Incredible footage has emerged of a man who was talked out of jumping off a bridge by emergency workers, only to slip and then fall into the windscreen of a fire truck as the vehicle moved into position to bring him down to safety.
The drama began when 'Bruce' walked onto a railway overpass in the NSW regional centre of Dubbo late last week.
He was seen carrying a bladder out of a cask of wine and appeared intoxicated.
Concerned family members called police and when they arrived Bruce threatened to jump off the 10m-high bridge.
A senior officer then negotiated with him over a loudspeaker but Bruce clambered over the bridge railing and became stuck in the steelwork support braces beneath the rail line.
It appeared the negotiators had successfully talked him out of jumping and encouraged Bruce to "hang in there, big fella" as a fire truck moved into position under the bridge with a view to lowering him onto the roof of the vehicle.
But with freakish timing, Bruce lost his grip just as the vehicle approached and slammed into the flat windscreen of the moving truck mid-fall.
Onlookers screamed as his limp body bounced and rolled to a stop on the dusty ground — but it turns out the bizarre event was a blessing in disguise.
Bruce was taken to Dubbo Base Hospital in a satisfactory condition and was found to have no broken bones or serious injuries, leaving emergency workers to conclude that the impact with the perspex screen of the truck may have saved his life.
Investigations are continuing.
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