his vehicle around and stopped to try to talk the man down before disregarding his own safety to eventually pull him off the parapet.
The man on the bridge was subsequently taken to seek help and support, and police chiefs could now consider Mr Hadden for a bravery award as a result of his actions.
“I was driving along the road and the first thing that came to mind was ‘I wouldn’t be sitting there’ because if you know the bridge you’ll know how high it is,” he explained.
“I thought to myself I had better go back to make sure he was all right and when I put the window down the guy said he was fine, although I could just tell that he wasn’t.
“He was just a young guy but he was in a bad way and was obviously going through a lot.
“I’ve never been so scared like that in my life, but I managed to get his first name and was trying to talk to him but he wasn’t really answering.
“So I just decided I had to pull him off the bridge to make sure he was all right – I don’t know what might have happened if I hadn’t.”
Mr Hadden said he then managed to wave a fellow motorist down who happened to be a passing doctor to get the man to safety.
“The doctor was great and was keeping him really calm,” he added.
“But there must have been at least 20 cars which went past by the time I managed to get the van turned around.
“No-one else thought to take a minute to see if he was OK.”
Friends have been praising his actions on social media over the last couple of days, but Mr Hadden is remaining modest about the incident.
“It’s been a bit crazy and I’ve had people contacting me who have been in a similar situation,” he added.
“I just hope people know what to look out for – if they see someone in that position or looking lost like he was then it only takes two minutes out of your time to check if they are OK.”
The incident has echoes of a similar situation in 2008 when a security officer saved a teenage girl from another Fife bridge.
Mima Stewart, from Methil, was nominated for two bravery awards after rescuing the woman in distress at a local bridge in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Her employer Reliance Security nominated her for a Managing Director’s Award for Outstanding Conduct, while the then Fife Constabulary nominated her for a Local Hero Award.
