She joined the Chronicle in 2015 after stints at several alt weekly newspapers. I didnt like her too much, Loaiza said. A woman has been killed in a horrifying bungee jumping accident in Colombia. Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller identified the woman Friday as 40-year-old Leah Aylward . 20:46, 7 Feb 2019; . permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. A review of the autopsy reports of dozens of recent Coronado Bridge suicides found that most died of what pathologists call blunt-force injuries: broken bones, lacerated organs, and internal bleeding. Mosher decided to make an orthotropic roadway, which used a stiffening technique that was new to the United States; it increased the strength and resistance of the bridge. Loaiza knows there are people who think fences or other installations would mar the beauty of the bridge as it sweeps across the bay. Los Angeles, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, At least 5 people shot near San Pedro beach, Safety concerns and weather conditions hamper San Bernardino County relief efforts, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company. As a result, the bridge was strong and eliminated the need for additional superstructures over the deck to disperse weight.[10][11]. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Hines is now a mental-health advocate and gives presentations all over the country. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan. It was a Sunday afternoon. She recently told them how their grandmother died, and her son had the same question that long haunted her: Why did she have to take you?. Meanwhile, other cities are embracing suicide barriers, emergency phones and 24-hour patrols. Norah O'Donnell reports. Even though it is "contemporary" in design, made up of pressed concrete and steel, it is a regal bridge, standing tall in the San Diego bay. and last updated 6:08 AM, Oct 14, 2019. Coronado Bridge Suicide Prevention Initiative Signed into Law. Police tweeted just after 8 p.m. saying they were investigating. No other local structure has anywhere near such a high death rate from fatal leaps. Then she went unconscious again. He continued resuscitating her. The first fatal fall from the bridge wasnt a suicide. "What can we do to make sure that what happened to her never happens again?". PUBLISHED: May 12, 2020 at 3:01 p.m. | UPDATED: May 13, 2020 at 11:14 a.m. RED BLUFF A woman jumped off the Antelope Boulevard bridge over the Sacramento River Tuesday afternoon. They motored to a pier at the foot of Crosby Street, where ambulances were waiting. Her name, age and city of residence were not immediately released. Emergency responders successfully thwarted 198 suicide attempts in 2021 and 20 this year, Cosulich-Schwartz said. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 19-year-old woman who reportedly jumped from the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge Saturday night was found dead on a New Jersey shoreline Monday morning, the NYPD said. A 27-year-old San Diego woman jumped to her death early Tuesday evening from the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, a police spokeswoman said. "I was a paranoid mess," she said. Several weeks ago, Loaiza saw a documentary about Kevin Hines, who at age 19 survived a suicide jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2000. A memorial made of dozens of candles, flower bouquets and messages strewn on concretehas formed on the Coronado Avenue bridge that crosses Interstate 5 for Marilyn "Losa" Lutau, a 24-year-old woman who jumped off the bridge shortly before 2 p.m.Sept. 12.Remembrances of Lutau were also published onlinein comments on IB Patchand by friends and familyin social media.The San Diego Police Department were called to Hollister Gas around 1:45 p.m. Thursday, according to Lt. Kevin Mayer with the San Diego Police Department. She knows others might not see it that way, but it works for her. She shielded me at the end, taking most of the impact. She offered to share her story. She was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m., the California Highway Patrol reports. Bertha Loaiza was just 3-years-old when her mother leapt from the 246-tall bridge on August 5, 1985. [24], After an accident in 2016, where a driver drove a pickup truck off the bridge and into Chicano Park, killing 4 and injuring 9, state senator Ben Hueso proposed a state funding bill to cover safety measures on the Coronado, and require reports to the state legislature on progress. NEW! At about 7:25. She works for a local health-care provider, is married and has two children, a son who is 10 and a daughter who is 6. Mackinac Bridge wind alert spurs memories of car that plunged off in 1989. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Published February 18, 2009 Updated on February 18, 2009 at 5:00 pm. A womans body was recovered from San Diego Bay after a reported fall from the Coronado bridge, authorities said Tuesday night. (Update: The shoulders were removed in 1993 when Caltrans installed a moveable barrier system to allow officials to adjust the number of lanes in each direction depending on traffic flow.). Four people have killed themselves in falls from the Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park over the past decade. In 1970, it won an award of merit for long span bridge from the American Institute of Steel Construction. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. The San Diego-Coronado Bridge, locally referred to as the Coronado Bridge, is a prestressed concrete / steel girder bridge fixed-link, crossing over San Diego Bay in the United States, linking San Diego with Coronado, California. Its not a swan song, diving into heaven. All A white or Hispanic person with dark hair was standing on the edge, Cruz said, and he went over the sideleading Cruz at first to think that the victim was reaching over for something. Though tolls are no longer collected, beginning February 19, 2009 there was talk of resuming westbound toll collection to fund major traffic solutions and a tunnel. However, call boxes are not provided. People with severe depression are in a really dark, ugly world, and I think she brought me with her because she believed she was the only one who could best take care of me, Loaiza said. It is estimated that the Coronado Bridge is used for 13 to 19 suicides per year, and that the anti-suicide spikes that have been installed are not dissuading people from jumping. But even a five-minute delay in a suicide attempt might make the difference, she said. [23] Signs have been placed on the bridge urging potential suicides to call a hotline. But even a five-minute delay in a suicide attempt might make the difference, she said. [27] In 2010, a London-based design group led by Peter Fink was chosen. About two or three minutes after the fall, Cruz spoke to a 911 operator, who asked for a description and his contact information. [30] The Port of San Diego says no taxpayer dollars will be used. Two fishermen in a boat pulled them from the water and started CPR. It is designated and signed as part of California State Highway 75. Fatal Trolley Crash; Shooting Arrests: Coronado, SD County Crime Log, Deputy Arrested; Ex-Pastor Sentenced: Coronado, S.D. It faithfully provides motorists with transportation btwn San Diego and Coronado island, it reveals a great panoramic view of the bay for all to enjoy, and . After Kyle died, his devastated parents and brother found a new sense of purpose by persistently calling for a barrier. They feared a bridge could be collapsed by attack or an earthquake and trap the ships stationed at Naval Base San Diego. PG woman jumps to death off I-95 bridge. Depression is so misunderstood by people, she said. Landmark bridges are majestic, and they tend to be very noble-looking, almost spectacular creations, said Gary Spielmann, former chief of suicide prevention for New York state. Woman jumps to her death in front of horrified onlookers after being made homeless. The suicide death toll at the Coronado Bridge 236 is higher. As the project stumbled along, bridge officials ramped up other interventions, adding security patrols, surveillance cameras and call boxes for people in distress. Critics howled from all sides, among them preservationists, neighborhood groups and others worried about marring the bridges romantic image. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. CORONADO, CA A man jumped to his death from the Coronado Bridge Saturday, the California Highway Patrol said. Her daughter suffered a traumatic cataract in her right eye and a broken right hip. Doctor talks man out of jumping from Coronado Bridge. A woman jumped to her death Wednesday morning from the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, authorities said. A man who killed a police dog by jumping off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge with the animal has been sentenced to nearly . There was a car involved, a green Ford Pinto that Angelica Gomez, 24, parked on the bridge midspan at about 5 p.m. on Aug. 4, 1985. According to WVUE-TV, the woman jumped from the balcony into the Gulf of Mexico from The Carnival Valor, which later docked in New Orleans, Louisiana. The span of blue steel arches across the bay and clasps Coronado in the grip of modernity, gushed The New York Times. On Feb. 2, 2022, a woman used the bridge to. With the exception of one suicide-free year in 1984, at least one person has fatally jumped from the bridge each year since 1973. LeMaire could see one guy in the water, holding a woman. Crisis Text Line: Text "Connect" to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor anytime, for free. A year later, in 1973, a 22-year-old sailor jumped to his death. "She had talked about jumping off of that bridge before," Pooley said. ", California Department of Transportation The San Diego-Coronado Bridge, City of Coronado Transportation Management Association Bridge, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=San_DiegoCoronado_Bridge&oldid=1134144891, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 11,179 feet (3,407m) or 2.1 miles (3.4km) (including approaches), This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 05:50. Despite its life-saving potential, the project met a string of obstacles, including political opposition, design challenges in a wind-lashed marine environment, labor turnover at the lead construction contractor, and at least one lawsuit. Skateboarding can be dangerous, especially if proper safety measures are not taken. "Depression is so misunderstood by people," she said. Thursday, May 1, 2008 | By the numbers, case No. We are working with the contractor to resolve the issue and speed up construction.. I kept asking, Why did you bring me along? . Cruz, 26, said he was a little past midspan when he saw a car stopped on the north side of the bridge with its hood open. Everywhere he went, the girl from the bridge followed him, in his nightmares. A St. Paul woman jumped off the High Bridge to her death Tuesday evening, authorities said. Comprising enough marine-grade stainless steel to cover seven football fields, the net will flank the 1.7 mile suspension bridge on both sides, its webbing gray to match the fog and the choppy water, its supports painted the same ripe-orange hue as the bridge. Landeros says Oceanside. Another 2003 victim, a young man who had suffered depression from the age of 14, jumped from the bridge after unsuccessfully trying to kill himself on a freeway a year earlier. I will never have an answer for why she did it. It was a big deal, and then they were gone, he said. 0:57. A police dog went down with him and died. And she said it's enabled her to be more comfortable talking about what happened with her family and friends, to move beyond the shame that often surrounds suicide. [4], In 195152, the Coronado City Council initiated plans for bridge feasibility studies. Voice of San Diego is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. When she was about 17, she found a VHS tape with news coverage of the bridge incident. But there were things that went unsaid, and children have active imaginations. "I wanted to make sense of it," she said. I kept saying, That looks like me. Thats when it all came together.. Nine fell to their deaths from the striking Pine Valley Bridge, part of Interstate 8 in East County. The bridge the mum jumped off ( Image: It's another to know she took you with her. His patrol beat was in the north bay, around Shelter Island and Harbor Island. It came in 1972 when a man forced his wife to jump from the edge; he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and. Four young men, including at least one who identified himself as an active-duty Navy sailor, parachuted off the Coronado Bridge on Wednesday night and were immediately . And in a way, she did. Loaiza, now 37, survived the 240-foot fall into the bay, but her mother didnt. Feb 22, 2022 Updated Feb 22, 2022. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Hines is now a mental health advocate and gives presentations all over the country. An injury forced LeMaire to retire from the Harbor Police. . It helped to spend time with others who understood some of what she was going through, she said, but there were also occasions when people remembered her story from the media coverage, and that made her uncomfortable. - See 5,789 traveler reviews, 1,135 candid photos, and great deals for San Diego, CA, at Tripadvisor. Heres when the Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier may finally be completed, as people keep jumping every month, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. But the boat patrolling the south bay had engine trouble, and LeMaire and his partner had been diverted to help them. The $1 tolls for westbound drivers were annoying, to be sure, and many of Coronados 16,000 residents were perfectly fine with the old ferry service across the bay, thank you very much. TNN / Feb 13, 2022, 03:49 (IST) A 30-year-old woman jumped to her death from the railing of platform No. To date, more than 1,800 people have plunged to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge, with 21 confirmed suicides last year alone, and four suspected, though no bodies were found, according to. [28] The winning concept envisages illuminating the bridge with programmable LED lighting in an energy neutral manner using electricity generated by wind turbines. She caught the attention of local mental-health advocacy groups, who gave her awards, and she caught the eye of one particular internet reader in Nevada. Fred hit the road early from Arizona on Friday and the two met for the first time at Gloriettta Bay Park, I feel like I have to apologize, said Loaiza, cause hes gone through it in a different way than I have.. [19] Beginning in 2008, cyclists have the once-a-year opportunity to ride over the bridge in the Bike the Bay "fun ride".[20]. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Only about a dozen people have survived, including a car-theft suspect who jumped while fleeing police last New Years Eve. I was a paranoid mess, she said. Required fields are marked *. The man jumped off the bridge at state Route 75 at 8:30 a.m. Saturday after other motorists . My wife said she may have seen his shoes [as he fell].. In the Coronado Bridges 39-year history, 236 people including three so far this year have died in suicidal falls from the two-mile-long roadway. San Diego Union-Tribune. She offered to share her story. The business card of a counselling psychologist was found in the Pinto. [13] The five-lane bridge featured the longest continuous box girder in the world[12] until it was surpassed by the Shibanpo Yangtze River Bridge in Chongqing, China in 2008. Then she took her daughter in her arms and dropped into the bay. Her father said her family wasnt aware she had any mental-health problems, and she gave no indication of troubles in a call the night before her death. Its members are warily monitoring the construction process. Coronado Residents form Non-Profit to "Attack" Suicide. Inspired by the film, Loaiza contacted the Coronado San Diego Bridge Collaborative for Suicide Prevention, which has been leading the effort to get barriers installed. Now shes even thinking about leading her own survivors group, using her bilingual skills to help people who speak Spanish and might not otherwise be able to participate. And bridges. The county Medical Examiners Office put an identification bracelet on her right ankle, gave her a case number and noted her place of death as San Diego Bay, N. of Pylon 19. She did not make the news. On a cool, misty early morning last fall, she stopped her vehicle in the westbound lanes, opened the door and went to the bridges northern edge. Get the news and information you need to take on the day. Even construction workers have helped persuade people not to jump. Lectures, films, arts contest featured during Black History Month at library, Black and White: Granddaughter of slaves grew up straddling a racial divide in Coronado. Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. He reached to pull her into his boat when someone told him there was another victim. Or set the tone of the debate with a letter to the editor. I will never have an answer for why she did it. Heres how much rain and snow is heading to Northern California this James Wiseman, leadership genius? [14] The bridge is the third largest orthogonal box in the country the box is the center part of the bridge, between piers 18 and 21 over the main shipping channel. 234. She saw a therapist to sort out her grief and feelings of betrayal. San Diego police. Local students aided the live launch of a campaign dedicated to expressing gratitude to important people in their lives now before their memorial service. Gamboa refers to the struts that hold up the net as arms.. Dozens more chose to jump from freeway overpasses. She remembers going to a McDonald's, watching her son play, and wondering what could have been so hard about raising a child of that age that would have made her mom do what she did. She remembers going to a McDonalds, watching her son play, and wondering what could have been so hard about raising a child of that age that would have made her mom do what she did. He told his partner, who said it was probably routine maintenance. An unidentified woman jumped off a Carnival cruise ship going from Cozumel, Mexico to New Orleans around 2:30pm on Wednesday She is said to be 32 years old and was allegedly held in handcuffs. The woman. A memorial service for the living? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. People with severe depression are in a really dark, ugly world, and I think she brought me with her because she believed she was the only one who could best take care of me. A woman's body was pulled from San Diego Bay on Sunday after an apparent suicide jump from the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, according to the San Diego Harbor Police Department. By the end of next year bridge staff expect to finish the $206.7 million barrier, intended to catch any disconsolate person who leaps from the rail. Maybe they go to the bridge and a barrier thwarts them, and then they see a sign with the suicide helpline number (888-724-7240). SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The woman who survived her mother jumping from the Coronado Bridge while holding her got to meet someone who was there that day. They cant jump or everywhere they can jump, they just wont die, mother Kymberlyrenee Gamboa said, her voice fluttering in an interview with The Chronicle. To explain her injuries, she told people shed had an accident in a park near her house. The anger and self hatred that go into suicide are part of the reason for the appeal of these methods, the foundation writes in its recommendations for how the media covers suicides. Learn how your comment data is processed. I wouldnt be here if he had given up on me.. Although the bridge was supposed to become "toll-free" once the original bridge bond was paid (which occurred in 1986), the tolls continued for sixteen additional years. Please refresh the page and/or try again. The woman, who was not identified pending. But not here, where the number of bridge suicides has topped the combined death toll from the San Ysidro McDonalds massacre, the PSA airplane crash in North Park and the Heavens Gate mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe. Calls to the California Highway Patrol were not immediately returned. "[25] On March 26, 2018, Caltrans released its report; it outlined suicide-dissuasion options such as netting, fencing, and glass barriers. The Golden Gate Bridge, with more than 1,250 suicides since it was completed in 1935, is by far the top suicide magnet in North America. In 2014 the districts board of directors put the project out to bid, then confronted other problems: namely, the complexity of design and engineering, the challenge of hauling equipment in a briny environment 250 feet above the water, and ultimately, timelines blown by the lead contractor, Shimmick Construction Co., which shed personnel after it was acquired by global engineering firm AECOM in 2017. Virginia State Police said a woman who jumped from the Varina-Enon Bridge on Interstate 295 into the James River early Saturday night was retrieved from the water and taken to an area hospital for treatment. Bertha Loaiza was just 3-years-old when. Two fishermen later pulled the woman and her child out of the water. I couldnt get the image out of my head of her waking up and looking at me. The devastating injuries she sustained from the impact with the water did not kill her. Shes scheduled to be the featured speaker at an upcoming Bridge Collaborative press conference in Coronado. The bridge was designed entirely and exclusively for motor vehicle traffic; there are no pedestrian walkways, bike paths, or shoulders ("breakdown lanes"). I think she can raise awareness in ways that no one else can, said Rhonda Haiston, one of the collaboratives founders. In the meantime, the deaths continue, Muller said. But there were things that went unsaid, and children have active imaginations. Bertha Loaiza survived that 246-foot-plunge more than 32 years ago. Please donate or sponsor VOSD today. Loaiza saw a therapist over the years, joined a local chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss, learned more about her mothers mental illness, which may have been triggered by a pending divorce. Its one thing to know your mom committed suicide by jumping off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. She shielded me at the end. Aug. 5, 1985 12 AM PT. CORONADO, Calif. A woman threatened to jump from the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge at sunrise Sunday causing the police to block traffic for more than four hours. Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Charles Harrington Elster, San Diego word maven and author, dies at 65. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. She recently told them how their grandmother died, and her son had the same question that long haunted her: "Why did she have to take you?". Raised by her maternal grandparents, she grew up in a home filled with pictures of her mom so its not as if anyone was trying to hide that part of her past, she said. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis Police found the woman who they say jumped off a bridge into the Wolf River on Sunday . I must have watched it 100 times, she said. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident, and the county Medical Examiners Office was on the scene, according to a San Diego Harbor Police officer who spoke to Patch by phone. Inspired by the film, Loaiza contacted the Coronado San Diego Bridge Collaborative for Suicide Prevention, which has been leading the effort to get barriers installed. And so it goes at what is one of the deadliest suicide bridges in the United States. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -The woman who survived her mother jumping from the Coronado Bridge whileholding her got to meet someone who was there that day. However, Caltrans and the bridge's principal architect, Robert Mosher, maintain that the legend is false.[34]. Yecenia Morales, 25, fell more than 150ft to her death on Sunday after leaping off a bridge mistakenly believing she . I feel better that he can see that Im okay, said Loaiza, he can remember that instead of the bad stuff., Taking a memory that was so haunting and turning the page, said Maupin, its a better ending to the story than I had in my mind., Woman survives mother's Coronado Bridge suicide as child, meets witness. After years of delays, the project appears back on track. Two fishermen in a boat pulled them from the water and started CPR. "I kept saying, 'That looks like me.' The myth may have developed as a result of the hollow box design of the 1,880-foot center span, combined with the low-profile barges that made it appear to float on its own during construction. People with severe depression are in a really dark, ugly world, and I think she brought me with her because she believed she was the only one who could best take care of me. Aug. 20, 2015 3:20 PM PT. Republication or distribution of this content is Thats how it become more tragic and scarring, said Maupin, remembering that someone could do that with her baby., RELATED:Woman survived her mother's bridge suicide as a toddler. Officers were called to a "disturbance" on Chelsea Bridge Road in west London at around 9am following reports that an armed man was shouting.. On arrival, they challenged him and a Taser was discharged but they were unable to safely detain him, the Metropolitan Police said. One mother of a suicide victim described feeling almost giddy when she drove to the bridge last week to see the first section of net underway. [21] This neighborhood park and mural display were created in response to a community uprising in 1970, which protested the negative effects of the bridge and Interstate 5 on the Barrio Logan community. Californias stormy weather is having an unusual effect on S.F. 02/23/2020. The incident, reported shortly before 5:30 p.m., saw a response from local, authorities as well as the U.S. Coast Guard. Coronado Bridge: Don't jump off! SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Police are investigating the death of a young woman, whose body was found inside her RV in Bay Ho, and how it might be tied to a suicide . The ship left from Cozumel, Mexico on Tuesday afternoon, WVUE reports. Woman jumps off bridge during traffic stop A police chase near Portland, Ore., came to a wild end when the woman being pursued got out of her car and jumped off a bridge. Clarification: The text regarding the history of emergency lanes on the bridge has been updated since it was originally published to reflect a story revision that was lost in transit. Nobody had ever built anything quite like it, with concrete towers shaped like mission-style arches to reflect San Diegos heritage and the worlds largest continuous box girder hiding its inner support structure. Her daughter suffered a traumatic cataract in her right eye and a broken right hip. Doctors speculated that Loaiza survived because her mother held on to her and took the brunt of the impact. It helped to spend time with others who understood some of what she was going through, she said, but there were also occasions when people remembered her story from the media coverage, and that made her uncomfortable. "All we can do is move on, work with what we have, and try to make the world a better place. A 26-year-old woman holding her 6-year-old daughter jumped off the Coronado Bridge Sunday afternoon, killing herself and leaving the girl in critical condition, San Diego . She knows there are people who think those intent on killing themselves will just go somewhere else (even though research shows otherwise). San Diego has a new poet laureate. I will never know. According to the Associated Press, state officials in 2019 were finally looking at a barrier after long resisting the idea. It's another to know she took you with her. Hayward couple file lawsuit over harrowing honeymoon ocean ordeal in Hawaii. There were hugs, and the kind of smiles that come with a holiday gift that neither saw coming. The media called her a miracle, the first person ever to go over the side and live. She was 3. Reach the Daily Republic newsroom at 425-4646. The call reporting the woman jumping came in around 6:40 p.m. PRINCE GEORGE Police say a 40-year-old county woman jumped to her death Saturday morning off an overpass into Interstate 95 traffic. Randy Dotinga is a San Diego-based freelance writer. Bertha Loaiza survived. They raced to a spot where a couple of civilian boats were gathered. She brought her family. From the outset, she had no memory of the fall, leading some to believe she may have been asleep in her mother's arms. People from as far away as Mississippi sent her cards, letters, dolls and stuffed animals as she recovered from eye and leg injuries. Two months later, she and her husband began attending board meetings of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, the governing body that oversees the bridge, ferries and buses linking Marin to San Francisco. In 2019, Caltrans installed 4-inch bird spikes on the top of the bridge rail as a deterrent, but that didn't stop people from ending their lives. That's when it all came together.". Your quick and effective action to triage the two victims, initiate first aid, and administer oxygen to the child was directly responsible for saving the life of the youngster, it read.