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skywaybridge.comments

2013/2014 • updated: 12.15.14

latest comments are at the top. (our responses to comments follow.)

11.19.14, we respond to a mention of this site on avictimnomoreblog.com: hello, first of all, i am glad you fight the good fight against suicidal thoughts. secondly, did reading the skywaybridge.com website have any influence in your decision to not jump? being the curator of that site, i’m always open to hearing if the site helped or hindered in any way. keep up the good fight.
11.20.14, cr8zynfl says, Yes, I think in a way it did influence me a little learning about the people who were not successful and end up maimed.

10.21.14, Robin S., Oroville, CA, I came across your site while watching the YouTube video by Danger Dolan entitled, "15 Creepiest Websites on the Internet", but after checking it out I disagree with them. I think what you are doing is a respectable and noble attempt to prevent one of the saddest kinds of tragedies there are - suicide. I am lucky enough to not have had my life touched with suicide but I have had what I feel are several close calls. One of my best friends in high school was gay and threatened suicide countless times. I spent many hours on the phone talking him out of it. My other best friend of 18 years and my husband both suffer from bipolar disorder and are survivors of childhood sexual abuse and have also threatened suicide. My best friend even attempted it. She locked herself in her room with a knife and said she was going to slit her wrists. I tried several times to get into the room, even accidentally kicking a hole in it, to no avail, so I called 911. I asked for medical, but when they heard "knife" and "suicide", they sent police. They escorted her to the hospital in handcuffs. I felt terrible and her family was mad at me, but she herself thanked me for being the only one who acted when there was a houseful of people who did nothing, because she said she was seriously going to do it, but had since calmed down and changed her mind. So in other words, I greatly commend your efforts to prevent "a permanent solution to a temporary problem." My friend is now happy and healthy, when she would have robbed herself of the last 7 years or so. Anyone who trash talks your site or tries to get it removed or whatever doesn't see what your true goal is. If you stop just one person from jumping off of that bridge you have accomplished that goal and I admire your efforts. Keep doing what you're doing. I think it's great. P.S. - While I don't agree with Danger Dolan that your site is creepy, I do agree with their suggestion that since there is so much suicide activity on the Skyway Bridge, why don't they build some kind of net or something under the bridge to prevent the suicides? I guess 'cause adrenaline junkies would be jumping off the bridge even more for a thrill to land on the net if they knew they couldn't die huh. (congratulations for your positive effort to save your friend. your action in the midst of inaction could very well have been her only salvation. thank you for pointing out the video about us being so creepy. we have been called much worse, so it's all good. there's that saying, 'negative publicity is still publicity'. danger dolan calls for us to do something about the suicides, yet apparently he didn't dig deep enough to see we tried and have been failed by the government bridge trolls in charge of the bridge.)

10.01.14, Janelle, Kokomo, Indiana, I just wanted to let you know that I am glad you guys are back and hope everything is okay. I still don't completely understand why I can't leave this site alone, but I check it often. It makes me feel sad for the people that died and the people they left behind. (if there is one point we try to make with this site, is what suicide does for those left behind. while it's still very hurtful when someone we love dies involuntarily in an accident or with illness, we understand those circumstances better than the suicide. suicide leaves far too many questions that can never be answered. thanks for coming back to see if perhaps we decided to jump ourselves. there was an illness leading to death in the family and my ten day trip went seven weeks.)

03.13.14, Bones, Clearwater, FL., I was a Coast Guard Coxswain (boat capt) stationed at St. Petersburg, the unit responsible for "US Coast Guard vessel recovered the body". I am one of 4 duty coxswains that would respond to jumper cases. Your site is helping me to remember a lot of our cases. The worst thing about the jumper cases was how we were notified, see, a SAR alarm would sound, which was a high pitched siren, which meant you have seconds to be underway (on the boat enroute). When the SAR alarm would go off in the middle of the night, you woke up with an adrenaline rush or dump. What really sucked was that when you heard it was a jumper, to which you knew you were not going to save a life, rather just pick up a body in unknown physical condition. I have nightmares to this day about jumpers and that damn SAR alarm. Hopefully as I research your site for the years I was there I can remember individual cases better and find closure. Right now it's all one big case that lasted three and a half years. To all the families I send my best regards and sympathy for their losses. I miss the shipmates from those days and hope they all are doing well, especially the other coxswains. signed "the DOCKMASTER" (thank you for your story. if there is anything we can do to help you sort out your story events, please let us know.)

02.24.14, Jay C., facebook, My best friend and I have been fascinated by the info you provide. I wish these people would consider the pain that they bring to their families and find a different solution, but I remain fascinated nonetheless. I live in close proximity to the bridge and used to cross her 2 or more times daily. I have witnessed some jumper drama firsthand and yours is the only site aggregating these data. So I am a fan.

02.05.14, comments from facebook about recent jumpers and suicide. (original article was deleted by facebook):
• Hanns Jones, What a mess I wish I could fix it. (you tried.)
• Michael J., So tragic to read about this. Such young lives cut short.
• Devon P., Four little kids without a mom. Tragic.
• Neil T., So it goes. My childhood friend did it yesterday but had no bridge to do it. Three kids. She and I go WAY back. But I am not in her shoes. You, me and others reading this, might be stronger than Julie and this other lady. I find it interesting more than I do tragic. Might not make me the most sensitive of people but I cannot change certain things.
• no one self-eliminates without reason. many times, those closest are clueless as to why. that is what makes suicide such a strange and tragic event.
• Mark B., it's incomprehensible how one so brave to leap from the edge lacks the courage to live
• Barbara H., From reading her Facebook posts, it appeared that the 35 year old mother seemed to be reaching out for help. I wish there wasn't a stigma attached to needing help. Not everyone endures things the same. My thoughts are with her loved ones.
• Stephanie P., My thoughts exactly mark. My 22 year old sister jumped from a similar bridge in Houston 3 1/2 months ago. I went to the bridge and stood there looking over the edge and couldn't believe my sister had the balls to jump from that high. I don't get it. Its not a pleasant way to go at all. The autopsy and police report were horrible to read and the pics that came with the police report still haunt me every hour of every day. She was my only sibling and my family has been completely shattered. I have been to that dark place in my mind where I think she was at and can understand why she did it. When you're in so much emotional pain you're not thinking of your loved ones or the consequences. You're only thinking about ending the constant internal pain. My sister's problems were not fixable. She had so many issues and alot were just not solvable. I think she had been dead on the inside for a very long time. Anyways that's just my 2 cents.
• Neil T., Barb, always open to interpretation: My friend who took her own life, no more knowledge than a Skyway leaper. They make up their mind. Social interaction/prevention? My uncle who killed himself in 1980? I couldn't have an impact on these ones where I knew the people. I think that, sadly, you have to just sit back and watch here.
• Mark B., I was stationed in San Francisco in the Coast Guard back in the day, bridge jumpers were common. I had one that survived that screamed that we were hurting him while pulling him in the boat and we couldn't believe the nerve! The damage that causes on everyone else, let alone the jumper. 18 year old kids pulling crushed bodies from the sea. I will never forget it.
• thanks to those sharing their stories and opinions. they just prove there are forces that effect how and when we decide to take ourselves out, regardless of how friends, family, or society in general feel about it. it's been happening since the beginning and will continue to happen till the end and there appears to be squat little that can be done to stop it.
• Linda F., It's always interesting to read posts from family members of people who committed suicide. My sister battled demons for many years. She killed herself in a more unconventional manner, she drank herself to death. I didn't really look at it that way until my best friends mother said to me that, because of my sister's religious beliefs, most likely she drank herself to death because putting a gun to her head, taking pills, or jumping off the Skyway would have put her on the "fast track" to hell. The last 10 months before she died she was drinking a gallon of vodka a day. That is almost incomprehensible to me that someone could drink that much a day. I try looking back feeling like there was more I should have done, but all of our conversations about her drinking turned into a huge argument and ended with us not speaking for a couple weeks. I'd always feel guilty and end up calling her to apologize. She will be gone 2 years on February 20th and I still feel a lot of anger with some guilt mixed in.
• linda makes a valid point. i know several that have used cigarettes in a perhaps unintentional suicidal effort to end their lives. people will argue this, but self inflicted death is suicide, regardless the method or the time it takes to succeed.
• Neil T., Sorry Linda. Like the people I have been dealing with this week, so many of them feel that guilt too. I've had to tell people it is their own burden to put down. But I can honestly say that everyone I have ever known who cut their own lives short: There wasn't anything I could have done to change their minds. Being the cause of something is different. Being the solution is only involved if you are part of the cause.
• Linda F., Thank you Neil. I never really looked at it that way before. I guess I really should put that burden of guilt down. Makes sense that it's mine to hold on to or walk away from.

01.01.14, Issy HC, Thanks for the (facebook) add - drove over the bridge today and spent the rest of the journey from there to Davenport reading about it and the suicides. Very sad history - it deserves better - the safety guards should be installed. Here is hoping that the bridge keeps out of the headlines for a while. (one can only hope. glad you had a safe trip.)

12.03.13, Megan H., Spokane, WA, I just want to say, I appreciate this site. My brother jumped off a bridge in Northern Idaho, idptv.state.id.us and succeeded in taking his life, this past February 20, 2013. I didn't see his body, but just the imagination of his body hitting the ground after jumping from that high, it haunts me. I have become obsessed with learning what possibly could have happened to him in his final moments, if he suffered for long (physically) and anything else. I'm not sure if he got an autopsy, I wish I knew. If I had that info, or any pictures, I would send them though, because I would do anything to prevent others from jumping, helping them realize just how unromantic it is. It's not a happy death, but tragic and violent, and it's haunting to those you leave behind. Thanks for having this site, and providing this information. (we are sorry for your loss and the hurt it gives you. having so many unanswered questions seems to be a common result of suicide. natural and accidental death is generally easier to understand and come with fewer questions. we truly hope you get enough of yours answered in an effort to help you cope. thank you for your story.)

10.06.13, A.g. Emt, facebook, You know I read the blah blah blah about how people commit suicide are cowards...blah blah blah. But come on, you have to admit....it takes huevos to jump from something like the Skyway Bridge. I mean I was airborne infantry and you wouldn't believe in jump school the people who thought they wanted to be airborne and got up there and pooped their pants and were to scared. Not saying it's right or good, but they definitely are not cowards!

09.30.13, Mark McC., facebook, Crazy to hear of all the people that choose to jump. I'm living back in Indiana now and tell all my friends about the Skyway and the jumpers. A local former policeman Jason Lyons from Muncie Indiana jumped to his death off of there back in 2011.

09.22.13, Wes T., Clearwater, Florida, I am writing to say that I would like to get involved as a volunteer in this organization and would like to run an idea by you. Presently, I am a licensed Private Investigator Intern (CC120####) in Florida. With that said, I am gradually gaining experience within many aspects of the profession. My thought was to contact Troop F of the Florida Highway Patrol and see if I could have a sit-down meeting with Capt. John Baumann-Bradenton District Commander and ask if I could spend a total of 8 hours per week just watching the call boxes. If this is something you think would be beneficial for the cause; and realistically achieveable, I would be interested in your thoughts. My phone number is 813-xxx-xxxx. Thank you. (while your idea would seem commendable, we doubt it will be well received by any powers that be. we guess their take on your idea would be one from a liability standpoint. do we let this guy hang out up on the bridge and maybe get injured or cause some sort of harmful distraction to the public? they tend to go the route of least culpability. if you do manage to work your plan, please let us know.)

08.16.13, janelle, indiana, My father told me about this site several years ago and I visit it often. I'm not sure why I like it since it makes me feel sad for the person that jumps and those they leave behind, but I do. I know I love this part of Florida and am fascinated by the bridge. A girl I went to high school with committed suicide in 2005. It makes me so sad to think about how she must have felt.

04.19.13, Nicole E. M., facebook, I have this sick fascination with this website for the Skyway Bridge in Tampa. It's a site that lists all the people that have jumped from it. I look at it everyday and have read every article on it numerous times. Does this make me sick & twisted, perhaps??!! I myself have drove over (well I rode over it) once about 11 years ago and due to my phobia of bridges I had my head between my legs. I guess my fascination comes from wondering what could make a person choose such a public and (from what I've read) very painful way to end it all. I mean out of all the options why this one? Suicide has touched my life personally in many ways and although I will never fully understand a person taking their own life I want to understand it more. Does this make me sick and twisted or maybe it's a sign that there is a reason I've loved every psych class I've ever taken (maybe there is a future for me in that profession) Any comments? Good, bad, or indifferent they are all welcome. (we doubt your interest in this site could be called "sick and twisted". someone that gleaned enjoyment when people jumped would be sick. we like to think your interest is more a fascination in the fact people are willing to end their lives off the bridge in such a public manner. we are fascinated at how some people look at the site as much as they claim. we are flattered. imagine how many times we have been accused of being sick and twisted. thanks for the kind words.)
04.19.13, Nicole E. M., facebook, I love your site. I began looking at your site a little over a year ago and instantly was completely fascinated with it. It took me nearly all day to read over the entire thing. Some stories brought tears to my eyes while others filled me with rage. I absolutely love all of your comments back to the negativity. They are almost always spot on every time! Keep up the good work. I also like to think that maybe it has helped someone out there along the way. I will continue to read as long as you continue reporting. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a comment! (we try to always respond, good or bad. comments such as yours are especially nice. thanks again.)

04.18.13, david h., orlando, jumper name and/or date: very likely ... details forthcoming.
Just somewhat curious .... or perhaps a great deal curious .... I stumbled upon your site a week or so back, and after watching "The Bridge" recently, I found it odd that so very little was available in terms of documenting someone "pre-jump" so to speak. Or pre-suicidal, should that be the case. Much like on your site currently ... only able to back-track someone and their likely situations and/or possible causes, with much left unanswered and/or unsolved. Now obviously, with some of the background I already have (just a hunch), my interest was piqued as to what you would do if a complete "exclusive" just somehow, much out of nowhere, simply, and quite easily fell into your lap? (pun intended, but of course :) Would you be ready to pack your lunchbox? (we have never had anyone contact us directly and announce that they are going to jump and then actually do so. we have had some make a claim that they will, but none have followed through that we know of. we have had several people contact us, seemingly desperate, depressed, and/or perhaps suicidal. we spend some time corresponding with them in the hope of calming this desire and stressing the need for them to seek help. again, we have no idea the eventual outcome of their life, other than we have never learned later that they jumped. we do have several despondent facebook friends, as well as a few others that write occasionally to express how they are getting along thus far. just this week, we heard from a woman that contacted us in the early days of this site. she is doing much better and is going back to school. pretty cool. many think this site is here to exploit jumpers. they have no idea the time we spend chatting with people claiming to be suicidal. we hope your inquiry is an honest question and not some announcement of your future demise. don't be our Gene Sprague. please feel free to contact us again if you wish to chat it up or find help if you truly are leaning that way.)
04.18.13, david h., orlando, i appreciate your reply. please try not to make too much out of what i was questioning about ... likely more of an inquisitive muddling of thought from some bourgeoisie mind in the land the mouse built. or didn't you notice the pixie dust? :) you seem to have a really cool site set up. was planning on doing something for my "please don't die" (coughgagchoke) movement, for lack of a better word, and did to some extent. a life affirmation sort of set up. but as you likely might already know, when one goes out to try to save the world, the world fights back with all its might!!! Kitty got some sharp-ass claws, that's for sure. it does though, seem like you have some sort of vested interest in this (though i couldn't find that "reason" thus far). i can only imagine that goes pretty deep for you. for that, i am sorry. and, it would not take a master of the obvious to figure that your site, has a peculiar interest to me. ---- stays far away from any of those "magic words" so yesssssss, it was an honest question, as you pictured it. just seemed to me like some form of ground-breaking research could be conducted, for not necessarily the greater good (which uses that top-down approach from the mind and ego), but moreover, for the higher good (whose decision-making comes a couple of feet down from that) ... know what i mean? or am i precariously treading water here (another great pun intended for your amusement)? feel free to write back, should you feel compelled (odd word to use, don't you think?) ... don't always have direct access to a computer anymore, but will write back, should YOU wish to talk :) and of course, much light and love to surround you forever and always! (we explain more about why we do this here. glad to hear we won't be adding you to the list of jumpers. thanks again.)

04.06.13, Ray P., facebook, i wish I could put together a team.. To help people that choose that path of jumping. Maybe like a team that can monitor the bridge by being there too. That be nice (not really a viable option.)

02.28.13, faith, new jersey, Thank you Doctor Deva for your help because since i have been married to my husband i have not be able to get my own kid and my mother in law wants me out of the house because she think i can't give bath to a baby but since you cast a spell for me and it been five months now since you cast a spell for me and i started seeing changes in me i and my husband are now happy now and we are expecting our baby by June i am very grateful for your help doctor Deva, you are more than just a father to me. (winner of the longest sentence on this website. we have no idea who this doctor deva is or what his practice entails, other than his apparent ability to cast awesome spells.)

02.18.13, Lisa, United Kingdom, I'm just writing to say I think your website is profound, fearless, and utterly brilliant. I found out on Friday police had found an ill & depressed work colleague's abandoned car at a notorious suicide spot in England. I've been scouring the internet ever since for any information that would go some way to answering some of the questions I had. Seriously this is THE ONLY PLACE ON THE WHOLE INTERWEBS that's helped me start to make sense of what's happened. Macabre maybe, but I'm a big fan of truth. I've been reading all evening. Thank you from the heart and very best wishes - keep up the excellent (necessary) work. (we are sorry this loss has effected you this way, but we're glad if the site helps you sort things in any way. we too like truth, but find it a fleeting commodity in this increasingly politically correct world. thank you for your kind words.)

01.22.13, Jimmy, GA, Jimmy is not very happy. There is a jumper that sets her car on fire before leaping, and you take a two and a half week VACATION? Jimmy does not like that. A VACATION, mind you, in January. Jimmy feels you have neglected a lot of people. Jimmy thinks you should have updated by some device, while on VACATION. Jimmy thinks you have a lot of catching up to do. Jimmy would like to thank you in advance for starting early Wednesday morning. Jimmy feels a little better now. (phil is pleased to let jimmy know that the site is now up to date. phil apologizes to jimmy for having the audacity to vacation in january, as opposed to any other month of the year. phil will be sure to clear all future vacation plans with jimmy to avoid future hardship on jimmy. is jimmy ok with phil now?)

01.19.13, Toronto_Failing, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Hello, I recently found your site and read the entire thing. The stories of the people, the comments. I would like to say that I feel what you are doing with this site is important. For families to talk, and for those with suicidal intent to at least see how much damage they will leave behind. its not romantic. I decided to research how high the rates have gotten in toronto. To my surprise, I found no information is released for suicides. They are listed as falls from heights. Almost never in the press (unless it is some type of double jump or murder suicide) I would like to compile a site similar to yours for Toronto jumpers. I do no think people in this city have any idea that there are around 300 jumpers across the city each year. I would appreciate any advice you could give on how to set a site like this up and how to find the information on jumpers past. Also, just so you know. I am not a sicko with some strange kick for the morbid. My mother jumped from the Bloor Viaduct when I was 8. She was caught by the back of her jacket by a police officer and pulled back up. He said he was so thankful later that her jacket wasn't cheap and she weighed less than 100pds or he would have dropped her. (by the way, my mother is partly proof that if prevented most never try again. She is still alive and well today 26yrs later), People here need to know. thank you for your time, a friend and supporter in Toronto, Canada (thank you for your kind words. your finding out that suicides are not often mentioned in the press is of no surprise. we are constantly baffled as to how some jumpers get crazy press, while others get zero press. it's like they flip a coin to determine whether it gets a mention or not. sometimes the papers mention it and nothing on tv or the radio. other times the radio mentions it and that's it, no where else. i sent you info on how to start a site of your own. you are lucky there was a cop on duty that had the gumption to grab your mother at her lowest point in life.)

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