An adult male “appears to have jumped” off the Cold Spring Bridge, according to authorities, marking the first suicide death at the bridge in 2009 and the 48th since the bridge was built in 1963.
The California Highway Patrol responded to a call of a male sitting on the edge of the bridge at 2:53 p.m. today, but not long after the Sheriff’s Department reportedly arrived, he had jumped.
County Fire responded to the scene, and the Search and Rescue team has been called to help with the body recovery.
Last year alone, four people committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, which has been the subject of contentious discussion on the need for a fence or barrier. Caltrans, with wide support from law enforcement and suicide prevention groups, is preparing plans to build a barrier, but has received some opposition from those who say such a structure would ruin the bridge’s historical and aesthetic qualities.