Quick-Thinking Manager Saves Suicidal Man From Connecticut River In Western Mass

A 22-year-old man tried to commit suicide by jumping from the North End Bridge in Springfield on Sunday, July 9, but he was saved thanks to the head of a waterfront club, police said.

A 22-year-old man who attempted suicide by jumping from the North End Bridge in Springfield survived thanks to the quick actions of someone who heard him thrashing in the water.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps Street View*

Josh Lanier

07/11/2023 11:47 a.m.

The aptly named Benjamin Quick moved fast when he heard someone screaming from the Connecticut River just after 7:30 p.m. The executive director of Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club jumped into a boat and sped out to lend a hand.

Quick pulled the man to safety, and officers took him to Baystate Medical Center for help.

Springfield Police Superintendent Cheryl Clapprood said in a news release that Quick's actions saved a life, but he understands just how small the odds were for things to happen the way they did.

"If I had been there 30 seconds earlier or 30 seconds later, the outcome would have been very different," he said in the release.

There are resources available to anyone suffering a mental health crisis. Click here to learn about some of those options.

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