suicide attempts off bridges...

[smiles 0]

Yesterday in my city (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) two men threatening suicide brought traffic to a gridlock.
On normal days, 120,000 vehicles use the Ironworkers Bridge, while 70,000 use the Lions Gate Bridge.

Traffic was gridlocked across the city for five hours while police talked two men out of jumping off the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and the Lions Gate Bridge. The worst traffic jam we've ever seen, just atrocious.

At 9 a.m. a distraught male was found perched on a beam outside the railing on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, with nothing between him and the water of Burrard Inlet far below. RCMP shut down both lanes of traffic on the bridge while an RCMP boat moved in below while officers spent five hours talking the man out of jumping.

Minutes after the man was taken off the Ironworkers Bridge another man was found contemplating suicide on the Lions Gate Bridge- so traffic both directions was also stopped. Police set up portable toilets- drivers slept, read, or listened to radio traffic updates..missed work, and god knows how long the list of inconvenienced people is.

Police negotiators were able to help both people down and take them to hospital for psychiatric assessment. Police do whatever it takes to assist the victims. If people (commuters) are inconvenienced, that's unfair, "but our priority is with the life of the person. A life is a life. It's priceless."

It is not known if the two men were connected.
"If they wanted to make a cry for help, it got approx. 180,000 people's attention."
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I am still wondering why it is necessary both lanes of traffic be shut down??...
Does your city follow the same procedures??

SMiles

[flyingferret 0]

Raises a pretty interesting question. There was a similar situation on I-10 in Cali this year, I believe and one here in Arlington, Texas.
How do you avoid inconveniencing a whole city while helping save a life?
And perhaps I am conspiratorial, but I find myself asking, what might be accomplished maliciously if you could gridlock 180,000 people for a day?
I would suspect there are a lot of answer, none very pleasant.

--
All the flaming and trolls of wreck dot with a pretty GUI.

[Breezejunky 0]

What is it about our culture that a single life is that important? People die every day. People kill themselves every day. Good hardworking people go to their jobs and die in work place accidents every single day.
Why is one life so important? Why can't we let these people die? Why can't we let drug addicts die? Why can't we let convicted murderers on death row die? People die. We ALL will die! One (or two) people should not be able to gridlock a city because they are mentally unbalanced. Let them die. Some people were probably more than inconvenienced. Maybe someone didn't get to to hospital on time to be with their spouse as they died. Not all of those people were just going to work. If you add up all the frustration of all those people and all the money it cost, does it equal more than one life? There should be a formula. Like man-hours. Something takes 50 man hours which means 2 people 25 hrs each, 1 person 50 etc. If we add up all those people and all that time, does it equal one life?

We deal with tragic death in our sport. Good people who don't mess with other people's lives die. It's sad. It's fucking devastating! But life goes on.

Thieves go out and rob someone and get shot in the process and there is a huge uproar. Someone ALWAYS says,"I know what he did was wrong but he didn't deserve to die" Call it a hazard of their chosen profession! People die on construction sites, why shouldn't thieves be susceptible to the same risk!

WE ALL DIE! What's wrong with the messed up ones going early? Who cares if they eventually get better? How much grief did they cause others first? They might die the day after they become fine upstanding citizens in hotel fire. Or they might live to kill a family of four in a car accident.

I'm throwing a lot out there as I think this could be a hell of a discussion.

I think these people should be made to pay some sort of restitution for what they've done.

[jumpinfarmer 0]

Great reply! I couldn't have said it better myself.

[airtwardo 7]

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Yesterday in my city (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) two men threatening suicide brought traffic to a gridlock.

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I had the pleasure of spending a week in your city last month.

Wonderful...beautiful place...

and take it from someone that drove LA & San Diego traffic
everyday for 20 years...
and now is trying to contend with Houston's

I think it's a cultural thing..
Everywhere I drove in and around Vancouver
the drivers were courteous ...polite... even forgiving!

In LA...not only don't they stop all lanes..
those driving by are yelling "JUMP!"

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[Michele 1]

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What's wrong with the messed up ones going early? Who cares if they eventually get better? How much grief did they cause others first? They might die the day after they become fine upstanding citizens in hotel fire. Or they might live to kill a family of four in a car accident.

Did you say this to stimulate "great" discussion or are you just spouting off?

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[fueler 0]

yeah. my very close friend, Dan Hogan didnt tie up traffic at all. he had his letter written, parked his car and lept off the Golden Gate in 1998.

im so sorry if you were late to work.





rest in piece my friend.





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

****************************************
what!?

[Slurp56 0]

These 2 men didnt want to die, they wanted attention.


There was a guy in Tacoma, WA that climbed atop one of the freeway signs durring rush hour traffic with a gas can not more than a month ago. The man shut down the freeway as police/fire tried to talk him down. After 2 hours, the man was safely on the ground with his gan can full of water.

it is these people that are suicidal and reaching out for help, that are capable of doing it by their own means in private/non-conspicuous ways that have my sympathy. I really feel for these people who have the opinion that their life is not worth living and take their own life. No matter how bad it is, it could ALWAYS be worse. I would be more than willing to try and help these people help themselves.

It is the other select crowd of people (as mentioned in the original post) that want to make it publicly known, that I have a serious lack of compassion for. They may need help, they may be mentally unstable, but there is no NEED inconvenience hundreds of thousands of people in the process. They are the selfish breed, and by my nature, I have little respect for selfish people.

Sometimes I think we only have these recurring events because it is a 100% garuanteed way to get the attention they are so starved of.

________________________________________
I have proof-read this post 500 times, but I guarantee you'll still manage to find a flaw.

[Zep 0]

These people need our help
A simpathetic PUSH in the right dirrection would help

Gone fishing

[Breezejunky 0]

I don't live in BC. This did not affect me. Anyone touched by suicide is going to be very sensitive about this. I'm not going to get into a debate about whether suicide is an attention grabber or not. That's not my point. You're friend wanted to go. He left. He was going to go at some point anyway and in the grand scheme of things, life goes on and the sun still rises. Maybe he IS resting in peace. Why can't people accept the consequences of an individual's action upon themselves?
They try to commit suicide: they die
They rob a liquor store with a gun and get shot in the process: they die
They shoot a little too much funky stuff into their arm to get an even better buzz that they've had all week: they die
They throw their body out of a plane and plummet toward the very hard earth at 120 miles per hour knowing what could go wrong: they die
They arrive early for work, looking forward to a fat paycheck because they worked so much overtime: they die...

It happens every single day. These two people caused a tremendous amount of grief to a huge amount of people. Why are their tiny little lives worth that much? I don't think they are. No one is.

[jumpinjackflash 0]

Avoiding the typical discussion on Religion, Faith, Etc.....

Let's look at it this way. Your born, You live, You die.

Saying so, what is the measure of a man or woman's life?

We help those who are helpless because it shows our ability to love. We lend a hand to those that need it, because it shows our ability to care.

It's not about suicide, it's not about death. It's about life. It's about love.

In the scheme of things, whether you believe in the afterlife, or not, is irrelevant as well. Your quality of life increases significantly as well as the others around you, when you reach outside of yourself and give another your time.

Period.

We all do die, in many many ways, and it's the most unavoidable thing there is.

However, when someone nearby is dying, whether self induced or accidentally, are you going to pause to reflect whether or not to help, or are you going to simply insert yourself and give everything you got to save someone elses ass?

I'm no hero, and never will be, but I enjoy a hug, an I Love you, and the feeling that I just made a difference more than anything I've ever enjoyed in life, including a good skydive.


Regarding being late for work or missing that day?

LOL!!!! PLEASE!!!! I WORK 50 HOURS OR MORE A WEEK, A BREAK EVERY NOW AND THEN IS NO BIGGIE.

If your ever in need, for any reason, I hope someone nearby doesn't hesitate to provide. I hope they lift a hand and reach out.


Blue Skies, and Peace to You, And? Thank God They Got Them Down,



Jack

It's a gas, gas, gas...

[quatorze 1]

well the way I see it......

er Shut up Christian

Q walks away

I'm not afriad of dying, I'm afraid of never really living- Erin Engle

[smiles 0]

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I think it's a cultural thing..
Everywhere I drove in and around Vancouver
the drivers were courteous ...polite... even forgiving!
In LA...not only don't they stop all lanes..
those driving by are yelling "JUMP!"

gotta luv Vancouver...although we are 20 yrs. behind (city traffic- bridges only 5 lanes/freeway only 3 lanes each way with 1 high occupancy vehicle lane.)

Apparently the police stop all traffic on bridges here during suicide attempts-- because they fear those driving by will yell "jump!" A BASE jumper hanging under canopy caught on the bridge- will be rescued closing 1 lane.

As far as suicide attempts go, I am not educated, except for the understanding that for the person involved... it’s a matter of ‘I can’t stand the pain anymore. I want to end the pain." To take one's own life is probably the single most extreme expression of hopelessness that any person can make. Many suicide attempts are impulsive; lives can be salvaged.

I am left wondering if bridge jumping suicide attempts are not always a cry for help. Sometimes--perhaps more often than not, --an instrument of power and control?

SMiles

[Michele 1]

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It happens every single day. These two people caused a tremendous amount of grief to a huge amount of people. Why are their tiny little lives worth that much? I don't think they are. No one is.

Yes, those "tiny little lives" are worth that much...just as yours is. Too bad you don't see the value in people, but simply only see the negative, slim possibilities in them instead.

It's sad to see someone so jaded at what I'd expect to be a fairly young person. I feel sorry for you.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[Vallerina 2]

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Who cares if they eventually get better? How much grief did they cause others first?

Oh geeze. If waiting in your car is "grief" you really don't understand what those people were going through.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[skyhighkiy 0]

I would agree that those that stand atop a bridge and contemplate llong enough for cops to get there are doing it, in large part for attention. as a desperate last attempt for someone to notice them. those that just want to end it. do it the easy way, without leaving their home, or, in our sport, by enjoying one last freefall.

This is going to sound crude:
but if someone is in enough distress to want to kill themselves andn follow through with it, they are obviously unstable enough to not care much about life. I would much rather have these people kill themselves than have a recap of colombine or one of the many other slaughter + suicide incidents that have plagued our nation.


I have a friend that committed suicide, and as devistated as I was, had he not done that, something much worse was inevitable.

r.i.p. Matt

BE THE BUDDHA!

[Michele 1]

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but if someone is in enough distress to want to kill themselves andn follow through with it, they are obviously unstable enough to not care much about life. I would much rather have these people kill themselves than have a recap of colombine or one of the many other slaughter + suicide incidents that have plagued our nation.

Wow. You are right...that's crude. And inaccurate.

Those folks who homicide/suicide are generally not the folks who jump off bridges. I'm sorry you think your friend was better off killing himself rather than getting the help he deserved and needed. And while there may have been "something worse" in store, there was something better which could've happened, as well.

People really don't understand suicide nor suicidal thoughts. As evidenced by these - and many other - posts just here on this board. It's sad, really. Sad and terrible and discouraging to see how people not only don't understand, but have no inclination to understand.

Sad.

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[321seeya 0]

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Who cares if they eventually get better? How much grief did they cause others first?

Oh geeze. If waiting in your car is "grief" you really don't understand what those people were going through.

WTF Ever...Read the rest of his post. If you were
A) kept from being with a loved one as they lie dying in the hospital
or
B) Die on the freeway on your way to the hospital in the back of an ambulance
than yes you have suffered because of these twi lame asses.
What I find ironic is when they are caught on a bridge wanting to kill themselves they are sent to a psch hospital, but when we are caught on a bridge wanting to BASE jump we are sent to jail.
That IS a real fucked up situation.

.

BASE 3:16 - Even if you are about to land on a cop - DONT FORGET TO FLARE!
Free the soul -- DJ

[Vallerina 2]

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B) Die on the freeway on your way to the hospital in the back of an ambulance

I've been stopped for hours on the Dan Ryan enough times to know that if that is the case, you will get through traffic.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[skyhighkiy 0]

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Those folks who homicide/suicide are generally not the folks who jump off bridges

my comment was not regarding the people that jummp off bridges, although I can see where the mixup would be.

my friend also had help, extensive help that did nothing. his pattern of thought jumped between several different psychological disorders, from mania to depression to schizophrenia (not in that exact order) until he began to get violent.

with certain people, it would seem as if there is no way to recover the individual.

I understand the suicidal mind very well as I have spent the last year and a half studying abnormal psychology and the way the mind works.

BE THE BUDDHA!

[Michele 1]

Sorry to hear that your friend had such difficulties that it was impossible to diagnose and then properly and successfully treat his illness. I can't agree that he's better off dead.

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I understand the suicidal mind very well as I have spent the last year and a half studying abnormal psychology and the way the mind works.

Do you know how the depressive mind works? And for what aim are you studying? Do you want to be a psychologist? Psychiatrist? MFCC?

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[surfers98 0]

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These 2 men didnt want to die, they wanted attention.
reply]

Not necessarily. Being from Vancouver, Canada orginally myself, a gun is a difficult thing to come by in Canada. These tormented (not to mention uncreative) souls are left with few options for taking their own lives, aside from hurling themselves off a bridge.

Imagine trying to make your first skydive with hundreds of people watching you about to jump. Maybe it is about attention but either way, suicide is still the most selfish act one can commit; the effects on one's family and friends are devastating to say the least. This selfishness compounded with the method (stopping all traffic in a city of 2 million people) is truly morally incomprehensible and unforgiveable.

• Quote

[TypicalFish 0]

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WE ALL DIE! What's wrong with the messed up ones going early? Who cares if they eventually get better? How much grief did they cause others first?

I have but one response to his; REMEMBER these words when it is your sister, or brother, or best friend, who does it because of a simple, curable-if-it-had-been-treated-the-right-way chemical imbalance.

And yes, it does happen all the time.

Just my opinion, I guess. Pardon my compassion.

And to those who would say something about ambulances or some such stuck in traffic; I used to drive one, you would get through, in the same way you would any other traffic situation. Give me a break.

"I gargle no man's balls..." ussfpa on SOCNET

[skyhighkiy 0]

I'm glad you have your view on it, and it's not really him that I"m saying is better off dead, Miss the guy, it's more...the people I believe he would've hurt very soon.

I haven't studied the depressive mind quite as intensely as extreme mood disorders (i.e. hypomania, mania, schizophrenia) but I have done a bit in 'extreme depressive disorder' and dissociative things of the like.

want to be a physical therapist and my minor is psychology.

BE THE BUDDHA!

[kelpdiver 2]

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Not necessarily. Being from Vancouver, Canada orginally myself, a gun is a difficult thing to come by in Canada. These tormented (not to mention uncreative) souls are left with few options for taking their own lives, aside from hurling themselves off a bridge.

With the cold water you have there, any tiny cliff into a fast moving tide would do just fine. Whytecliff had plenty of good candidates, and you'd only subject your selfishness on a few divers. If you carried a little lead, you'd be 300ft down before they could react.

What I don't understand is how the police could set up bathrooms but couldn't back the cars off the bridge. If I was sitting out there for 5 hours, I would be far more affected than just being late for work. Could drive someone else towards suicide as well. I guess some could use this as a lame excuse to blame people for driving instead of taking the ferry.