Two teenage boys are being called “angels” after they jumped onto the railway tracks to save a man in distress just seconds before the train pulled in.
Freddie Corbett, 15, and Harley Hollingworth, 16, spotted the man in a sleeping bag on a platform in Bolton upon Dearne in South Yorkshire on Saturday night.
They were waiting for the last train home and Freddie’s 11pm curfew was fast approaching when the man jumped onto the tracks. The boys heard him say he was going to kill himself.
“Freddie said, ‘You’re not doing that mate’ and without thinking he jumped onto the tracks with the train coming,” his mother Jill Corbett told Sky News.
“Between them they managed to get the guy off the track and hold him down until someone else came to help.”
There were also two girls on the platform who called the police. Then the driver of the oncoming train backed up and told the boys that help was coming.
“Meanwhile, Freddie and Harley were talking to this gentleman and having a little heart to heart and finding out what happened in his life.
Once the men were taken care of by the police, Network Rail employee Gary Robinson let the teenagers back home.
“Imagine my surprise. I spent the whole night wondering where the flashing Freddie was when I opened the door to him in a bright orange cauldron when I didn’t answer his phone,” Ms Corbett said.
“We are extremely proud,” she added.
Freddie received a “lecture from his grandmother” for jumping in front of the train, but told his mother he would “do it again if faced with the same situation tomorrow”.
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“I wasn’t worried about the train,” Harley told the Daily Mirror. “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.”
Network Rail employee Gary Robinson posted the incident on social media.
“I called a man this evening with the intention of harming himself on the railway,” he wrote.
“These two boys were his angels! They pulled him off the railroad… they sat with him and talked until I got there and I made no mistake, I saved his life!”
“It didn’t surprise me,” said Mrs Corbett, Freddie’s mum.
“He’s an extremely caring boy. He’s one of the boys, but he’s also the first guy to be there if any of his friends ever need him.”
“If any of us need him, if I’ve ever been upset about something, he’s there. He’s just special.”
“[It’s] it’s not every day you can say your son is a hero,” Freddie’s dad Billy wrote on social media, while Harley’s dad Dale said he was “proud as punch”.
Hundreds of people praised the boys for their bravery.
“This is amazing, two young men saving a life!” said one Facebook user.
“Great [Harley’s mother] for bringing a good boy. They are two little angels,” said another.
Although the reaction has been “overwhelming” for the teenagers and they are very worried about the man they saved, their youthful habits remain strong.
“They both slept at our house last night and didn’t get up until midday,” Mrs Corbett said.
“They’re just oblivious. The anxiety is through the roof, but Freddie and Harley are fast asleep!”
Anyone feeling emotionally disturbed or suicidal can call the Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans office in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK