Thursday, March 6, 2008
I was just referred to the article [News Briefs, February 28, 2008] about the bridge jumper on the Cold Springs Bridge on Feb. 17, 2008. This was the third person in the last four years known by members of my family who has jumped. One was 17-year-old recent high school graduate. He was a smart, funny, athletic, popular kid who happened to have some problems in his family. The second was a public interest attorney who was working at full speed on affordable housing. The third, recent, tragedy was that of a well-known professional and family man who had given over twenty years of his efforts to this community.
Your article said that putting up a suicide barrier would not make a difference. I don't know what evidence there is for that. I do know that the longer it takes for Caltrans and its partners to actually install the barrier, which has already been in the works for nearly four years, the more people will jump to their deaths. There is no excuse for not making the effort to save lives. These are valuable people, who have temporarily found themselves in despair. The operative word is "temporary" if they have help. The efforts to actually put in a barrier are becoming more and more too late.