British expat tries to stop Thai man from jumping from pedestrian bridge in Pattaya

Pattaya –
A British man has tried to save a Thai man jumping from a pedestrian bridge in Central Pattaya this afternoon.

Lt Col Naetithorn Rattanasuchanan of the Pattaya City Police was notified of the incident at 5:30PM at the pedestrian bridge on Sukhumwit Road.

Police, emergency responders and The Pattaya News rushed to the scene to find the Thai man, 45 year old Boontieng Saokaew, on the ground under the bridge moaning in pain.

He had sustained chest injuries but will recover according to police. He was rushed to the Bang Lamung Hospital.

The British man, 70 year old David Bechter, who had tried to save Mr. Boontieng, told The Pattaya News that Mr. Boontieng was threatening and yelling about going to jump down from the bridge.

Mr. Bechter ran toward him but was too late. He caught only Mr Boontieng’s collar as he jumped down to the road below.

It was reported that Mr. Boontieng has severe mental illness. He had tried to jump from the bridge this morning but had been saved before he jumped. He jumped down again this afternoon, this time successfully.

The charity Samaritans is available around the clock for people who want to talk.

If you or anyone you know is in need of mental health services, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand at their 24-hour hotline 02-713-6791 (English), 02713-6793 (Thai) or Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).

http://www.samaritansthai.com/news/samaritans-of-thailand-english-hotline/

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Adam Judd
Mr. Adam Judd is the Co-owner of TPN Media since December 2017. He is originally from Washington D.C., America, but has also lived in Dallas, Sarasota, and Portsmouth. His background is in retail sales, HR, and operations management, and has written about news and Thailand for many years. He has lived in Pattaya for over nine years as a full-time resident, is well known locally and been visiting the country as a regular visitor for over a decade. His full contact information, including office contact information, can be found on our Contact Us page below. Stories please e-mail Editor@ThePattayanews.com About Us: https://thepattayanews.com/about-us/ Contact Us: https://thepattayanews.com/contact-us/