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Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 4, 2014 19:37:54 GMT -5
Today I saw something quiet sad and disturbing. I happened to look out our front window and there was a young man sitting in the street. We live on a typical San Francisco street: steep and busy. We’re almost at the top of a 17% grade street. This kid (early 20s) was sitting in middle of the right lane facing down (with his back to oncoming traffic). He was sitting in a part of the street that bends down sharply making it a bit hard for oncoming vehicles to see him.
At first I thought he was an injured skateboarder, we see them from time to time going down the street (them crazy kids). I almost had a coronary when I saw a car coming, but luckily the driver stopped and drove around him. The kid didn’t even flinch, that’s when I figured the must be trying to commit suicide. I ran to get my phone and call 911.
It took me just a few seconds to get my phone, but luckily, by the time I got back, the kid was on the sidewalk with a man knelt next to him. He was patting him on the back. I don’t know if that man dragged him off the street or talked him to the sidewalk, but I believe that man (a stranger) saved his life. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just watched to see if the man needed my help. The man eventually took out his cell phone and I assume he called 911 too; the kid got up and walked down the street as soon as the man took out his cell phone, but at least he was now on the sidewalk.
I don’t know what happened, since the young man made his way down the street pretty quickly. I hope the authorities were able to get to him. He looked very despondent. It was a frightening and sad thing to witness. The whole “event” that I witnessed took less than two minutes, but it felt like an hour.
Looking back, I should have run out to get him off the street right away, but my first reaction was to get my phone and call 911. I'm glad that other person was there, I might have regretted my decision if that kid would have been run over. And how would have that poor driver felt? Makes me sick to my stomach. Anyway, glad that scenario didn't play out.
I don’t know the kids name or his fate, but he’s on my mind, so please keep him in your prayers/thoughts tonight.
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 4, 2014 21:13:57 GMT -5
That's terribly sad. A surprisingly large number of people die by suicide in the U.S. -- more than one in ten thousand per year. More than in car accidents, now. www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/health/suicide-rate-rises-sharply-in-us.html?_r=ETA: I did read recently that suicide is often a passing impulse. If a person is prevented from committing suicide at a particular moment, they're quite likely to be alive five or ten years later. (I read this in connection with putting suicide nets up on the Golden Gate Bridge, actually ... that structure is suicide central.) So, statistically, that young man you saw is very likely to live, Alan. |
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Post by Daniel on Apr 5, 2014 8:52:03 GMT -5
I've had those thoughts when things were financially at their worst for us. I think starting to write fiction might have helped save me.
"All is lost if one abandons hope."
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 5, 2014 10:59:41 GMT -5
I've had those thoughts when things were financially at their worst for us. I think starting to write fiction might have helped save me. Wow, Daniel.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2014 12:01:17 GMT -5
ETA: I did read recently that suicide is often a passing impulse. If a person is prevented from committing suicide at a particular moment, they're quite likely to be alive five or ten years later. (I read this in connection with putting suicide nets up on the Golden Gate Bridge, actually ... that structure is suicide central.) So, statistically, that young man you saw is very likely to live, Alan. For the same reason we should take any signal of someone saying they're thinking of suicide seriously. Sometimes people think, especially when it concerns young people "who have everything to live for," it's just a cry for attention. It might, but for the same money they might be quite serious. A kind word and a listening ear might be all that is needed to give them another outlook on life. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 11, 2014 13:03:38 GMT -5
I scanned the news outlets, but no news, so I'm hoping he's okay. The papers here don't report on suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge unless its big news (someone famous, etc). Over 1,200 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Its second only to the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in China for most suicides. It's such a beautiful landmark, it's sad that it has a somber history to it. I live about five miles from the bridge. It's regularly patrolled by security in these little golf carts that zip across the bridge back and forth. And every few feet there are suicide prevention signs with a phone that connects to a suicide prevention hotline.
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Post by vrabinec on Apr 11, 2014 14:44:33 GMT -5
I scanned the news outlets, but no news, so I'm hoping he's okay. The papers here don't report on suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge unless its big news (someone famous, etc). Over 1,200 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Its second only to the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in China for most suicides. It's such a beautiful landmark, it's sad that it has a somber history to it. I live about five miles from the bridge. It's regularly patrolled by security in these little golf carts that zip across the bridge back and forth. And every few feet there are suicide prevention signs with a phone that connects to a suicide prevention hotline. WTF? Wow. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 12, 2014 2:42:36 GMT -5
I scanned the news outlets, but no news, so I'm hoping he's okay. The papers here don't report on suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge unless its big news (someone famous, etc). Over 1,200 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Its second only to the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in China for most suicides. It's such a beautiful landmark, it's sad that it has a somber history to it. I live about five miles from the bridge. It's regularly patrolled by security in these little golf carts that zip across the bridge back and forth. And every few feet there are suicide prevention signs with a phone that connects to a suicide prevention hotline. They need to put in nets. It's ridiculous that they don't (for aesthetic reasons). Instead, bridge-workers of all types are trained in suicide intervention/prevention. I don't know about you, but if I signed up to be a painter or a welder, I don't think I'd want to be solely responsible for stopping suicides near my girder, or whatever. That must be terribly stressful all day long, and horrible when you don't reach someone, and they jump. Need nets. |
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Post by vrabinec on Apr 12, 2014 10:58:05 GMT -5
I scanned the news outlets, but no news, so I'm hoping he's okay. The papers here don't report on suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge unless its big news (someone famous, etc). Over 1,200 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Its second only to the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in China for most suicides. It's such a beautiful landmark, it's sad that it has a somber history to it. I live about five miles from the bridge. It's regularly patrolled by security in these little golf carts that zip across the bridge back and forth. And every few feet there are suicide prevention signs with a phone that connects to a suicide prevention hotline. They need to put in nets. It's ridiculous that they don't (for aesthetic reasons). Instead, bridge-workers of all types are trained in suicide intervention/prevention. I don't know about you, but if I signed up to be a painter or a welder, I don't think I'd want to be solely responsible for stopping suicides near my girder, or whatever. That must be terribly stressful all day long, and horrible when you don't reach someone, and they jump. Need nets. People can cut nets. We need suicide drones. You jump, they catch you before you land. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 12, 2014 12:50:28 GMT -5
I scanned the news outlets, but no news, so I'm hoping he's okay. The papers here don't report on suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge unless its big news (someone famous, etc). Over 1,200 people have committed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Its second only to the Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in China for most suicides. It's such a beautiful landmark, it's sad that it has a somber history to it. I live about five miles from the bridge. It's regularly patrolled by security in these little golf carts that zip across the bridge back and forth. And every few feet there are suicide prevention signs with a phone that connects to a suicide prevention hotline. They need to put in nets. It's ridiculous that they don't (for aesthetic reasons). Instead, bridge-workers of all types are trained in suicide intervention/prevention. I don't know about you, but if I signed up to be a painter or a welder, I don't think I'd want to be solely responsible for stopping suicides near my girder, or whatever. That must be terribly stressful all day long, and horrible when you don't reach someone, and they jump. Need nets. Interesting article about it: www.nytimes.com/2014/03/27/us/suicides-mounting-golden-gate-looks-to-add-a-safety-net.html?_r=0Personally, I'm a bit torn and I feel guilty about it. People are more important than a bridge, why do I hesitate to enthusiastically support the addition of suicide barriers and nets to the bridge? So I can see why officials have hesitated. Such a beautiful iconic bridge. I've lived here for four years and it still takes my breath away every time I see it. Even if it's just the top of the arches poking the clouds from the distance as I walk my dogs. But looks like changes are coming. 46 suicide deaths last year and 118 were stopped by officials. In one year. So I'll sigh about changing the bridge, but in the end if it saves 46 peoples lives, its the right thing to do long term. There was a sad story last year of a 15 or 16 year old girl who took the ferry from the North Bay, rode her bike to the bridge and jumped. That an a video on YouTube showing people jumping to their death really brought it home for me. A film documentary guy tricked the GGB officials into letting him film the bridge for a few months. His intention was to see if he could capture people jumping. He filmed 24 people jumping in a few months. It sounds macabre, but I think that video as helped change public support. Its very sad. You hear about it, you know people are doing, but when you see it, it really hits home. He doesn't show the whole thing, so it's not about seeing people plunge to their death. He shows them despondent looking over the bridge. A cascade of people walking by, oblivious to their pain and what they're contemplating. Then they go over, and jump. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 13, 2014 3:02:08 GMT -5
They need to put in nets. It's ridiculous that they don't (for aesthetic reasons). Instead, bridge-workers of all types are trained in suicide intervention/prevention. I don't know about you, but if I signed up to be a painter or a welder, I don't think I'd want to be solely responsible for stopping suicides near my girder, or whatever. That must be terribly stressful all day long, and horrible when you don't reach someone, and they jump. Need nets. People can cut nets. We need suicide drones. You jump, they catch you before you land. I have this impression that the nets are made of metal cables, not rope. Could be wrong. Alan, I saw that article, too. One thing I think it said was that the nets would not be noticeable from most angles. But part of the hesitation to put up nets may not be precisely (or at least not simplistically) aesthetic. It might have to do with the mental adjustment of going from thinking of the bridge as an awe-inspiring emblem of human achievement -- the kind of thing our species does at its best -- to thinking of it as a Mecca for the lost, hopeless, and despairing. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 13, 2014 13:53:56 GMT -5
People can cut nets. We need suicide drones. You jump, they catch you before you land. I have this impression that the nets are made of metal cables, not rope. Could be wrong. Alan, I saw that article, too. One thing I think it said was that the nets would not be noticeable from most angles. But part of the hesitation to put up nets may not be precisely (or at least not simplistically) aesthetic. It might have to do with the mental adjustment of going from thinking of the bridge as an awe-inspiring emblem of human achievement -- the kind of thing our species does at its best -- to thinking of it as a Mecca for the lost, hopeless, and despairing. That's right, it would be a stainless-steel net system not visible. Price tag: $66 million. And the money would come from a 2012 Federal Transportation bill, so everyone in the country would be paying for the net, not just us California tax payers. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 13, 2014 13:59:59 GMT -5
Seems reasonable to me. I bet it's not just Californians who go there to die. I watched that video you mentioned.  |
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Post by vrabinec on Apr 14, 2014 9:44:42 GMT -5
I have this impression that the nets are made of metal cables, not rope. Could be wrong. Alan, I saw that article, too. One thing I think it said was that the nets would not be noticeable from most angles. But part of the hesitation to put up nets may not be precisely (or at least not simplistically) aesthetic. It might have to do with the mental adjustment of going from thinking of the bridge as an awe-inspiring emblem of human achievement -- the kind of thing our species does at its best -- to thinking of it as a Mecca for the lost, hopeless, and despairing. That's right, it would be a stainless-steel net system not visible. Price tag: $66 million. And the money would come from a 2012 Federal Transportation bill, so everyone in the country would be paying for the net, not just us California tax payers. Tough call. I wanna prevent suicide as much as anybody, but the people who will be prevented from killing themselves from jumping off the bridge, will simply find some other way to end it. I'd rather take that money and invest in mental health. Find those who are must susceptible, and find ways to not only identify them, but to do a little preventative psychotherapy. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 14, 2014 11:53:31 GMT -5
Tough call. I wanna prevent suicide as much as anybody, but the people who will be prevented from killing themselves from jumping off the bridge, will simply find some other way to end it. I'd rather take that money and invest in mental health. Find those who are must susceptible, and find ways to not only identify them, but to do a little preventative psychotherapy. Apparently it's not true that people prevented at the bridge just find another way. I was just reading last night that only 7% of people whose first suicide attempt fails go on to commit suicide. That's a way higher rate than the general population, but it nevertheless means that 93% of people who attempt suicide once go on to live out their natural lifespans. Here are a couple quotes from an article on the GGB specifically: I think this is one of those (many ) cases where common sense is not a good guide. People who look at suicide from the outside assume that once you reach such a level of despair that you want to die, you're likely to keep trying until you succeed (or get psychiatric treatment that puts an end to the desire). But apparently it's more like you have a certain scenario in mind for your death, and if something prevents that scenario from playing out, you generally don't just substitute in another one. I'm sure there are exceptions, but it seems to hold true for most people. Edited to add source link. |
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Post by lindymoone on Apr 17, 2014 1:59:31 GMT -5
What a horrific experience for all involved. Really hope the young man has found some help. It's so hard to know when and how to intervene...
Two other San Francisco stories:
My brother-in-law was beaten up by a homeless man when he tried to help him.
(and)
My sister witnessed a murder (and had to testify in court behind a screen, since it was gang related and her identity had to be protected), plus an attempted murder and a suicide. The details of the first murder are just too sad to relate...
The last one was when she was driving down a street and saw a man stabbing a pregnant woman on the sidewalk. She called 911 and jumped out of the car and threatened the man with pepper spray. He stopped stabbing the woman (his girlfriend, it turned out) and took out a handgun. Then he said to my sister, "Thank you. You saved me." And he blew his brains out all over her and his girlfriend. Mother and baby survived. That's wonderful, and entirely due to my sister's intervention. But they all could have died on that street.
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 17, 2014 2:32:16 GMT -5
Oh my god, lindy. That's ... I'm sort of speechless.
I honestly don't think I would've done what your sister did. She's hugely brave.
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Post by lindymoone on Apr 17, 2014 3:57:30 GMT -5
She is one of the world's most unsung heroes and absolute proof (to me) that there is no such thing as Karma. Unless she was a serial killer in a previous life, she could never have deserved all the weird, bad things that have happened to her.
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Post by Becca Mills on Apr 17, 2014 11:17:12 GMT -5
She is one of the world's most unsung heroes and absolute proof (to me) that there is no such thing as Karma. Unless she was a serial killer in a previous life, she could never have deserved all the weird, bad things that have happened to her. Some folks have all the "luck."  |
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Post by Suzy on Apr 17, 2014 11:26:22 GMT -5
I don't know what to say. Lindy, how awful and what a fantastic sister you have.
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