![]() Then, the agency makes arrangements to have the individual transported to a local facility where they can further be evaluated by mental health professionals. (Even research is challenging: A source discouraged me from sharing certain details, and Google on many occasions told me help was available.)Ĭalifornia Highway Patrol Officer Darrel Horner told me that once they locate and determine that someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, the person is involuntarily detained. In 1995, Bay Area newspapers and TV stations agreed to stop reporting untimely deaths due to the bridge because of the horrific competitions the coverage was creating. Some of the media’s silence about these tragedies has less to do with taboo and more with prevention. According to a report released by MarinHealth Medical Center - the hospital responsible for people who attempt suicide on the structure - doctors and emergency responders have increased the odds of survival from 2% historically to 3% since 2010. Men have outnumbered women almost 3 to 1. “It’s like I was reborn that day.” Like many of the few survivors have said, he regretted his decision in midair. “At the top, I took this huge gasp of air,” said John Kevin Hines, who was 19 at the time of his jump. In 2005, a survivor recounted the brutally honest tale behind his attempt. 7, a World War I veteran named Harold Wobber said in his final words to a friend whom he was walking with on the bridge, “This is as far as I go.” The bridge’s first known suicide happened only 10 weeks later. Unfortunately, the body count has increased since it first opened on May 27, 1937. However, 11 people did die during the construction of the bridge. Strauss eventually required that a safety net be installed to protect workers, and it went on to save the lives of 19 men (their crew was known as the “Halfway-to-Hell Club”). The importance of a safety barrier is something Golden Gate Bridge chief engineer Joseph Strauss recognized while construction was taking place from 1933 to 1937. It’s hard to imagine any other traffic area where deaths would be allowed to happen before the entity took action to resolve it.” “It’s taken forever and it’s really a tragedy. “There are other locations around the planet and certainly plenty in the United States where officials have taken action much earlier,” Bridge Rail Foundation President Paul Muller told me. ![]() The nonprofit Bridge Rail Foundation, made up of psychiatrists and families of bridge jumpers, has been pushing officials to erect the barrier for years. Families of victims have long arguedthat officials have not hastened to make lifesaving modifications to the bridge, a structure that has led to approximately double the number of deaths as the Jonestown massacre. More than 1,800 fatalities can be linked to the structure, making California the home of a bridge responsible for more suicides than any other in the country. It is a beauty, but underneath its pulchritude lies an ugly truth: Many lives have been lost because of it. Often described as the most photographed bridge in the world, the 1.7-mile structure connects the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula to Marin County. A look of exasperation stretched across his face. Dressed in business casual attire - a white dress shirt with unbuttoned cuffs and dark slacks - he put his hands behind his head. ![]() With a face full of tears, he stared back at onlookers. I looked in the direction everyone was staring and located the source of their mirth: A man was standing on the guardrails of the 101 Freeway, about 15 feet above a road from an exit ramp. Crowds on the street had their phones out. Just a few weeks ago, I was jogging one evening in Hollywood when I came upon an odd scene: Scores of cars were stopped. Additionally, The Times created a comprehensive guide for those unfamiliar with mental health resources that are currently available. If you or someone you know is exhibiting warning signs of suicide, seek help from a professional and call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (800) 273-TALK (8255). I highly recommend people using their discretion when deciding whether or not to read this article. I wanted to begin this story with a warning: As you probably gathered from the headline, this newsletter contains candid discussions about suicide. This is the Essential California newsletter.
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