The Final Leap Read Free Page A

started at the crisis center, everything changed. I learned facts about the bridge that astonished me, mainly because I felt that I should have known them already. Then I realized that most of the people I knew or came into contact with didn’t know them either. That was the genesis for this book.
    For instance, most people don’t know that the vast majority of individuals who jump from the Golden Gate Bridge live relatively close to it. Only a small number of those who use the bridge to attempt or complete suicide come from other states, an even smaller number come from other countries. Despite the myth that the bridge serves as a mecca for troubled and depressed souls around the world, in actuality its attraction is largely local.
    Most people don’t know that it’s not just single men suffering from mental illness who jump. More than 10 percent of Golden Gate Bridge jumpers are adolescents. Adult jumpers, meanwhile, include virtually every profession. Many are married with children. Some live in affluence.
    Most people don’t know that because of the short railing, at least three young children have been thrown over the side by parents who jumped after them. In another case, a five-year-old girl was told to jump by her father, and complied.
    Most people don’t know that it’s not unusual for jumpers to survive the fall. Upon hitting the water their bones shatter, their body organs burst, they plunge deep beneath the surface, and ultimately they drown. Far from being a fast and painless way to die, jumping from the bridge can produce final minutes that are excruciating and terrifying.
    Most people don’t know that the original design for the bridge called for a higher railing specifically to protect against suicides. In a last-minute design decision, however, this safety feature was sacrificed for the view.
    Most people don’t know that at one time the Golden Gate Bridge actually had a safety net. It was installed during construction at a cost of $130,000 (the equivalent of $2 million today), ran the length of the span, and was designed to protect bridge workers. At various times, nineteen men fell into the net and were saved. When the bridge was completed, the net was removed.
    Most people don’t know that one section of the bridge has had a barrier for many years. There is an eight-foot-high, 350-foot-long chain-link fence on the San Francisco side, before the toll booths. It’s not pretty, but then it’s not intended to be. It’s also not there to prevent suicides. Its purpose is to prevent garbage from being thrown onto visitors walking below, at Fort Point.
    Most people don’t know that the reason why the Golden Gate Bridge has surveillance equipment and motion sensors has nothing to do with suicide prevention. Yes, the equipment is used to spot would-be jumpers and direct rescue workers to the location as quickly as possibly. And yes, Bridge District officials promote the system as evidence that they are concerned about suicides and have procedures in place to prevent them. But the reason why surveillance equipment was originally installed was to monitor traffic conditions on the bridge and in the toll plaza area. The reason why it has been beefed up substantially in recent years is to fight terrorism. Because it’s an international landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge is considered a primary target for terrorists. Closely monitoring the goings-on of motorists and pedestrians is deemed critical to the safety of millions of residents.
    The most important thing that people don’t know about the bridge is how big the suicide problem is. To hear that more than fifteen hundred people have died jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge is hard to believe. To hear that the deaths continue at a rate of two to three per month—with virtually no public outcry—is even harder to accept. To hear that no other site in the world is close to the Golden Gate Bridge when it