Superhero Fisherman Honored for Saving 25 Lives in 15 Years
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.26.12
All fishermen and women know fishing can be a relaxing as well as rewarding experience. Although few modern-day anglers probably have a plaque dedicated to them from the city for their heroism. Serbian Renato Grbic, 51, has definitely deserved the title.
In the past 15 years, since his first rescue, he has pulled 25 people out of the water when they attempted to jump to their deaths from the Pancevo Bridge which stands above the Danube River in Belgrade, Serbia.
It all started 15 years ago when he and his brother were fishing the river. People used to throw trash off the bridge then, but one time Grbic noticed that what he thought was trash wasn’t sinking, so he went to investigate. He found a man floating there and worked to pull him out.
Grbic has saved 24 more people since then of all backgrounds, genders, ages and reasons for trying to commit suicide. Although, he doesn’t keep in touch with them with the exception of one then-18-year-old girl who threw herself in the river in January six years ago. She has since married and had a baby and her and Grbic get together to celebrate the baby’s birthday.
While others were not so fortunate. Grbic did recall seeing the face of man he saved in the newspaper after he had successfully taken his life in his apartment building.
Grbic has become somewhat of a watchdog on the river. He and his wife operate a fish restaurant on the river just below the bridge and so Grbic is always in view of the river. He has learned how to spot those who look as if they are about to jump. “Those who go over the bridge in order to cross walk at a busy pace and do no more than glimpse at the water. The suicides walk slowly, hesitantly, looking down at the river,” Grbic told ABC News.
