RubberBuzz || Akron Unleashed: Death Trap

6.09.2005

Death Trap

Cleveland Scene has dubbed the Y-Bridge the Suicide Bridge. I don't think that's fair for our concrete giant.

Since its construction in 1981, the Y-Bridge has served as the launch site for 43 suicides and countless more attempts.

Okay, so that's like two a year. That's sad, but that's nothing compared to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the No. 1 suicide landmark in the world. Since it opened in 1937, an estimated 1,300 people have ended their lives by jumping off this monumental structure

That breaks down to almost 20 deaths a year. And that's only the deaths that they know about. We don't know how many others have jumped off the bridge, their bodies never to be seen again. At least in Akron, we have solid numbers. The bodies aren't going to float away, they're going to land on some one's house (yet another reason why I'm not a home owner). Sound crazy? Well, it's true.

As her kids played in its shade, [Juliet] Shreve relaxed to the sound of cars whooshing by overhead. Then, she heard the rustle of trees and a heavy thud. "Someone hollered, 'A body!'" she recalls.

She ran to her backyard, her daughter and two sons at her side. They came upon a man splayed out in the grass, next to the bushes. Shreve remembers the middle-aged white guy lying on his stomach, his head busted open. His name was James Lehman. He was 33 years old.

Her children stared at his brains, which oozed into the spikes of green and yellow grass. More neighbors gathered. Then the police. An hour or so later, the body was carted away.

Which brings me to my final point. If you've had a tough life and you're going to commit suicide, why would you want to screw with the minds of innocent little kids? What if you fell on one of those kids and took him or her out with you or screwed them up mentally for having to see your mangled body? You'd just be being selfish. Oh, and if you're seriously thinking about suicide, call the Support Hotline on Portage Path at (330) 434-9144. They can help.

Scene :: Suicide Bridge

San Franscico Gate :: Power Over Life and Death

(joe :: Death Trap)

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