She was about to end her own life but a train driver intervened in time—three years later they walked down the aisle together

Disclaimer: This article contains themes of suicide that some readers may find distressing.

In everyday life, it's easy to overlook how much of an impact a simple conversation can have. A kind word, a moment of patience, or even just listening can shift the course of someone’s day — or their entire future. One remarkable example of this is the story of a chance meeting between a nurse in crisis and a compassionate train driver that changed both of their lives forever. One summer afternoon in 2019 in West Yorkshire, a nurse named Charlotte Lay was getting ready for her night shift when she was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling, per BBC. That feeling soon spiraled into a crisis moment that almost cost her life.

Charlotte, who had struggled with her mental health since her teens, found herself near a railway track, having decided to end her life. Her memory of the moment is hazy, but what she does recall is the sight of a train approaching, and a man stepping down from the cab. “He approached me and said, ‘Hi, my name is Dave, are you having a bad day?’” she remembers. “I said, ‘yeah, just a bit.’ He responded, ‘Ok, we can sit and talk until it feels better.’” That man was Dave, a train driver for Northern. What followed was a quiet conversation by the tracks, filled not with judgment or lectures, but with calm, human connection.

Dave spent half an hour talking with Charlotte, assuring her she could get on the train whenever she felt ready. Eventually, she did, and was taken to safety at Skipton Station, where the police took over. The next day, unable to forget his kindness, Charlotte posted on a local Facebook group, hoping to find the man who had simply treated her like a person. Against the odds, her message reached one of Dave’s colleagues, and she was soon texting the stranger who had helped save her life. “I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for giving me the time and treating me like I was a human being,” she said.

Dave also shared how pleased he was when Charlotte reached out to him. "We’d had that rapport built by the side of the track. It was just nice to be able to make that difference to somebody." From there, an instant connection grew. Texts turned into regular conversations, and two months later, they met for a coffee. But life threw them another challenge. In July 2020, Dave was diagnosed with testicular cancer, a diagnosis he might have ignored if not for Charlotte's persistent urging to see a doctor. "Charlotte may say I saved her life, which I don’t know about really, but she saved my life as well," Dave said after being given the all-clear. A consultant at St James' Hospital in Leeds later told him he may not have survived if he hadn’t sought help when he did. Finally, having reached their happy ending, by 2022, Charlotte and Dave were married, with Charlotte 22 weeks pregnant.

Now living in Wilsden with their three children, Charlotte and Dave share their story with a clear message that 'life does get better.' Charlotte encourages people to “reach in” to those who may be struggling, rather than waiting for them to ask for help. “You don’t have to offer life-changing advice,” she says. "Just sitting down with a cuppa can make all the difference."

If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is, please contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)