Freddie Corbett and Harley Hollingworth pulled the man from the railway tracks near Barnsley just seconds before the train arrived and were hailed as heroes for the dangerous but selfless act.
Two teenagers hailed as heroes after jumping onto the tracks to stop a man from killing himself say the train was just 45 seconds away.
Teenage ‘angels’ dragged a suicidal man to safety after he jumped onto the tracks at the weekend. Freddie Corbett, 15, and Harley Hollingworth, 16, sprang into action when they spotted a desperate man at Bolton upon Dearne train station in South Yorkshire.
The friends were waiting for the last train home on Saturday night when they noticed a man jump onto the tracks with their train heading towards him. But the kind friends who refused claim they are “heroes” and say they just hope the man gets help.
Freddie and Harley told The Mirror they were waiting for the last 10.30pm train home when the drama unfolded. Freddie said: “I feel like we’ve just done what any other lad should do. Still, I’m very grateful for what everyone has told us.
“We were a bit shaken yesterday because it was a serious moment, but now we’re fine and happy that it worked out.” The young man told how when they arrived they saw a man sitting on the platform in a sleeping bag.
“Then he got up and got on the tracks and said ‘I’m going to kill myself tonight’.” I said; ‘you don’t do that mate’. I saw the train coming but I jumped right on it and got it out. It was just a natural instinct.
“My grandma said later; ‘you stupid idiot, you could have been crushed’. But my parents are proud. I hope she gets some help now. I’ve spoken to my mum about it and she’s a nurse and she says she will.”
His friend Harley, 16, who also jumped onto the tracks to get the man to safety, said: “I wasn’t worried about the train, I just wanted to make sure Freddie got him off the tracks. We could see the headlights of the train coming and it’s not a very long turn.”
Freddie added: “The train was there about 45 seconds after we got off. He kept telling us ‘you’re good guys’. You could see he was struggling a lot.”
Network Rail’s Gary Robinson shared his thanks and said the men had saved a life. In a post on social media, Gary said: “Called a man tonight intending to self harm on the railway… these two boys were his angels. They pulled him off the railway… sat with him and chatted until I got there and did it .mistakes saved his life!
“Kids get a bad press, but with humanity like these boys showed tonight, we’re in safe hands! These two boys are a credit to their parents and I can’t speak highly enough of them. If you see them, buy them a J20 (no still old enough for pints).
Freddie’s father Billy, from Goldthorpe, said he was “super proud” of the boy as both parents said it was “about time we had some good news and good news about our children”. Billy said: “My son and his friend jumped onto the track, pulled him off the track and pinned him.
“The train stopped, the police were called and then my son and Harley sat and talked to the man until they arrived. Harley’s father Dale Hollingworth also praised the boys’ actions, saying they had shown “courage and quick thinking” and said. he was “proud as a fist”.
Dale, 39, a double glazing fitter from Rotherham, said: “I was buzzing. I’m bursting with pride. He’s just a typical grumpy teenager, but you can clearly see that he has a heart of gold.
“He came home at around midnight on Saturday night with a guy from Network Rail who told us they were incredible. To be honest, I’m still amazed.”
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