The Golden Gate Bridge has been a magnet for suicide since its construction with over 2000 fatal leaps having been record since its opening in 1937.
Every two weeks someone jumps from the legendary span.
Only one person, a woman has jumped twice. She was successful on her second attempt.
There has been no safety net under the bridge, as the operators considered such a measure would detract from the aesthetic beauty of the bridge and possibly threaten its structural integrity, however in 2008 the San Francisco City Council voted 14-1 to install such a device from end to end in hopes of losing the dubious title of 'most popular place to commit suicide in the world'.
The four other options other than doing nothing were considered too intrusive.
Despite the vote safety net has yet to be installed due to financial considerations and the current economic distress has brought a significant increase in attempts.
According to Wikipedia the deck is approximately 245 feet (75 m) above the water. After a fall of approximately four seconds, jumpers hit the water at around 75 mph or approximately 120 km/h. Most jumpers die from impact trauma on contact with the water. The few who survive the initial impact generally drown or die of hypothermia in the cold water.
I've jumped from bridges for fun. Nothing over 40 feet. I'd never jump from the Golden Gate Bridge, although I have contemplated suicide occasionally without ever having a real plan as to the method. Guess I'm lucky that way.
Back when I was in high school my friend's mother attempted suicide off the Tobin Bridge in Boston three times.
Always on a Friday.
Always in the rain.
Always at the end of the day.
Traffic backed up on the feeder roads for miles, as the police tried to dissuade the woman from taking a fatal plunge. Finally her husband would show up to add his pleas to the rescue and my friend's mother would take one look at him and jump off the walkway.
The first time she survived the leap and her family put the poor woman into a mental hospital. After many months she would be released under a doctor's supervision. We would see her in the yard. She seemed normal and then one rainy Friday afternoon she went intown to the Tobin Bridge.
Same spot as before.
Traffic was snarled in all directions.
The police begged her to come down and once her husband appeared, she once more stepped off the bridge as soon as she saw her husband.
She survived a second time, although her stay in the hospital was much longer because of injuries and screwing her head on straight. Months went by before she was released from state care. She seemed normal as before, until another rainy Friday afternoon. Once more she waited for her husband before jumping.
This time she was successful, because she struck a police boat instead of the water.
As far as I know the woman never left a note.
I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge last Friday. It was a beautiful day. I let the wind wash my soul. All I could do afterward was smile and this is my non-suicide note from that bridge.
I lived for another day and that day is a long way from tomorrow.
