4 junior hockey players save man's life after finding him in distress

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Josh tupper
December 2, 2022 (10:06)

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Four members of the Brandon Wheat Kings junior hockey team are being heralded as heroes after saving a man's life. The four teenagers, Calder Anderson, Nolan Ritchie, Jake Chiasson, and Ben Thornton helped to save the life of a distressed man. The man was reportedly contemplating suicide on the city's First Street Bridge.

The incident occured around 9 pm, after Brandon local Anderson and Ritchie had finished volunteering at Samaritan House. The two had decided they'd show teammates Chiasson and Thornton around the city. That's when they spotted a man standing on one of the bridges cement abutment. The teens spotted the man and made an immediate decision to intervene.

The boys notes the man was sitting on the bridge pointing down at them. The players were unsure about the man's condition, but they began to engage him in conversation, while another player called for emergency assistance.

Calder Anderson gave the following account to the Brandon Sun :

I got out of the car and asked him if he was OK. He informed me that things weren't great for him and he was having some pretty bad thoughts, so I asked him if we could get some help and he agreed.

I think the biggest thing in that situation is just to ask the person if they need help, and as soon as I asked, you could see the relief on his face knowing he had someone to care for him.

As the players spoke with the man another vehicle stopped and spoke to the man. Emergency help would arrive 5 minutes later. When they arrived the man was inches away from plunging to the railway tracks below. Anderson added the following:

It was scary, some moments. He would get up and that's when your heart starts to beat a little faster and things get a little scarier. I didn't get too close to him. I didn't want him to feel any more pressure or anxiety than he was already feeling.

I think the biggest thing in that situation is just to ask the person if they need help, and as soon as I asked, you could see the relief on his face knowing he had someone to care for him.

Police arrived and were able to remove the man from the ledge. The man is described as a vulnerable member of the community. According to the police chief these players played a pivotal role in saving the man's life. An outcome may have been much different if they hadn't intervened.

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