02.25 am, Thursday May 24 2012

Bracks helps save suicidal bridge jumper

07:44 AEDT Sat Mar 7 2009
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Steve Bracks with wife Terry. (AAP)
Steve Bracks with wife Terry. (AAP)

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Former Victorian premier Steve Bracks and his wife Terry have saved a suicidal man who was threatening to jump off Melbourne's West Gate Bridge.

The couple were returning home on Thursday night when they saw the man standing on railings and apparently about to leap to his death, News Limited newspapers said.

Mrs Bracks was first to reach the unnamed man before Mr Bracks joined her in trying to talk him down.

Two other passers-by, one an off-duty police officer, then arrived and dragged the man to safety, the paper said.

"Terry and I both said 'this looks dreadful', and we stopped (the car)," Mr Bracks told the Herald Sun newspaper.

"Terry got out and went there first because I had to stop the car. She talked to him first and tried to engage him in conversation but he was in a very distressed state and not responding.

"He was obviously in a very agitated state, and very angry and not himself."

The incident happened on an outbound section of the bridge at 11.55pm (AEDT) on Thursday, near the Williamstown exit the Bracks use to return home.

The newspaper said the man, who is in his 50s and from the Mornington Peninsula, was later taken to hospital by police.

The West Gate bridge is a notorious suicide spot and also hit the headlines in January when a five-year-old girl, Darcey Freeman, was allegedly thrown to her death.

Her father, Arthur, has been charged with her murder.

 

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