Golden Gate Bridge – the dark side

I thought that the Covid-19 pandemic would make us better, more humane, and more humble, but boy, I was sorely mistaken. On the contrary, many of us have become worse – rude, angry, hostile, or ill-mannered, and some have fallen into major depression. Mental Health doctors are overwhelmed by so many cases of depression that many of us are facing off in the wake of COVID 19…as a matter of fact, making an appointment with a mental health professional will take several months. Not surprisingly, the number of suicides is increasing exponentially. The Golden Gate Bridge is the most-used suicide site in the world. The deck is about 245 feet (75 m) above the water. After a fall of four seconds, jumpers hit the water at around 75 mph (120 km/h; 30 m/s). Most die from impact trauma. About 5% survive the initial impact but generally, drown or die of hypothermia in the cold water. Those who survived, Probably, destiny gave them one more chance to revise their choices and try to choose life instead of death. One of the survivors holds seminaries all over the States and shares his ordeal.

So, a few days ago,  I was walking on Golden Gate Bridge,  I noticed a young lady having her right foot over the protective railing, trying to swing the other leg and jump off the bridge. A guy just stopped next to her and was holding her left arm and he was motioning to me to come to help him.

As I got close to them, I approached the girl and while I was asking what her name was, I was trying to get her foot off the rail. She was fighting off, didn’t want to let go of her foot. I told her that we are here to help her and finally, I was able to get her foot off the rail and ask her again what was her name and why is she trying to do such an awful gesture. She didn’t answer, she was crying with hiccups and had a very disoriented look – she kept sobbing for a few minutes. She looks at me, and amid sobs and sobs, she says that her name is Crystal. I asked her where she was from – she said, San Francisco.

While we both were holding Crystal, I told Harry’s wife ( that was the guy’s name) that was a few feet away from us, to call the bridge police from one of the emergency phones on the bridge.

 asked Crystal:

“Do you have kids?

“Yes, I have an 8-year-old boy”.

“Well, Crystal, don’t you think about this little boy that he will be left to go thru life without a mom – he will be scarred for life!”

“ I am tired of this life. I am tired of taking care of everyone. I am having a very bad day!” – Crystal quipped.

“ Crystal, we all have bad days! Wouldn’t you agree, Harry? You have bad days, too?”

“Yes, that’s right, we all have bad days, but we don’t make radical decisions. Tomorrow will be a better day, Crystal!” – said, Harry.

“Crystal, having a bad day shouldn’t make you take those kinds of decisions without return. How will your little boy live without a mother – he needs you! He wants you to be with him! He needs his mom!”

“ I can’t live anymore! I can’t take care of everyone! Please let me throw myself over the bridge!”

 Then, she looked into my eyes – her eyes were blurred, absolutely lost in time and space, a demonic look. I  have never seen anybody like that in my whole life!

She tells me to take my hands off her. I told her that I would take my hands off, only if she would walk with us a little bit and talks a bit.

 She agreed and started walking with us while both – Harry and I – held her tightly.

 After a few steps, she stops and tells me to let her walk by herself. But as soon as we let her walk by herself, she tries to make a beeline back towards the railing.

He told us that every week or so, someone tries to jump off the bridge – most of them are successful, only a few are lucky to be saved in time.

We were lucky that we were able to stop Crystal!  The fact is she was very short in stature and she was having a hard time bringing her second leg over the railing, but eventually, she would have succeeded, if Harry and I would have not intervened.

I can never forget Crystal’s gaze, a very lost look, fixed and with demonic eyes that terrified you. Sad, but events like this happen periodically – very few are saved. Those who are saved, if they do not receive the right moral support and psychiatric treatment, they will probably try to take their own life again. This time Crystal was lucky and I hope she will not repeat this desperate attempt to end her life.

“After years of debate and an estimated more than 1,500 deaths, suicide barriers, consisting of a stainless steel net extending 20 feet from the bridge and supported by structural steel 20 feet under the walkway, began to be installed in April 2017. Construction was first estimated to take approximately four years at a cost of over $200 million. In December 2019, it was reported that construction of the suicide prevention net had fallen two years behind schedule because the lead contractor, Shimmick Construction Co., had been sold in 2017, leading to the slowdown of several existing projects. As of December 2019, the completion date for the Golden Gate Bridge net was set for 2023.” – Wikipedia

PS. The picture was taken 30 minutes after the suicide attempt on the bridge – the location was somewhere a few meters from the support tower.