A MOTHER says it was “instinct” when she stepped in to save the life of a woman who was on a bridge over a busy road.
Maggie Harrison was walking her dogs with her daughter Savanna on March 23, 2021, when they saw a woman in a precarious position in north Essex.
Mrs Harrison called the police before approaching the woman slowly and helped another man to grab her and prevent her from falling.
“We were the first people to see her,” she said.
“I thought she was standing the wrong way, she shouldn’t be on that side of the bridge.
“We phoned the police and then went to talk to her for what seemed like a long time but was probably just five or ten minutes. She was terribly upset.
“I was reassuring her and saying whatever was wrong could be fixed and that, because of the pandemic, things were really, really hard at the moment.
“Then a lorry driver who’d also spotted her ran up. He helped me to grab her and shortly afterwards the police arrived. They were brilliant.
“We stayed and were hugging her and telling her that she would be alright, that things would be OK.
“My daughter is of a similar age so, for me, it was just an instinct to try to help a young girl, as any mother would.
“You just do what you’ve got to do to help.”
Now Mrs Harrison has been commended by Essex Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrison for her brave actions, courage and selflessness, which saved the woman’s life.
Chief Con Harrison said: “I often say the police are the public and the public are the police. The police are citizens in uniform who help people and keep them safe.
“Many people would have stood back but Mrs Harrison brought out the essence of British policing when she got involved and I thank her sincerely for her extremely brave actions.
“She stepped up with great courage and placed herself in danger to prevent the woman from jumping. In doing so, she spared the woman’s family and friends from potential devastation and trauma.”
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