A suicidal war hero was talked down from jumping off a motorway bridge by a Good Samaritan - who then gave him a full-time job.
Jason Verez was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after watching his colleagues being blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The 31-year-old served as an infantryman in the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment for four years before leaving the military in 2012.
The dad-of-two went on to get a job as a manager of a dog kennels, but was made redundant last December whcih triggered a spiral into depression.
Days before Christmas Jason climbed on top of a bridge above the M23 and was about to jump to his death before logistics boss Gary Knight drove past on his way home.
The managing director stopped his car and spent an hour persuading Jason to come down before offering him a full-time driving job.
Jason said: "It was the strangest day of my life. One minute I was about to jump off a bridge and then it turned into a job interview.
"I'm incredibly grateful to Gary. It's turned my life around.
"I found civilian life very hard, trying to get a job and I suffered from PTSD at the same time.
"I would have nightmares every day, where I wake up screaming. I would not able to do things, even be a father to my children.
"It puts you down and you feel quite depressed about things.”
He explained how kind hearted Gary spotted him and even double backed in his car to come to his aid.
He said: "I was there for about an hour. Gary drove past and ended up turning around.
"He stopped and he said, 'you alright mate?' and I said 'no, not really.'
"He got out the car was trying to talk me down. He phoned the police and they sent their negotiator.
"Gary was even crying because I told him what was wrong and we go to chatting about my problems.
"We talked about when I was in the army, how old I was, my family and it made him quite upset because he's got kids too.
"After I came down, he left his card and I contacted him after I got out of the hospital.
"He said he would give me a job and I didn't even have to interview. He asked me to turn up at eight the next morning, and I did.
"I felt lucky that someone was out there and cares about other people."
New boss Gary runs Horley Road Services Ltd in Redhill, Surrey, which is part of the Pallet-Track network.
His said: "When I saw him standing on the bridge, I stopped the car and went over.
"Talking seemed to help as we both stood there in floods of tears.
"The chat on the bridge was the interview and it was all I needed to know about Jason.
"He is now working in the business. He's doing really well, but he still needs help. The offer is there for time off when he needs counselling sessions.”
Jason is now campaigning for the Ministry of Defence to improve the support given to war veterans suffering from PTSD.
He added: "I want to help people like me to be able to return to civilian life and lead as normal a life as possible, without the threat of them taking their own lives.
"My aim is to try and put the message out there because there is very little help supporting veterans.
"There's nowhere to talk, nowhere to go. So, you end up thinking I might as well kill myself. I've had quite a lot of friends kill themselves.
"This has a terrible cost for families and is a damning indictment of the kind of society that we are."
The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter.
