More on today’s West Seattle Bridge suicide

(Our original report is below.) This is at least the third one since mid-June, that we know of; the other two didn’t get much attention elsewhere (here are our posts from June 19, and September 27) but this one is all over the rest of the “conventional media” because the man who killed himself first pulled a gun at his doctor’s office on Queen Anne. Here’s the Times story; the P-I story; the KING story; the KIRO story. No further details about the man’s identity so far except that he was 30 years old; we heard a radio report some time ago that he jumped while “driving home” so that could mean he lived in WS.

Wes October 3, 2007 (5:53 pm)

Very sad indeed. Would it be helpful for someone or the city to have a camera watching the bridge where people jump? They have this I believe IN SF for the Golden Gate bridge.

Jiggers October 3, 2007 (6:13 pm)

Yes Wes. A barrier for pedestrian traffic is needed for the bridge.

chas redmond October 3, 2007 (6:20 pm)

I just wonder how helpful this poor soul’s doctor was – even under duress and even with a gun pointed his way, it may have turned out differently had things gone differently in the doctor’s office – maybe the son doctor could have called the father doctor (the guy’s regular psychologist). There’s also the off-chance that some of the guy’s meds might have had an adverse affect. I’ve known a few individuals who were under psychiatric care and some of the medications have a very small chance of causing the opposite reaction in an individual. Anyway, it’s sad and I feel for the dead guy, his family, and for the folks at the clinic. In this case because they weren’t able to help this guy.

Jeff October 3, 2007 (8:11 pm)

Jiggers, you broken record. By all accounts it was from the high bridge. What’s your solution now? Board up the high bridge so cars can’t drive on it?

Jan October 3, 2007 (8:16 pm)

Jeff…thanks…I was wondering when someone was going to point out that it was the high bridge. There is no pedestrian way there…one simply stops one’s car…and jumps…hard to stop that.

Wes..what does SF use the camera for? as a deterrent? or as a way to simply record things?

WSB October 3, 2007 (8:35 pm)

To that point, though, we were wondering … having never actually been out of our car on the high bridge … how high is the concrete on the outer edges? How does that compare to the barriers on bridges like the Golden Gate? And if barriers are unrealistic — what about at least a sign and a phone box? (We haven’t yet researched whether those are considered to have any effect on whether people think twice or not.) Three people jumping to their deaths from “our” bridge in 4 months is unprecedented, as far as we know.

Wes October 3, 2007 (9:30 pm)

I believe the Golden Gate has the cameras to watch for crimes and these situations (there are a lot of suicides on the Golden Gate)so that their own police force can respond quicker. There has been some people who also record the suicides, though not for these reasons but to document the deaths for psychology purposes.

Jiggers October 4, 2007 (12:44 pm)

There has to be a solution before it( suicides) gets out of hand. Cameras don’t work because who’s going to get their fast enough to stop that person Superman? There is no easy solution.

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