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faq - the q and a2000-2009 • 2010-2019 • 2020-the wack faq |
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(our responses follow.) |
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10.08.19, Rob D., facebook, What made you want to start this site? I'm curious because I've been reading as many of the reports as I can. It's amazing. It evokes a symphony of emotions on me. I feel like I understand exactly why people choose this bridge, though I am not entirely sure I could put it in words. I empathize with all the viewpoints. The anger, the sadness, the shock... Thank you again for communicating with me, and for the documentation of this issue. (we try to respond to all questions and thank you for your kind words. you can
read more about how all this got started.) 08.08.19, Hal S., facebook, Just wondering...with the last 4 jumpers there has been no information on Name, Age, Social Media pics, etc. One of the best things about this site is its willingness to humanize the jumper where the reader can relate to their struggles and put a face to the victim of suicide: they're not just a statistic. Is this a conscience decision on your part now, or just lack of information, or prompted by outside forces? Thx! (we agree, putting a name and face to those that choose the skyway demise, drives home the fact these are actual people that jump, not faceless nameless nobodies, unworthy of mention. while their actions are indeed newsworthy, we can only post information we receive. keep in mind, there are zero official identification reports given to us and the media can't be bothered. all our reports come from witnesses, friends, family, and a handful of anonymous insiders. sometimes it's right away, sometimes later, sometimes not at all.) 05.10.19, Curious, Quincy, Fl., How much is the fine for survivors who dive from the sunshine skyway bridge? (it may have happened, but we have never heard of anyone being fined or arrested. we assume those that are saved or survive a jump, qualify for the 'baker act' and are considered mentally ill at the time.) 12.30.18, anon, Is there an authority employee that could drive my car and me over the Skyway bridge (I fear heights). Picking daughter up at St. Pete Airport and don't want to spend an extra 45-60 minutes going through Tampa. Many Authoritys in the North have that service for bridges! (we know of no specific service that would do that. unless you can find a friend or family member to do the job, perhaps try uber or lyft. we have used uber several times and found it convenient and worth the money. stories about bridge driver services: abcnews.com • philly.com • nj.com • nytimes.com • usatoday.com) 12.24.18, Cristine K., facebook, Is there a way to walk on the bridge or the area where people are walking out to jump? I’d hang out there for the day to talk to people or call for help? (the bridge is part of the interstate highway system. there is no legal pedestrian walkway or other area where people can hang out. read this.) 12.03.16, Jennifer, Brandon, I just want to ask the owner of this bridge if he has ever considered hotwire? I mean it really could be a detour from people jumping off. Its sad that this happens and that other incidents happen, but every life is valuable and I think its definitely worth a try!! Just a idea that may help save <3 12.04.16, can you explain what 'hotwire' is? 12.04.16, Sorry...maybe I need to be more explicit:) Hotwire...like prisons even use Hotwire, I have some that I am going to put around my chicken coup to keep predators out. Instead of getting Hotwire that is ran by electric you can do solar so there is no electric bill. If it can keep a 1,300 lbs horse is a stall it can for sure make someone think twice just at a touch. And solar would be the way to go! Hotwire is used to keep things out and keep things in. I hope my idea is considered for the future. 12.05.16, so in this case, 'hotwire' is less a travel website that offers low prices on airfare, hotel, rental cars, and vacation packages by selling off unsold travel inventory at discounted prices, but more an electric fence. that's exactly what we have been promoting for years. 12.05.16, This is great news to hear, thank you so much for corresponding with me about it. Its a BEAUTIFUL bridge...altho im scared to ride over it lol and never have, but I have taken the boat under it. I hope your plan becomes a reality, it will definetly turn things around :) Hope you have a good & safe holiday. 12.05.16, thank you for taking the time to offer your idea. people are tired of nothing being done. you have a good holiday as well and get those chickens in order. 12.05.16, Lol along with 4 horses....im on it ;) One more idea phil:) I know you said you have been trying to get the plan in the works, I was just reading up on the details of the bridge and the maintenance and such, so I was thinking have you considered a Gofundme? If the community wants something done then im sure it would be a success to help fund the project. I don't know if theirs red tape you have to go thru to make it happen but its definitely a good idea ! I think alot of people would donate for the cause:) If I can rescue a horse from a kill pen in a different state thru a go fundme then theirs no doubt in mind that people would step up to contribute. 12.06.16, we will leave the fund raising to others. one might assume a jumper's family member would have spearheaded such a fund by now. it would more likely get done that way, as opposed to the idiots that run this horrible website. besides, there are too many people that hate what we do here. of course, we would promote the fund, front and center, if we were requested to do so. 12.06.16, Awwwwwe, im sorry to hear that!! My lord its not your fault that things like that go on. Its just bitterness and easier to blame someone else sometimes then to accept peoples choices. Well, I have never lost someone in a suicide like that...but...I am all about helping and trying to make a positive change for people & animals:) We can't change the world it's true, but we can change the world for one person at a time. I would love to do a gofundme for the skyway, I would have to do lots of research for the post, and I would need a financial goal to post for the community. Have you got a round about estimate? Im interested in helping, I have the time and im up for the challenge:) sure it may take a little while but its got to start somewhere. 12.06.16, the 'fdot', florida department of transportation, is the agency needing the kick in the ass. not sure how that could be done, but they are the one's doing squat zero at the moment. they seem to have no real problem with people leaping to death from their bridge. sure, they installed cameras to record jumpers and crisis phones people tend to ignore. other than that, it's just a matter of troopers racing to the scene, hoping to intervene, and other agencies doing the after jump processing. they did shut off access to their four tower cams. no need letting the public see what they allow to happen. the bottom line, there should be no fund raising necessary, for what the state should already be doing with the money they glean from the tolls they collect. just install a fence, be it electrified or not, or wait dozens more jumpers before they end up installing one anyway. a kick in the ass is really all they need. one might think the affected families would gather strength and class action that into being. after all, the state is displaying some culpability in having a structure, specifically known to draw jumpers, and allowing it to continue unabated, decade after decade. 12.06.16, You are a 100% accurate, if it was my family member I would push for change, thats a real shame its like this and yet fingers point at you? Not right at all. Well, it was a thought but you are correct. I heard the cameras were off and I heard about the phones, I understand some people are mentally ill and do these things for depression or whatever. The sad part is the position you're in with it. People are going to do what they want to ya know, my Uncle took his life with a gun....doesn't mean im anti gun. I hope it changes for you & all concerned. You can only do what you can, your one person! If theirs anything I can do in the future feel free to let me know :) Keep your head up...hopefully someone will get a wake-up call and change things to make it happen, somewhere & some how something has to give, every situation has a breaking point! 10.05.16, Sarah, Manatee, What is the protocol for closing the bridge due to high winds. What is the MPH that will do this? Thank you (from this article, "According to FHP, there has to be sustained high winds of 40 mph or fog that limits visibility to less than 100 feet".) 09.26.16, Amy J., Clearwater, Fl., Where is the link to the stories about the boaters that have picked up jumpers from the waters? I have been looking for them on your site but I got lost. Looking for experiences from others who have seen jumpers hit the water and have rescued or tried to rescue them as well. Thanks and have a great weekend! (there are many jump stories involving civilian boaters and a few that have almost been hit by falling jumpers. we do not have dedicated links to these stories. even though it's still early morning, you go get another cup of coffee and i'll trudge through the many pages on a quest to scare up a couple worthy ones, just for you. <insert considerable time spent here> ok, i'm back. there appears to be 642 occurrences of the word 'boat' within 78 pages on this website. here are a few of them: 12.15.08 • 07.05.12 • 07.17.09. we do have several pictures of jumpers in the water that were taken by these boaters, but we draw the line at posting them. you too have a great weekend.) 08.29.16, Eric J. R., Wildwood Fl., I have a question: I have lived in Tampa since 1986 and have only driven on the bridge once on my way home from Miami with friends. We got lost somehow and instead of taking 75 north, we ended on the Skyway. I noticed that the bridge had a huge steep incline. This was back in 1996-97. In 2012, I went on a Carnival cruise with a girlfriend I am no longer with and the ship had to go under the bridge. It is a very beautiful bridge but it is very tall and I noticed that from the top, to the waters, it is a LONG way down. Fast forward to a few weeks ago: I came upon this site via a link about "the most haunted places in Florida" or something like that and I read the link and I was, well, shocked as to the numbers of attempts and actual deaths have occurred from jumping into the waters. My question to you is: Do you believe that the bridge may be haunted in ANY way shape or form? Have you heard of any current plans from FHP and the government to install barriers to prevent these deaths? I also read the story on this site about the woman that was driving with her cat all the way from Miami and the cat got freaked out when they reached the very top. Do you know exactly at what speed these jumpers hit the water at from such heights? Any other info would be greatly appreciated. By the way, not to sound rude but after reading all of the stories and accounts/reports, I WILL NEVER drive on that bridge. I would just take 75 north if I am coming from Miami to where I need to go. Personally, that bridge is haunted. I have done nighttime photography in cemeteries in Tampa since the days of film, using and experimenting with bulb photography and other lighting techniques. I would rather walk with in a dark cemetery with a camera and a dim flashlight than to set foot on that bridge. Just my opinion. Thank you for taking the time for reading this and any and all information would be greatly appreciated. Have a great week and just so you know, to whoever is reading this, I am going through personal problems and have been for years. I am getting help but PLEASE DON'T JUMP FROM THAT BRIDGE!!! Have a great week and thanks for your attention and looking forward to your response. (from the deck top to the water is about 191' and the clearance below is about 174'. people that jump from the bridge hit the water in about 3.5 seconds at about 75 mph. while there is no physical proof of a haunting. there have been enough reports of odd spiritual incidents, that one must at lease ponder some form of bridge "haunting". personally, we have no problem driving over the bridge at any time or any weather. if allowed, we would surely walk across at any hour as well. talk of jumper barriers have been had since early in the bridge's jumper history. they installed the crisis phones that have helped the few that use them and they installed cameras that can only alert officials that someone has stopped at the top. we have been advocating the testing of a device invented by a skyway jump survivor. as of this writing, squat zero has been done, other than trying to stop the reporting of skyway suicides. thank you for your input and do have a great week as well. we also hope your personal problems subside and you seek help for the issues you can not tackle alone. be well.) 08.20.16, Mal, Fargo, Yes, Who can I reach out to to see if they have video of my family's final moments before they jumped? FDOT? Police? Is there a contact i can reach out to? I would actually like to see the video to understand how they did it and to see their mannerisms in their final moments. I think it would bring closure to myself and the family. (the first place you should try is the FDOT, as they are the cam masters. after that, contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. there will no doubt be some hurdles to jump, but being as it is a function of government, you might try playing the 'freedom of information act' card. you may have to pay for this freedom, however, with both cash and time. do let us know the result, not necessarily the personal information you find, but the process it took to retrieve it. more about the 'freedom of information act') 08.07.16, Hatchet Man, it is so sad that the cams arent working. any clue why they are off? (there could be a maintenance issue of some sort. perhaps something is amiss with the system controlling those four cams. the paranoid side of us thinks it's this website. it's only been a short time since we have collected and used the images from the tower cams. maybe the powers that be have taken issue with that.) 08.07.16, Hatchet Man, im thinking its on purpose seeing how its in the jumper zone. 03.29.16, Anna K., facebook, I just saw this page, and am local. What is the purpose of calling the bridge suicide bridge? to inform people? to make authorities remove the bridge? to create terror? Just curious. (yes, we demand they remove the bridge immediately!~ if you're looking for politically correct information in a 'safe zone', where words will never hurt you, you have come to the wrong place.) 10.05.15, David H., Ohio, I was reading the wikipedia entry about the Skyway Bridge and did not see any mention of your web site. What gives? (years ago, we tried several times to add something about this site to the suicide section of their 'skyway bridge' page. they quickly deleted each one and finally threatened to block us from the site if we continued. there was a wikiadminisdictator that specifically had something against our 'skywaybridge' username, so he censored us and threatened to have the username removed. just checked and it still logs in, but we do not use it or their site for anything anymore anyway. a few years or so ago, one of our contributors made a mention on their page and it hung around for a while, but it is gone now as well. far be it that they would allow a web site, specifically dedicated to detailing skyway suicides, to be listed on a reference web site with a section detailing skyway suicides. if you search the 'references' links, there may be a link or two at any given time. someone did stick a link in the 'external links' section on their 'suicide bridge' page. we'll check back later to see if it hangs around a while. oh well, their site, their rules. we welcome our visitors to contribute an informative and useful mention of this site on that wikipedia page, not that it may be of use to anyone, but simply to annoy the censor nazi that monitors that page. tell him 'skywaybridge' sent you. maybe then we will get our username removed once and for all.) 09.21.15, f.lasbar, England, Why so many recent jumpers names have not been released? Is it due to a change of policy from local authorities or just a choice from close family members? I noticed a pattern recently emerging from your list. It is always interesting, it's difficult to find the right word to describe my interest in it, to know a bit if the human being behind the jump itself. I personally navigate between empathy, curiosity, and morbid obsession for these people who decided to cross the line when I log in on your site. I feel for the family members and friends left behind with so many questions unanswered but also for the collateral damages suffered by witnesses and the professionals confronted with such situations. (every so often, the name is released by the sheriff's department and/or the media. often we get the name anonymously or from a friend or family member. recently, however, the names are eluding us. whether or not it's a concerted effort on someone's part is unknown. we agree with your position that knowing who the person was and to put a face on the incident, may help determine why they jumped. it does appear that the old "if we do not talk about suicide, it will go away" notion may be in play here. of course, that is and always will be a ridiculous idea.) 07.29.15, Wanda W., Pinellas Park, Florida, I am sympathetic to those who choose to end their life, but why is it such a long process to remove the vehicle and disperse the emergency personal from the bridge? (we have pondered that since we started this website. once the person jumps, all the action descends below the bridge immediately. there should be perhaps a maximum of two police vehicles and one tow truck processing the scene. remove the jumper's car and open both lanes asap. the police should be able to collect any and all info and evidence of the jump in the time it takes for the tow truck to arrive, hook up, and depart. there is no reason to load the bridge with a half dozen or more emergency vehicles that sit there clogging up the bridge and then taking up to and over 4 hours screwing around up there.) 12.24.14, Orson, Las Vegas, NV., 1. Did the original remaining Skyway span have warning signals and gates installed on the bridge following the collapse of the parallel southbound span? I've read that some sort of warning system for motorists was installed. It appeared in a brief segment of a YouTube clip on crossing the bridge in 1982 that there was a gantry with a signal head and retracting gate constructed at the base of each approach to the high level channel section. 2. The cable stay replacement span opened with a state of the art motorist protection system. It included variable message board signs, static signs reading "Stop Here on Flashing Red" and apparently a wire is embedded through the hollow core of the main span so in the event of a segment collapse, the operations center would be notified to shut the bridge immediately. However when I look on Street View of the bridge now, all I see is a single variable message sign on each end of the 4 mile span, no more static "flashing when red" signs. I wonder whether those were removed under the rationale that nothing approaching the Summit Venture nor Janna Dan rammings have occurred in over 25 years of operations on the new span. What can you find out about this? Also, why did they leave the broken cantilever span just standing there for seven years as opposed to dismantling it? What a chilling ominous thing for drivers to have to see every time they crossed. (you pose an interesting series of questions. we're pretty sure the original bridge had a gate at each end to close the bridge from time to time for high winds, bad storms, etc. as for the new bridge, we doubt they assume nothing could bring it down. what they have installed to stop vehicles on the bridge is a mystery to us as well. we think the bridge remains were left for several reasons. after the collapse, there were multiple lawsuits. perhaps it was left as it was as evidence for legal reasons. the only other reason would be the cost of demolition. perhaps they simply hesitated pulling the demo trigger until they secured the funding.) 12.15.14, ashley, Tampa, With so many jumpers, why doesn't someone start pushing for some sort of side rails or something to be placed to help prevent jumpers from being successful in getting over the bridge? (there has always been talk about fences, nets, or some other jump prevention method, but they only offer up crisis phones that most jumpers ignore and video cameras that can only record jumper activities. there is a device that was invented by a skyway suicide jump survivor. we have tried to show this device to the trolls in charge of the bridge, yet they don't care. check it out for yourself and see if you think it would be at least worth a try. thanks for your inquiry.) 10.31.14, Derek A., Danvers, Ma., Just curious if your website offered a newsletter and/or email updates one could register for? Thank you in advance (we feel people do not want or need yet another source for annoying email delivery. any newness can be found here if one so wants to look.) 06.16.14, GES, Newberry, Fl., What's the penalty for being a pedestrian on the Bridge? Has anyone ever skateboarded down one side? (we have no idea what the penalty is for walking across the bridge.) 03.09.14, Janelle, Kokomo, Indiana, I am fascinated by your site and visit it often. My husband recently told me that I am morbid for visiting so often. I don't think I am. Has anyone else experienced a similar situation? (you'd be surprised how many peruse the site to great lengths and repeat their visits on a regular basis. we continue to be honored that so many utilize this website for whatever reason. whether it's to find out the latest info or simply to try and garner some inside on the hows and whys to what drives people to end their lives in such a manner. to you and them, thank you.) 09.30.13, cali, port Angeles, wa., There are two major bridges in my town that are over roads way below. There were three attempts in one week or so by jumpers. Since then I have a phobia of being hit by (landed on) a jumper. What is this phobia called? Thanks for your help! (we did a little searching and it seems there is no specific term for the phobia you describe. if we were to venture a new term, perhaps thumpophobia will work, until we come up with something better.) 12.07.12, anon, why cant there be a net or a guard to protect these lives? what a shame. (we can not protect everyone from hurting themselves everywhere all the time. personal responsibility gives us the freedom to take ourselves out or not. the bridge is designed without nets. you just can't add nets without altering the aerodynamics of the bridge, as well as creating other harmful issues. besides, there is another option that could at least be tested.) 08.01.12, Blair, This may be relevant, considering recently in the "what's new" section the first success of the crisis phones was mentioned: "sarah, ft myers, fl., (07.29.12, 2:20pm), Just drove over the Skyway bridge and at the top was a white four door car that was empty. The call box door was open and there two cops.." Mr. King used the crisis phone, and then jumped anyway? I noticed on some of the older jump history database, you stated if the phones were used or not. Most times if the person jumped, the "used phones" = no. Is this very rare for a person who used the crisis phone to still jump from the bridge anyway? ('the jumper used the crisis hotline phones' question on the jumpnews form is a hard question a drive-by jumpnews reporter can answer. we assume it's only answered when the maybe jumper is actually seen using the phone. the possibilities are several. 1) used one and was talked out of jumping. in this case, we imagine a trooper arriving and collecting the caller, jump averted, and perhaps a 'save' documented. we're guessing nothing official is publicly reported in most of these scenarios. the trooper closes an open call box and everyone goes away. sometimes, the trooper arrives, only to find the caller already left. 2) on the other hand, maybe the suicidal used them and jumped anyway. still, we may never know they used them, as how often do we get official reports that they did? we can imagine a despondent person using them, yet deciding to jump anyway, but taking a moment to close the call box because that's how they found it. polite and courteous right up to the end. 3) we know that most jumpers do not use the call box. they are determined and either jump immediately with no hesitation or ponder the idea a few moments and jump after thinking a bit, or when intervention seems imminent and they need to get jumping before they are stopped. 4) then there are those that think they will jump, only to change their mind or are so scared about the situation they now find themselves in, yet don't use the call box. we're guessing they are the most confused on exactly what they want to do about their life. again, how many of these situations get public notice? we find it somewhat ironic that many of the jumpers seem to gravitate to the call boxes. the boxes seem to indicate the common 'jump from here' zones. in the case of mr. king, we would guess he used the phone or thought of using it to the point of at least opening the door. we will never know, as that sort of info is never given to the likes of us. can you imagine the insight we could have as to what makes a person jump, if we had access to the crisis call recordings that no doubt exist since the call boxes were installed? are these calls available to us common public?) 11.28.11, Blair, Skyway Splashers - sounds like the name of a club, but maybe another term for those who are offended by "Jumpers". I noticed the questions section has not been updated since around 2009, but after reading so many (often disturbing) reports on skywaybridge.com about distraught folks jumping from the Skyway bridge for decades, I have to ask: Has anyone ever landed on a boat? With the amount of marine traffic passing under the high span of the Skyway, and the fact that many who have jumped from the bridge just stop their car and hop over, without looking to see what's below first, it is almost a miracle if it wouldn't have happened after 200+ jumps. When a jumper impales themself on the mast of an unsuspecting, innocent sailboat passing below, it will likely make news headlines around the world. Also, when is someone going to try a stunt like jumping off the Skyway into the swmming pool on the deck of a cruise ship passing underneath? (people will always find reason to be offended. it's a way of life anymore with the fervent political correctness fever we have in this country. we will stick with calling jumpers jumpers. as for the 'landing on a boat' thing, we have never heard of it happening, but always thought it eventually would. while boats and ships can be large targets, jumpers may find hitting one not part of their suicide plan. trying to deliberately land on smaller boats would be difficult. the larger ships may be "too close" as they pass under the bridge and seem too scary a target.) 11.23.11, Billdo, St. Pete., How deep is the water under the Skyway? (after some searching, it appears the water is somewhere between 40 and 50 feet deep, depending on location and tide. anyone with a more accurate depth is welcome to input.) 01.10.11, Ed, St.Pete, Why the change? [to skywaybridge.com] Want a warmer and fuzzier site? (maybe by a few degrees, yes, fuzz, no.) the wack faq ask your questions, question our answers. |
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