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A suicidal son, an iconic bridge and the struggle to keep people from jumping
A suicidal son, an iconic bridge and the struggle to keep people from jumping
Dozens of people have leaped to their deaths from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge since it opened in 1952. Cheryl Rogers fought to keep her son from becoming one of them.
By William Wan
September 7, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. EDT
{snip}
‘The worry is contagion’
When it first opened on July 30, 1952, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was hailed as an engineering and political marvel — the world’s longest continuous steel structure over water at that time, uniting Maryland’s cities and suburbs with its rural Eastern Shore. ... It took just eight weeks for the bridge to become something else, as well.
On a September Friday shortly before noon, a Baltimore engineer parked his convertible in the middle of the span and leaped to the waters below. Since that first death, suicides have continued with disturbing frequency — and they increased sharply in the first year of the pandemic.
For years, authorities have avoided discussing the number of suicides and their efforts to deter them, even as the state explores building a new span to relieve traffic congestion. ... “It’s not that any of it is secret, but the worry is contagion,” explained Sgt. Brady McCormick, spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority , which is in charge of the bridge. The agency often dissuades media from reporting suicide attempts on the bridge for fear it could cause future ones. “We don’t want to create the impression that this is a common or accepted place where suicide happens,” McCormick said.
But researchers and advocates have pushed for such data, arguing it’s necessary to understand the scope of the problem and address it. ... From 1952 to 1967, there were roughly 10 attempted suicides, according to newspaper stories from that time. From 1968 — when bridge authorities began keeping records — to 1993, there were 48 deaths, five suspected deaths with unrecovered bodies and 45 additional attempts, news reports show. ... In response to an information request from The Post, the transportation authority released data from 2014 to 2021, during which there were 32 deaths and 33 non-fatal attempts.
{snip}
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also reach at a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Story editing by Lynda Robinson, photo editing by Mark Miller, video editing by Jayne Ornstein, copy editing by Thomas Heleba and Martha Murdock, design by Talia Trackim.
Gift Article
https://wapo.st/3eEnoTX
By William Wan
William Wan is an enterprise reporter focused on narrative and high-impact stories at The Washington Post. He often writes about mental health and people on society's margin. He previously served as a national health reporter during the pandemic, China correspondent, roving U.S. national correspondent, foreign policy reporter and religion reporter. Twitter https://twitter.com/thewanreport
Dozens of people have leaped to their deaths from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge since it opened in 1952. Cheryl Rogers fought to keep her son from becoming one of them.
By William Wan
September 7, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. EDT
{snip}
‘The worry is contagion’
When it first opened on July 30, 1952, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was hailed as an engineering and political marvel — the world’s longest continuous steel structure over water at that time, uniting Maryland’s cities and suburbs with its rural Eastern Shore. ... It took just eight weeks for the bridge to become something else, as well.
On a September Friday shortly before noon, a Baltimore engineer parked his convertible in the middle of the span and leaped to the waters below. Since that first death, suicides have continued with disturbing frequency — and they increased sharply in the first year of the pandemic.
For years, authorities have avoided discussing the number of suicides and their efforts to deter them, even as the state explores building a new span to relieve traffic congestion. ... “It’s not that any of it is secret, but the worry is contagion,” explained Sgt. Brady McCormick, spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority , which is in charge of the bridge. The agency often dissuades media from reporting suicide attempts on the bridge for fear it could cause future ones. “We don’t want to create the impression that this is a common or accepted place where suicide happens,” McCormick said.
But researchers and advocates have pushed for such data, arguing it’s necessary to understand the scope of the problem and address it. ... From 1952 to 1967, there were roughly 10 attempted suicides, according to newspaper stories from that time. From 1968 — when bridge authorities began keeping records — to 1993, there were 48 deaths, five suspected deaths with unrecovered bodies and 45 additional attempts, news reports show. ... In response to an information request from The Post, the transportation authority released data from 2014 to 2021, during which there were 32 deaths and 33 non-fatal attempts.
{snip}
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also reach at a crisis counselor by messaging the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Alice Crites contributed to this report.
Story editing by Lynda Robinson, photo editing by Mark Miller, video editing by Jayne Ornstein, copy editing by Thomas Heleba and Martha Murdock, design by Talia Trackim.
Gift Article
https://wapo.st/3eEnoTX
By William Wan
William Wan is an enterprise reporter focused on narrative and high-impact stories at The Washington Post. He often writes about mental health and people on society's margin. He previously served as a national health reporter during the pandemic, China correspondent, roving U.S. national correspondent, foreign policy reporter and religion reporter. Twitter https://twitter.com/thewanreport
