Father's appeal on M6 Toll bridge plunge
A man who fell from a bridge over the M6 Toll has been paralysed from the waist down after breaking his back, his family said today.
Now the father of 22-year-old Ben Sanders, of Cheslyn Hay, is appealing for witnesses to the fall near the T8 Wedges Mills junction, near Cannock, last Thursday.
He has concerns over what happened immediately after the fall. Nigel Sanders, who shares a house in Station Street with Ben, told of a text message warning he was to jump from a bridge over the Toll Road.
"He'd seemed okay that morning when he left the house although he's very good at hiding his problems," he said. "He'd broken up with his girlfriend but that was a while ago and he'd dealt with it. Then at 11.01am I got this text from him. I sent him a text back telling him not to do it and got in my car to go to him."
Mr Sanders, 54, drove from a friend's house in Brownhills and saw emergency services on the bridge. "I presumed that the police had stopped him from jumping so, because the roads were closed and I couldn't get near, I went back home and waited for a phone call."
Police contacted him 90 minutes later to say Ben was being taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham for emergency surgery. He said his son has since been told he will not walk again. He is expected to be transferred to the spinal trauma unit at Oswestry in a few weeks' time.
Staffordshire police spokeswoman Julie Ferrie said the matter was referred to the IPCC. She said: "Following a review of the file, the IPCC have referred the incident back to Staffordshire Police for a local review as there is no indication of any wrong doing on the part of police."
Witnesses can call Mr Sanders on 07955 613898.
