News Apr 13, 2000 at 4:00 am

Take It to the Bridge

Comments

1
Looking down from the bridge at the concrete, and knowing that you'll succeed makes it harder.
2
my friend jumped off the aurora bridge yesterday and he was successful in killing himself. he wanted the quickest end available to him and that was it. some people do want the attention and spectacle. i doubt that is what he sought, though.
3
We will be praying over this bridge Oct 23 & 24 for the attempts of suicide. This needs to stop, there's gotta be other avenues for these individuals.
4
this magazine has some of the most heartless, cynical garbage I have ever read. I do find some of it interesting or funny, but shit like this is just that-SHIT
5
i hear you # 4. but then again i'm you as a troll...
6
I'm a close relative of one of the Aurora Bridge "dry jumpers", as well as another in the Los Angeles area. This is the first article I've read with some fresh insight as to WHY? After the initial swirling whirling tornado of horror abated, my next thought was: What was going through their heads just as they jumped? In both cases, without hesitation, in my mind's eye I could hear & see them screaming "Fuck You & Won't You be Sorry! I'm probably coming across as cavalier, but if I bury every ounce of emotion, I speculate how cavalier they were, facing a certain & grizzly death, with only 2.2 seconds of fame ...
7
I witnessed a jumper on June 17, 2010. It was a horror. For a moment, I thought it was a bundle of some kind dropping in front of me from the bridge, but then I saw clothes, and a face on the street, which I will never forget. Please, Seattle, do all you can to keep people evaluating what they could do instead.
8
I also witnessed the June 17th jumper and attempted to respond as an EMT. There are no words for the trauma this can inflict on those working or living below. Get the fence built to stop the impulse and further trauma to those unfortunate to witness such an act of desperation and despair. For those arguing that they don't like the "sound" of the machinery building the fence or that it somehow obstructs your "view", I challenge you to decide if you prefer instead the visual of falling bodies and listening to the occasional sickening thud. Seattle, time to wake up to empathy and compassion for those who think there are no other options and those who bear witness to their fatal and dramatic choices...
9
I was biking today when a man flung himself off the bridge. To say I'm in a dull shock is an understatement. From what I can dig up, he is the second person this week. And while I'm glad there is not a continuous public logging of these suicides, I am appalled there aren't accurate figures with the SPD. Clearly this happens ALL the time. I am sick from one chance encounter; those who live and work in the area must live with this on a what, weekly basis?! That fence cannot be built fast enough. Thank you for this article. It articulated better than any words I could come up with, my confusion, distress, sadness, and anger. I realize some people think this article trite, but from 175 feet below, it is forthright and enlightening.
10
I couldn't read this article, so I don't know if it's any good or not. The beginning was too... esoteric? Poetic? Uncaring? My friend jumped from the bridge three days ago. I don't know if he was narcissistic or not. I don't know if he wanted attention. My friend is dead. That's what I know.
Two months ago, in a professional capacity, I stood with someone who had shot his brains out. I swabbed his face clean before his family came it. I hugged them as they cried, and got them tissues. Suicide isn't poetic once you've seen it.
11
This article is brilliantly written. I work below the Aurora Bridge, across the street from the Adobe building. I also witnessed the jumper on June 17, 2010 - he practically landed on our door step. I've never been subjected to anything more fantastically horrific. The description given by Officer Jones is chillingly familiar to what I saw, except this jumper was lying face up, where blood trickled from his temples onto his cheeks and his eyes had gone white. There is no way to erase this imagery or to ignore the blood stained pavement where I park my car, but it's important to not turn another's violent fatality into your own tragedy. True, witnessing a jump and the aftermath of said jump is tragic. But it's important to find empathy for the victim, and recognize that you, yourself, are not the victim. But I still can't wait for the fence to go up, and I know the others who live and work under the bridge agree. The frequent sound of sirens racing toward the bridge is not only aggravating but it touches a sickening spot inside all of us, who know where those sirens are headed.
12
Yo cm,you really suck!you know nothing.I jumped the aurora,november 23,1980,this after having been viciously beaten & sodomised from the age of three on through my entire childhood,in a state run fosterhome,catholic style!Yes,there was a priest involved right along with the foster parents! As for playing games with god? Or wanting attention? HA! Tell you what I do want! I WANT things like you to wake from your stupified slumber & pay attention to what is really going on in this seriously suffering world! I WANT things like you to find your humanity & quit being such shallow idiots, & instead have the guts to HELP whenever help is needed, some compassion would be cool,forgetyou.
13
You can still jump from the bridge and not cause attention, especially if it's at night. Someone will find the body eventually, but you can do it discreetly without causing a big scene. I think jumpers use the bridge because they know it will be effective. Swallowing a bunch of pills doesn't necessarily guarantee that you'll "quietly die before dawn." The bridge is simply effective and it's accessible to people who just want to get it over with quickly.

Of course, it's not right for people to use the bridge in that way and they deserve to be helped, but that's why they jump. Suicide is about as personal a decision as it gets and it doesn't mean that you should oversimplify and classify every suicide as a selfish person.
14
How dare you glorify this. F you stranger. What kind of paper do you think you are. What hypocritcal crap you spew. Liberal BS. We need to help those who are in need not ridicule the methods they choose to destroy themselves. How fucking dare you.
15
Isn't officer Lone who was quoted in the article saying "they jump because the bridge is there" the one that died when he fell off the boat in the ship canal a few years ago? Small world.
16
The "pre-purpose" part makes me think that the prevention suicide fence which is being built up on Aurora Bridge may imply the people who have suicide attempts that "it is a place to jump off". I think the fence will physically decrease the suicide number on the bridge for sure, but the fence should be more like a warm symbol for the people who want to jump.
17
The "pre-purpose" part makes me think that the prevention suicide fence which is being built up on Aurora Bridge may imply the people who have suicide attempts that "it is a place to jump off". I think the fence will physically decrease the suicide number on the bridge for sure, but the fence should be more like a warm symbol for the people who want to jump.
18
I added an entire page comment, I think on this site, but I am not sure. I was recently informed about the incident in 2001 concerning Anne, though it was ten years ago, so I thought I would say my condolences.

However, something irked me. I then found a website concerning a friend of hers, Dick Didrickson, a man who was not suicidal, but looked at the view from the Seattle aurora bridge, passengers then dared him to jump, unbeknownst to him, he found out that someone engraved "jump you S.O.B." three years ago responding to the suicide of Scott. I do not know his last name.

Look, this is a very serious thing. As with homicide, suicide affiliates with death, "the end of living" (emphasizing that). It is not funny, and I do not know if many say it sincerely, or as a joke or dare, but imagine if it was you, or maybe a relative or friend. Pretend for a minute, you were watching the view from that bridge (or any other bridge for that matter) and someone told you to jump, someone you do not even know, how would that feel, suicidal or not. It would petrify me, probably not surprise me, since I know there are mean people in the world, and I have met many, but a chilling thought would always linger with me, "someone I do not know wishes me dead." Not very reassuring, right?

Ending on this note, if you are watching someone trying to commit suicide, no matter if you are passing them, stuck in traffic because of them, or whatever the circumstance may be, do not be mean. You may be stressed if you are in a hurry, I understand it can be exasperating at times, and you do not need to like the person. You do not even need to condone suicide, or change your belief of suicide being a sin. I do not condone it by any means, but I understand pain, it happens to everyone, and I know everyone is not suicidal, or even were at one point or another, but I understand suicide is serious, and I would never, never ridicule others taunting them to end their lives. That is cold, and is one of the cruelest and grueling things ever.

Therefore, if you watch someone try to die, whether or not you are stuck in traffic, or just watching them (driving or not), think before you speak, and please understand the repercussion of it. You may still think of suicide as a sin, I do, but what we all need to know is that life can be quite difficult at times, and some are not as strong as others. I am not trying to change anyone, not everyone has morals, I realize that, and I am not asking you to stop what you are doing just to help someone, but do not tempt them to die if they are planning to, and try to understand the potential outcome. Suicide is death, and death is final, do not underestimate it.

I am also ending this on this note. To Anne and Dick, I know words can be cruel, and haunt us always, but try to be strong, wishing you two all the best. To Scott and anyone who has committed suicide, or died doing so, I hope the best for you, and if you have died, I wish you are in a better world, my dearest concerns.

19
I added an entire page comment, I think on this site, but I am not sure. I was recently informed about the incident in 2001 concerning Anne, though it was ten years ago, so I thought I would say my condolences.

However, something irked me. I then found a website concerning a friend of hers, Dick Didrickson, a man who was not suicidal, but looked at the view from the Seattle aurora bridge, passengers then dared him to jump, unbeknownst to him, he found out that someone engraved "jump you S.O.B." three years ago responding to the suicide of Scott. I do not know his last name.

Look, this is a very serious thing. As with homicide, suicide affiliates with death, "the end of living" (emphasizing that). It is not funny, and I do not know if many say it sincerely, or as a joke or dare, but imagine if it was you, or maybe a relative or friend. Pretend for a minute, you were watching the view from that bridge (or any other bridge for that matter) and someone told you to jump, someone you do not even know, how would that feel, suicidal or not. It would petrify me, probably not surprise me, since I know there are mean people in the world, and I have met many, but a chilling thought would always linger with me, "someone I do not know wishes me dead." Not very reassuring, right?

Ending on this note, if you are watching someone trying to commit suicide, no matter if you are passing them, stuck in traffic because of them, or whatever the circumstance may be, do not be mean. You may be stressed if you are in a hurry, I understand it can be exasperating at times, and you do not need to like the person. You do not even need to condone suicide, or change your belief of suicide being a sin. I do not condone it by any means, but I understand pain, it happens to everyone, and I know everyone is not suicidal, or even were at one point or another, but I understand suicide is serious, and I would never, never ridicule others taunting them to end their lives. That is cold, and is one of the cruelest and grueling things ever.

Therefore, if you watch someone try to die, whether or not you are stuck in traffic, or just watching them (driving or not), think before you speak, and please understand the repercussion of it. You may still think of suicide as a sin, I do, but what we all need to know is that life can be quite difficult at times, and some are not as strong as others. I am not trying to change anyone, not everyone has morals, I realize that, and I am not asking you to stop what you are doing just to help someone, but do not tempt them to die if they are planning to, and try to understand the potential outcome. Suicide is death, and death is final, do not underestimate it.

I am also ending this on this note. To Anne and Dick, I know words can be cruel, and haunt us always, but try to be strong, wishing you two all the best. To Scott and anyone who has committed suicide, or died doing so, I hope the best for you, and if you have died, I wish you are in a better world, my dearest concerns.
20
Sorry to re-post #18, somehow I posted #19 by mistake. Can anyone please remove that? Thanks.
21
You really are a thoughtless fool. Sleeping pills (that cause death by overdose) are very difficult to come by, and trees are not tall enough. You've obviously never been suicidal yourself, hooray for you. People desperate to end pain use what means are available to them, and the last thing they are is narcissistic. In fact, they are seeking to disappear.
22
Thoughtless fools are the ones who jest at others when they are planning to kill themselves. Who ever said anything about trees or sleeping pills? No, I was never suicidial, though often I pondered what it would be like as if I never existed, but some of my close friends were, and it is quite sad, not a joke at all. Point being, feel compassion for the suicidal, feel contempt for the heartless. It is time the people in the world wake up and face reality, meaning facing what they know is right and what they know is wrong, it is as simple as that.

(I also did not know if the latest thing I posted came through, so I thought I would answer again)
23
I would also want to point out. I think suicide and homicide (definitely the latter) are corrupt, but people need in this world need help, and people, unfortunately mosty, just do not care. I personally think it is not that they do not want to, it is just they do not know how to.

We were not put in this world to hate, is everyone that stupid to realize that? I am not.

(Hey, where is post #22, what I posted? Come on)
24
Brandon84, Shame Shame's comments were clearly levelled at the author, not you.

In any case, you took umbrage with his comment, despite echoing his sentiments!

You may not think you're too 'stupid to realize' certain things, but I'm really not so sure.
25
Poorly written, badly researched & terribly expressed. This kind of shitspattering is inexcusable. Seriously? Where is your heart?

Compassion is what is needed for our suicides - and yes, they are OUR suicides, symptomatic of bigger issues (mental illness, access to mental health care, suicide prevention, open dialogues about suicide, people using snark to be dicks rather than helping) we need to own as a society.

Let the healing begin, and may the internet wash away this horrific article
26
I totally disagree with the first part of this article.It is not a persons last big show to jump off a bridge and get attention it is they are seeking a way to end this life and their pain. What makes someone choose pills or a gun to take them self out of this world? Suicide is suicide regardless of how it is done. To call someone narcsisitic is crazy.
27
I agree partly with Janel. Jumpers aren't (all) jumping for attention or to leave a message. It may just be they want to be sure they die (90% chance ain't bad) or because it's the easiest or only method available. Despite what most think, an overdose on drugs is a very unreliable method. Almost all who attempt suicide via drugs or pills survive. The drugs that can kill aren't easily available, either. And guns are expensive, plus if you' re killing yourself out of impulse then you aren't going to wait for a background check.

We all need to find the compassion, loving kindness and joy inside ourselves, and cultivate it. We need to be kind and compassionate towards EVERYONE. Criminals, hate mongers, douche bags, they all need our compassion. Hating is an easy, selfish, out for all of us. We need to be intelligent and strong. Then maybe suicide rates would decrease and the world would find some peace.

We all want for the exact same thing, happiness. Every thought, word, or action in all their infinite variety come from that one deep seated desire, to be happy. So love thy neighbor, and the thief, and the stranger, they're more similar to you and to each other than you really know.
28
As with ANYTHING in life, if you haven't personally experienced it you have NO idea what someone is going through so grow up and quit judging others. Look in the mirror. Suicide and mental health disorders are no joke and those who do and say suicidal things whether its for attention or not and shouldn't be dissected by inexperienced people, bottom line.
29
I thought this article was out to set the record straight when I began reading. It calls jumping narcissistic. I thought it would explain how this is not the case. Jumping is an effective way to die. That is why people do it. Depressed people do not will to suicide; their pain has exceeded their coping mechanisms. The likelihood of any depressed person to have the energy to want to put on a show is callous and wrong thinking. Such a shame to take on a subject like this and make a mockery of those in too much pain to live. Sadly they want relief from pain and death doesn't provide relief. I'm frankly sickened by the spirit of this article.
30
shame on you Charles Maude for sensationalizing this. You should be ashamed of yourself.
31
I really hope a would be jumper sees this, and decides that a better way to go would be a murder suicide with a Stranger writer providing the murder component. Not any particular writer of course, pretty much any of them would do at this point.
32
I too found this article to be negative and uncompassionate. During a difficult depressive episode 2 years ago, I contiplated suicide as a way out. I am a nurse and wanted an effective way to get it done. I didn't have access to a gun or an adequate doseage of prescription drugs. This is the only bridge that I knew was high enough. Research shows that when a nurse commits suicide they are very successful. There was absolutely zero amount of attention involved. When a person is at absolute rock bottom they are not capable of comprehending such matters inside. They are almost completely shut down and hurting so badly. A major deterant for me was reading about the suicide fences. I didn't think I could climb it in my state. My little boys were the main reason that I didn't do it. I knew it would scar them forever to grow up without a mother. These days I am feeling better. It took me so long to get a real smile and laugh back. I will always carry those bad times as a burden inside me. I wanted to reflect back on the time that I was thinking about the bridge. This article left a sour taste in my mouth. For anyone reading this remember "This too will pass"- that's what my mom would always tell me when I was sick.
33
Suicide by pills is successful only around 6% of the time. Jumping from a sufficiently high bridge has an over 90% success rate. If you live in NYC, it's impossible to legally buy a gun so suicide by jump is the next best option for those who are serious about killing themselves.
34
My father did not jump to gain attention. He did not own a gun, I doubt he had a lethal supply of pills, and above all I'm sure he wanted to protect my mother from finding his body. His suicide was the impulsive denouement to a week of catastrophic news. I wish I could apologize to all the onlookers who witnessed his suicide; some even called out to him begging him to stop. It's been more than 10 years, and I'm still haunted by his death.

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