The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic landmark of San Francisco. It’s also, sadly, one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide.
Few know this better than Kevin Briggs, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol. Briggs talked hundreds of people out of committing suicide off the bridge, preventing them from jumping into the freezing cold water below.
(source Yahoo News)
More than 1,500 people have killed themselves by jumping off the Golden Gate. This makes the bridge, which opened in 1937, one of the world’s most active suicide spots. A lesser-known statistic is the much larger number of people who were talked out of taking their lives by the California Highway Patrol, U.S. Park Police, and bridge security officers.
A 2012 statistic lists 33 confirmed and three unconfirmed suicides from the famous spot. Thankfully, the bridge district recorded 86 successful interventions. It is not uncommon for veteran officers to have persuaded hundreds of people to accept offers of help.
Sergeant Briggs only had one person out of over 200 jump during his 23-year career of convincing people on the precipice of death not to take their lives. That’s quite a noble record to have, especially for such a hero.
