Updated: A man in his mid-30s jumped from the Aurora Bridge this morning (Monday) despite the best efforts of police and fire to talk him down. Officers arrived at 7:15 a.m., closing southbound lanes and creating long delays. The man jumped just before 9:30 a.m. Rescue crews attempted to resuscitate him, and he was rushed to the hospital. There’s no word if he survived.
As you know, a plan is in the works to install an 8-foot suicide fence along the bridge. WSDOT has held public meetings to work toward a mutually-agreeable design (that’s one of the early proposals above), and the state legislature is slated to consider $5.9 million in construction funding during the next session. If it stays on schedule, installation will begin in early 2010. More than 40 people have jumped to their death from the bridge in the last decade — the suicide place of choice in Western Washington.
Update: The Stranger has a photo of the person clinging to the side of the bridge moments before he jumped. (Don’t click if you don’t want to see it.) The Stranger says many people witnessed him fall.