Kevin Briggs is a former California highway patrol officer who has stopped more than 200 people from committing suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge. When Briggs finds a suicidal individual, he usually starts a conversation with them by asking how they are doing, then asking their plans for the following day. If they did not have plans for the next day, he attempts to make plans with them, inviting them to come back to the bridge if their plan did not work out at the end of the day. The image below is from 2005 when Briggs spent 60 minutes convincing Kevin Berthia to climb back over a rail on the bridge. Berthia went on to marry and have multiple children. Briggs has earned the nickname ‘Guardian of the Golden Gate’ for having saved the lives of over 200 people.
@Morbidful In 2005 Kevin Berthia went to the Golden Gate Bridge to end his life He ended up talking about his life with Officer Kevin Briggs while he was on the edge of the bridge 10 years later they meet on the same bridge in much better circumstances
An Australian man called Don Ritchie, lived the across street from the most famous suicide hotspot in Australia known as "the gap". He lived there for almost 50 years and during that time he saved at least 160 from committing suicide by striking up a conversation with them and then inviting them into his home for tea. In 2006, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his rescues, the official citation being for "service to the community through programs to prevent suicide". Ritchie died on 13 May 2012, at the age of 85.
@Morbidful In 1979, a woman named Elvita Adams attempted to commit suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building. She jumped from the 86th floor, but was blown back onto the 85th by a strong gust of wind. She survived.
@Morbidful ‼️🚨 For years, Sergeant Kevin Briggs patrolled San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, a popular site for suicide attempts. Here's his advice on talking to a loved one who you fear might be suicidal.