Kevin Hines regretted jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge the moment his hands released the rail and he plunged the equivalent of 25 stories into the Pacific Ocean, breaking his back.
Hines miraculously survived his suicide attempt at age 19 in September 2000 as he struggled with bipolar disorder, one of about 40 people who survived after jumping off the bridge.
Hines, his father, and a group of parents who lost their children to suicide at the bridge relentlessly advocated for a solution for two decades, meeting resistance from people who did not want to alter the iconic landmark with its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.
On Wednesday, they finally got their wish when officials announced that crews have installed stainless-steel nets on both sides of the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) bridge.
“Had the net been there, I would have been stopped by the police and gotten the help I needed immediately and never broken my back, never shattered three vertebrae, and never been on this path I was on,” said Hines, now a suicide prevention advocate. “I’m so grateful that a small group of like-minded people never gave up on something so important.”
Nearly 2,000 people have plunged to their deaths since the bridge opened in 1937.
City officials approved the project more than a decade ago, and in 2018 work began on the 20-foot-wide (6-meter-wide) stainless steel mesh nets. But the efforts to complete them were repeatedly delayed until now.
The nets — placed 20 feet (6 meters) down from the bridge’s deck — are not visible from cars crossing the bridge. But pedestrians standing by the rails can see them. They were built with marine-grade stainless steel that can withstand the harsh environment that includes salt water, fog and strong winds that often envelop the striking orange structure at the mouth of the San Francisco Bay.
But golden gate doesn’t have anything inherent that pushes people to commit suicide. I feel like it’s wasted money if the only thing this means is that this will happen somewhere else, what’s the point then? Wouldn’t it be spent better on mental healthcare for those who need it the most?
Edit 0: (I’m not super angry that they did install the nets, sure why not, it’s not that expensive anyways, but I don’t really feel like it solves the real issue. I’m mostly talking from my opinions and I don’t have that many facts on this topic, maybe tackling suicide hot-spots does indeed reduce the statistic, I sincerely hope so but I doubt it)
Edit 1: After reading the article https://archive.is/Uuyx3 suggested by @Chetzemoka@startrek.website I feel like I was wrong in my initial assessment. Indeed it looks like there is a category of impulsive suicide that might be avoided with these barriers. I thank everyone who is contributing solid arguments to this difficult conversation. Despite the disagreements I see on the comments I believe we are all united in the feeling that this is a painful tragedy that we don’t want to be part of this world
People actually travel to San Fran specifically to jump off that bridge because it is iconic.
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For many people who have survived their attempts (and I mean suicide in general, not just jumping off this specific bridge), a lot of them say that they instantly regretted it the moment they passed the point of no return. Plus, these nets have been used on other similar hotspots, and whilst some people do just jump off of the net, the vast majority do not and there has been a sharp reduction in the number of deaths at these spots.
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… But if they don’t, there’s an f-ing net there just in case. Assuming we care about others to any meaningful extent.
If this is somehow that big of a problem for them after, I guess nothing is stopping them from trying again someplace else, but apparently some of them might actually appreciate the blessing of that choice.
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I appreciate your edit so much. More people should feel free to not only be educated with new info, but be confident in openly sharing the fact that they were and help spread that info forward. Learning stuff is awesome.
I think it can be nice. Could stop unintentional falls by kids or drunk people too. Or just people fucking around by the edge of the bridge. Happens all the time in Yellowstone and Grand Canyon NP. People accidently take a 500+ foot header off the cliffs trying to get a picture or get a better view.
Yeah, fair point!