There is a bridge over troubled waters, and its name is The Golden Gate. Today I crossed the classic landmark which also happen to be the world’s most popular place to commit suicide. An official count is kept, exceeding 1400 suicides averaging one every two weeks. (in comparison, the second-most-popular place, Aokigahara Forest in Japan, averages 30 a year)
People have been known to travel to San Francisco specifically to jump off the bridge. The deck is 245 feet/75 m above the water, and after a fall of four seconds jumpers hit the water at 76 miles per hour/122 km/h. Most die from impact trauma when hitting the surface, and the few who survive the initial impact generally drown or die of hypothermia in the cold water. (as cold as 47 °F/8 °C)
The fatality rate is 98% and only 26 persons are known to have survived. One young woman survived, but returned to jump - and died. Once a man survived, swam to shore, and drove himself to a hospital. This March a 17 year-old survived a jump, afterwards saying his attempt was for "fun" and not suicide.
To reduce the number of suicides The Golden Gate is equipped with Suicide Hotline Telephones. Staff are patrolling and looking for people who appear to be planning to jump, and Iron workers on the bridge are trained to talk or wrestle down suicidal people. (The bridge is closed to pedestrians at night, and cyclists must be buzzed in and out through remotely controlled security gates)
A suicide barrier can’t be set up due to safety reasons, since the load from a barrier would affect the bridge's structural integrity during a strong windstorm.
It’s a Golden Gate. With a dark backdoor.
Don’t Jump.
// T.
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