Bridge Rail Foundation

Every year, 20 or more families in the Bay Area are ripped apart by suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge. Many emotions surround this experience – anger, pain, and the nagging “what if” questions that haunt the loved ones of suicide victims. But bridge suicides have one additional tragic element—almost all are preventable.

In 2006 Althea provided seed capital to support the formation of the Bridge Rail Foundation. We helped develop it’s mission, strategic plan, website, and formation of a board which now includes individuals who have had family and friends jump from the bridge, as well as experts in mental health, law, and public affairs. We also funded their first initiative, a public education and research campaign to explore the formation of a safety barrier (suicide prevention rail) on the Golden Gate Bridge.

On Friday 11th October 2008, the board of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District voted 14-1 in favor of a stainless steel netting to be placed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge to catch would-be suicide jumpers.

http://www.bridgerail.org/