A member of the public and a police officer have been praised for their part in rescuing a girl from falling onto the A40 in Uxbridge.
Police closed the dual carriageway in both directions at Swakeleys Roundabout this morning after arriving on scene to find a girl, in her mid-teens, had jumped from the bridge.
A member of the public had managed to grab the girl’s arm through the safety rail of the footbridge and held on.
PC Dewayne Hamilton, in his first week of work at Hillingdon police, then vaulted the railings and put his arm around the girl to stop her falling.
He said: “I am just so glad I was there and able to make a difference.
"I have a child about this girl’s age and all I could think about was saving her. I am so very happy we were all able to rescue her from danger.”
London Fire Brigade (LFB) and London Ambulance Service (LAS) attended and were able to get a harness around the girl to help secure her.
A specialist cherry picker crane was then used to reach the girl and bring her to safety, before returning to bring down PC Hamilton.
The girl was taken to hospital for treatment. She did not suffer any serious physical injury during the rescue and both her and her family are receiving support.
Inspector Lindsey Hannigan, of Hillingdon Police, paid tribute to all those involved in the rescue and said: “This was an incredibly courageous act by the officer. What makes this even more impressive is that this officer only arrived at Hillingdon Borough one week ago as a probationer constable.
"His action, which placed his own life in danger, was an extraordinary act of bravery. I would also like to pass on my sincere thanks to those members of the public who helped stop the girl falling and then stayed with her throughout the ordeal.
"All three emergency services worked seamlessly together and I pay tribute to the work of our colleagues in the LFB and LAS."
Samaritans are available round the clock, for anyone struggling to cope, by phone 08457 909090 or email on jo@samaritans.org
