Men more likely to take plunge
By: Will Reisman
Examiner Staff Writer
September 10, 2009
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| Almost weekly: A study of suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge in 2008 says 34 people jumped to their death, which is a rate of one person every 10.7 days. (Getty Images file photos) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Men are more likely than women to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, and almost half of those are men between 25 and 44 years old, according to a new report.
Of the 330 confirmed deaths since 1994, more than 80 percent were identified as white people, and nearly 45 percent were between 25 and 44 years old. Most of the deaths — 74 percent — were witnessed by somebody on the bridge.
“Tourists, commuters, adults, children and people working on the bridge report seeing over 70 percent of all suicides from the famous span, and that’s just people who speak with authorities,” said Ken Holmes, Marin County coroner. “I suspect the actual number of witnesses is much greater.”
Holmes conducted the study that details deaths from the span through the past 15 years.
About 26 percent of jumpers were residents of San Francisco and the majority of deceased — 83.4 percent — were from the Bay Area.
There were 20 deaths of non-California residents. Three were foreigners.
There was no trend in the occupations of those who died. Attorneys, psychologists, carpenters, teachers, students and a professional pool player are among the fatalities.
The latest Marin County coroner’s report did not include a year-by-year breakdown of suicides. But according to a study released in January, 34 people jumped to their deaths in 2008, a rate of one person every 10.7 days.
“The bridge district had cried foul when filmmaker Eric Steel recorded the deaths in 2004, yet they see little urgency in resolving this ongoing problem,” Holmes said.
“The Bridge,” Steel’s film about suicides from the famed crossing, premiered in 2006.
In October, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District approved a design for a net that would deter suicide attempts. It would hang 20 feet below the span. However, no funding for the $50 million project has been identified and the originally scheduled construction start date of 2010 appears to be too ambitious.
Breakdown of suicides, 1994-09
40.96: Median age
Percentage of deaths by gender
74.24: Men
25.76: Women
PERCENTAGE of deaths BY AGE
14.2: 14-24
44.9: 25-44
34.9: 45-64
4.9: 65+
1.2: N/A
Percentage of deaths by race
80.3: White
10: Asian
4.24: Black
3.94: Hispanic
0.91: Other
0.61: Unknown
Source: Marin County coroner
Death count
Confirmed Suicides stopped
Year suicides by workers
2009 7* 32*
2008 28 66
2007 39 90
2006 31 57
2005 23 58
2004 20 50
2003 24 46
2002 26 49
* Through May 6
Source: Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
