A Hungarian trucker seeking some relief from the hot summer weather caused great alarm in Dordrecht on Tuesday when he parked his truck on the shoulder of the A16 highway and jumped off the Moerdijk Bridge. The emergency services, thinking it was a suicide attempt, responded in great numbers, the Dordrecht police wrote on Instagram.
The police, including a police helicopter, the fire brigade, an ambulance, and the sea rescue institute KNRM, responded to the scene. When they arrived, the man had already been brought to the shore by a passing boatman.
With a suicide attempt in mind, the police spoke with the driver. But it turned out that he jumped off the bridge and into the water for a completely different reason. The day was too hot, and he needed to cool down.
”He decided to park his truck on the shoulder and jump off the Moerdijk Bridge into the Hollands Diep, only to discover it was a bit dangerous after all,” the police said. “The truck driver learned another life lesson and received a fine for parking on the hard shoulder and jumping off a bridge. We’re glad this incident ended well.”
GreenGlassDrgn on August 15th, 2025 at 15:51 UTC »
I get it. As a fellow person trying to survive being stuck in traffic in a car without a/c during a heat wave in northern europe, I get it. Probably wouldnt do it off this bridge though! But on hot days like this Ive been known to drive to the nearest flowing water just to park my car a couple meters from the waters edge, and walk right into the sea without a towel or swimsuit or anything, just wearing whatever I have on. Water is super shallow though so it isnt very dramatic lol, just keep wading out for about a mile until the water is knee-deep lol. The towel is in my car with the rest of my stuff and I dont set up a whole thing on the beach just for a quick dip, wet clothing during the ride home is just pleasantly cool. Sometimes people also look a little worried lol.
craag on August 15th, 2025 at 12:49 UTC »
I'm too hot. Call the po-lice and the fireman. I'm too hot