Police clung to taxi driver for five minutes before he tragically fell from Yorkshire bridgehttps://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/loc ... e-23259877A man tragically fell from a bridge near Hull after two men clung to him for five minutes.
Mark Stephen, 45, fell from Humber Bridge but his body was never found, despite the efforts of Humberside Police and the search team.
Mark was a taxi driver from Grimsby - he was one of two men who fell from Humber bridge within minutes of one another in totally separate incidents.
Coroners praised PCs James Saunders and Daniel Hermann for trying to cling on to Mark, who had driven his silver Citroen from where he was living to the bridge.
The officers spotted the car with its hazard lights on in the northbound lane of Humber Bridge at about 3.50am on Saturday, December 29, 2018, reports Grimsby Live.
The pair saw Mark climbing on the railings beside the foot path and ran over. Mark then jumped but held onto the railings, the officers grabbed onto his arms and clung to him.
The PCs held onto him for five minutes in a bid to save him.
PC Saunders said: "I took hold of one of his arms by the wrist. He had a jacket on which made it hard to hold on.
"He told us 'Just let me go. I have lost everything.'"
At one point, Mark asked the PCs to pull him up. PC Daniel Hermann said he held onto Mark's left wrist and was begging him to let them help him.
The man fell into the river, tragically slipping from the jacket.
Since the tragic event, there have been a number of changes to bridge made as a preventative measure to stop people from climbing on the railings.
Assistant coroner, Mrs Johnson told the officer: "I know how distressing that would have been. All credit to you and your colleague for what you did that day."
She went onto say, in her narrative conclusion: "PC Saunders and PC Hermann should be given credit for trying to keep him from falling into the river. They must have been very difficult conditions. All credit for the efforts they made."
Volunteers and coastguards were called upon for the search, who inspected both banks of the river for hours.
The body wasn't ever found.
The coroner concluded the death was unascertained.
Mark's wife Kerry said he had suffered from depression for more than 11 years.
Friends paid tribute to the talented musician who was in Grimsby band 2Tone Ska-men who was "an amazing guy with a heart of gold."
One said: "He would give his right arm to help people."
The hearing heard that no more banking transactions or mobile phone use was reported following the fall.
DNA from the coat also matched Mark's.
The assistant coroner said: "We know it is a well-known suicide spot and know he was on prescribed medication and he had relationship problems. He was clearly anxious and slightly depressed.
It "most likely that he drowned" she added.
Hull man Sam Conlin, 24, also fell from Humber Bridge within the same hour before police saw Mark Stephen.
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