Living and Working Under the Shadow of Suicide

06/01/2007

State and city transportation planners are trying to find a solution to prevent people from jumping off Seattle's Aurora Bridge. Last year, the bridge was the site of nine suicides—twice the average number. So far this year, six people have jumped to their deaths. Officials are now treating it as a public safety issue, not just because of the rising trend, but because of the suicides' impact on the community below. KUOW's Ruby de Luna reports.

TRUTH IS, WE INITIALLY HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT PRODUCING A STORY ON SUICIDE. IT'S A SENSITIVE TOPIC. AND THERE'S A RISK THAT DISCUSSING IT COULD LEAD TO COPYCATS. BUT TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE IS PRECISELY WHAT RYAN THURSTON WANTS PEOPLE TO DO.

THURSTON: "Talking about it and getting the issue out there, I think that's a necessary and essential step to getting a barrier up there."

"UP THERE" IS THE AURORA BRIDGE THAT OVERLOOKS THE FREMONT NEIGHBORHOOD. THURSTON IS NOT A MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE OR A SUICIDE PREVENTION SPECIALIST. FAR FROM IT. HE'S A DESIGN ENGINEER AT IMPINJ, A MICROCHIP COMPANY UNDER THE BRIDGE. HE'S SEEN THE AFTERMATH OF PEOPLE WHO JUMPED TO THEIR DEATHS.

WE'RE SITTING IN THE BUILDING'S COURTYARD, NEXT TO A PARKING LOT THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION. IT'S ALSO WHERE THURSTON SAW A DEAD BODY FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT WAS SEPTEMBER 2005.

THURSTON: "He was an older guy, I later found out he was in his 40s, he was dressed in your typical clothes, it almost looked like he was coming home from work or going to a friend's house or something like that, and he was larger."

THE INCIDENT SHOOK HIM UP. IT ALSO REMINDED HIM OF A GOOD FRIEND WHO DIED BY SUICIDE FIVE YEARS AGO.

THURSTON: "When I think about it, if I could've helped my friend, or pointed him in the direction of a counselor or something, I would've done that had I seen the warning signs. I guess it triggers the questions, it triggers regret, you want to reach out, you want to bring them back over to this side of life."

LOOKING AT THE LIFELESS BODY IN THE PARKING LOT, THURSTON COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK ABOUT THE MAN'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND THEIR GRIEF. SINCE THAT MORNING THURSTON SAYS HE'S SEEN FOUR MORE BODIES, AND IT NEVER GOT EASIER.

JUST A BLOCK AWAY ON NORTH 35TH STREET, JO JACOBS AND HER COLLEAGUES HAVE COUNSELED TRAUMA PATIENTS FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, THEY WERE TRAUMATIZED WHEN TWO BODIES LANDED NEAR THEIR BUILDING, ONE OF THEM RIGHT OUTSIDE JACOBS' WINDOW.

JACOBS: "When we go outside of the building now we look up before we go to our cars, we look up before we go down the stairs, or we look up and are very vigilant before crossing along this path. In one case, in that particular day, I had to have my patient wait for half an hour before they can come in to the office."

THE SUICIDES HAVE SHAKEN THE FREMONT COMMUNITY SO MUCH THAT BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS ARE PRESSING THE STATE AND CITY TO TAKE ACTION. SINCE 1995 ABOUT 40 PEOPLE HAVE JUMPED FROM THE AURORA BRIDGE. THEIR DEATHS WENT MOSTLY UNNOTICED. BACK THEN, FREMONT WAS A SPARSE NEIGHBORHOOD OF WAREHOUSES, LIGHT INDUSTRIES, AND ARTISTS. THESE DAYS THE PRESENCE OF ADOBE SOFTWARE HAS TRANSFORMED THE NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A BUSY, HIGH-TECH HUB, WITH MORE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THE AREA. NOW, SUICIDES AND THEIR AFTERMATH HAVE BECOME A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE. JACOBS FEELS LIKE A VICTIM.

JACOBS: "The person who plans like this out, is not themselves the victim. They are attempting to free themselves from a life that is very painful for them. So it's really the people who witness and who are in the aftermath of this that are, these are the people who are the victims."

STAN SUCHAN: "It's a tough issue. We're the Department of Transportation. This kind of mental health, social issue is not normally what we deal with, not our area of expertise. So it is a bit unusual for us."

STAN SUCHAN IS SPOKESPERSON WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. HE SAYS THE ISSUE HAS BECOME URGENT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES FROM THE BRIDGE HAS GONE UP. IN DECEMBER THE CITY, WHICH MAINTAINS THE BRIDGE, INSTALLED SIX CALL BOXES. THE PHONES CONNECT CALLERS TO EITHER 9-1-1, OR TO THE CRISIS CLINIC. SO FAR, THE PHONE HAS SAVED ONE PERSON. COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAY THAT'S A GOOD FIRST STEP, BUT THEY WANT A MORE PERMANENT SOLUTION. ONE IDEA IS TO PUT A FENCE ON THE BRIDGE TO THWART JUMPERS. BUT SUCHAN SAYS THAT WOULDN'T BE EASY BECAUSE OF THE FENCE'S WEIGHT.

SUCHAN: "It's not just the actual weight, it's where that weight is placed. It's going to be sitting on railings, on the edge of the bridge, so that is an important factor. But also, will whatever fencing we put up catch the wind, and then put stresses on the bridge by catching the wind, so acting a bit like sails."

AND THAT POSES ANOTHER SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THIS SAIL EFFECT COULD WEAKEN THE BRIDGE, OR COULD CAUSE IT TO SWAY DURING A WINDSTORM. SUCHAN SAYS FENCING COULD ALSO GET IN THE WAY WHEN TRANSPORTATION CREWS GET UP CLOSE TO INSPECT THE BRIDGE IN ITS REGULAR MAINTENANCE.

OTHER CITIES HAVE GRAPPLED WITH BRIDGES THAT ATTRACT JUMPERS. SAN FRANCISCO OFFICIALS COMMISSIONED A STUDY ON SETTING UP BARRIERS FOR THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE. THAT REPORT IS SCHEDULED TO COME OUT NEXT SPRING. IN AUGUSTA, MAINE, THERE'VE BEEN NO SUICIDES AT MEMORIAL BRIDGE SINCE BARRIERS WENT UP. HERE IN WASHINGTON, TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS ARE WORKING ON DETAILS BEFORE PRESENTING THEIR FINDINGS FOR LAWMAKERS TO MAKE SOME DECISION. BUT EVEN IF THE MONEY WERE THERE, HOW DO POLICYMAKERS WEIGH THE CHOICES? AFTER ALL, THE NUMBER OF SUICIDES BY JUMPING IS RELATIVELY SMALL COMPARED TO OTHER METHODS. COULD THE MONEY BE BETTER SPENT IN SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS?

EASTGARD: "People die in jail under 24 hour suicide watch people die in hospitals under supervision. It happens. Some people are intent on dying. I don't at all want to suggest that we can stop them all."

SUE EASTGARD HEADS THE YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM IN SEATTLE.

EASTGARD: "But I think we as human beings, as members of the Fremont community or our human community are looking for changing the statistics and giving people another day, another hour, another option, and that's really what prevention is all about."

IF THERE'S A POSITIVE EFFECT TO COME OUT OF THESE TRAGIC EVENTS, EASTGARD SAYS IT'S THE COMMUNITY'S MOTIVATION TO SEE CHANGE. FOR PEOPLE LIKE RYAN THURSTON IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO CALL FOR FENCING ON THE BRIDGE, BUT TO PUSH WHAT'S CONSIDERED A TABOO TOPIC TO THE FOREFRONT.

THURSTON: "Had I known the warning signs in looking back, I think I could've done something to help prevent my own friend from committing suicide. At the time I didn't know. Afterwards I found out he was giving away possessions, a lot of risky activity, all of those were warning signs that I didn't know; talking about it will help, I think."

SUICIDE IS OFTEN SEEN AS A PRIVATE ACT THAT DIRECTLY AFFECTS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. BUT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FREMONT COMMUNITY, THE PRIVATE ACT BECOMES PUBLIC. IT SHAKES US. IN SOME CASES, IT MOVES US; WE'RE NO LONGER BYSTANDERS. I'M RUBY DE LUNA, KUOW NEWS.

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