A dad sent a heartbreaking final text message, telling his partner how much he loved her and their children, before falling 100 feet to his death.
Tragic Michael Biggar had been suffering with shingles, but had not shown any signs of struggling with his mental health, an inquest was told.
The 45-year-old parked his black BMW on the hard shoulder of the M6 southbound carriageway before getting out of the driver's side and plummeting from the Thelwall Viaduct, the Warrington Guardian reported.
The Bolton man texted his partner Kalissta Taylor, and wrote: "You and my kids are my world.
"Let Arianna [aged two] know how much I love her and let her remember me as a good dad'."
Mr Biggar also had a 10-year-old stepdaughter called Alyssa.
Ms Taylor desperately tried to speak to her boyfriend, but she couldn't get through and he took his own life just two minutes later.
She said: "He was a brilliant father to his daughter and also to my other child.
"Michael was not only my partner, he was my best friend and I miss him so much."
Cheshire Coroner's Court heard Mr Biggar was feeling stressed because of the shingles, and returned to a medical centre four days later because his health had not improved.
He was also struggling to sleep and so was prescribed sleeping tablets.
The car salesman, who previously worked at Audi in Westbrook for three years, did the school run and then came back to bed, saying he was tired.
Evidence from Kalissta was read out in court.
She said: "He got up that morning at 7.30am to do the school run then came back to bed saying he was tired.
"He looked pale and had been off work all week due to the shingles.
"I said I needed to go to Tesco but he could not decide whether he wanted to come or not.
"I left at 12.30pm and said I would see him later."
Constable Ian Anderson was one of the first emergency service workers on the scene and later reviewed "distressing" dashcam footage from passing cars.
He told the court: "One lorry sounded his horn when he saw what was happening and other cars pulled into the hard shoulder straight away.
"I hope that there can be a review into ways of accessing that part of Manchester Ship Canal more quickly.
"It is a very difficult and muddy area of the canal and perhaps an easier location for entering the water can be found.
"Many people are becoming depressed and anxious and if we can do anything to help before or get to them more quickly after an attempt to end their life we could help save more people."
Coroner Heath Westerman ruled Michael's death as a result of suicide and added: "I hope a consultation with the fire service into how best to get to this area can take place and any lessons can be learned."
At the time of his death, his brother Rob wrote on Facebook: "He just got out the car and jumped off, no hesitation, no cry for help, no waiting for someone to grab him or talk him out of it, he just did it.
“There’s so many questions.
"Why?
"What was going on in his head?
"Questions that will forever be unanswered.
“My family is devastated by this and will never ever get over it. It still seems so unreal and nothing has sunk in yet really.
“We love you so much Michael and I’m going to miss you forever and I wish I could have just done something, been there more for you, but I/we never knew he was feeling this bad or what was truly going on in his brain.
“It’s unbearable and unbelievable to think I’ll never ever see you again, never hear your voice or laugh again and more to the point your little girl will never know her daddy and how much he really did truly love her, you were all he ever wanted.
“If you are feeling so low that you feel there is no way out and could ever contemplate taking your own life, please talk to someone, anyone, because the devastation that you leave behind is unmeasurable.
“And before you think or say that suicide is selfish, it’s not.
“Suicide is death caused by the illness of depression, it’s the final symptom – a final collapse under an unbearable weight that you can not move.
“Suicide is a tragedy and if you’ve never been close to that edge, then try not to judge what you will never understand."
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