Despite Barrier, Cold Spring Bridge Claims New Victim

Authorities say they don't know how a Santa Monica man was able to jump to his death

Sheriff’s officials say a Santa Monica man jumped to his death this week from the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge, despite a 9-foot-7-inch grid mesh fence installed in March. (Caltrans photo)

By Tom Bolton, Noozhawk Executive Editor | @tombol | Published on 09.08.2012 8:06 a.m.

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A controversial barrier installed on the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge six months ago was supposed to end the decades of heartbreak that resulted from dozens of people making fatal leaps from the scenic span.

But this week a 30-year-old Santa Monica man somehow foiled the best efforts of law enforcement and highway engineers, and committed suicide by jumping from the bridge, according to Sgt. Mark Williams, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department.

“There were no witnesses, so we don’t know exactly how he got over/past the barrier,” Williams said late Friday.

Deputies were called out at about 1:40 a.m. Monday, and found the victim dead on Stagecoach Road, which winds down Cold Spring Canyon below the bridge, he said.

The man was later identified as Peter Stefan Roycewicz of Santa Monica, Williams said.

Roycewicz’s vehicle was found near the bridge, said Williams, adding that his death was believed to be a suicide.

The Cold Spring Canyon Bridge suicide barrier was completed in March, after years of controversy and passionate argument on both sides with a result heralded by public-safety and mental-health officials.

Spanning 1,148 feet over a canyon on Highway 154 just north of San Marcos Pass, the steel arch bridge is the largest of its kind in California, and treats drivers to stunning views of the Santa Ynez Valley.

Tragically, 55 people have taken their lives from the bridge since it was built in 1964, including eight deaths in 2009.

Caltrans proposed the 9-foot-7-inch mesh fence-style barrier in 2005, and got federal stimulus funding after a swap between highway projects done by the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.

The project faced CEQA-related civil challenges from the citizens group Friends of the Bridge, which contested Caltrans’ public review process and barrier design. Although the challenge delayed the project for at least a year, Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Tom Anderle ruled in Caltrans’ favor and construction began Jan. 17.

Cost of the project was $3.2 million, according to Caltrans spokesman Jim Shivers.

The barrier was supported by the Sheriff’s Department and the Glendon Association, a Santa Barbara-based mental health research and training organization, for being a preventive measure against suicides.

The Sheriff’s Department has estimated it dispatched deputies to about 160 incidents on the bridge between 2001 and 2009, and officials say that any call that puts responders on the bridge at all is potentially dangerous.

The Santa Barbara Response Network offers psychological first aid and can be contacted at 805.699.5608 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Anyone concerned about someone who may be suicidal can contact a national lifeline at 800.272.TALK, a local mobile crisis team at 888.868.1649 or Youth Mobile Crisis Response at 888.334.2777.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, overall suicide risk factors include:

» Depression, mental disorder or substance-abuse disorder. More than 90 percent who die by suicide have these risk factors.

» Family history of suicide

» Family history of mental disorders

» Family violence such as physical or sexual abuse

For children and adolescents, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry lists these warning signs:

» Changes in eating or sleeping patterns

» Neglecting personal appearance

» Frequent physical complaints, stomach aches, headaches

» Loss of interest in pleasurable activities, sports, games

If you or a loved one need help, call 2-1-1 for free, confidential information and referral from 2-1-1 Santa Barbara County, a program of the Family Service Agency.

Other free, 24-hour Santa Barbara County services are CARES/ACCESS at 1.888.868.1649 or the SAFTY (Safe Alternatives for Treating Youth) Mobile Crisis Team Hotline at 1.888.334.2777.

Additional resources:

» The Glendon Association: 805.681.0415. The nonprofit organization describes its mission as addressing social problems of suicide, child abuse, violence and troubled interpersonal relationships to enhance mental health and save lives.

» The free, 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1.800.273.8255.

» American Association of Suicidology

» American Foundation For Suicide Prevention

» Befrienders Worldwide

» PSYCHALIVE

» Suicide Prevention Resource Center

» TeenScreen National Center For Mental Health Checkups

» Healthline

Click here for Noozhawk’s series on the Cold Spring Canyon Bridge.

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Noozhawk reporter Giana Magnoli contributed to this report. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

Comments

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» John Locke on 09.08.12 @ 08:45 AM

How ironic. Millions of dollars of ugly spoiling one of the most beautiful view around and still didn’t work.

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» lightbulb on 09.08.12 @ 11:23 AM

The majority of the article seems to provide suicide prevention resources. Does that mean that those are more successful in preventing suicides than a 3 million dollar fence? Apparently. Perhaps the 3 million should have been divied up between them. And it only took one guy to prove that. Never question the power of one.

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» Overtaxed Taxpayer on 09.08.12 @ 03:24 PM

This is sad for all the family members and friends, but another liberal waste of money.

Tax and waste Democrats pushed this waste through costing all of us more of our hard earned money.

Vote No on all new taxes and bonds for the next 10 years, and pay off some of Calif debt by cutting government wages staff & pensions.

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» John Locke on 09.08.12 @ 05:15 PM

Yep, would have been much better to pay the money to mental health/addiction counseling orgs, but the nannygov types wouldn’t hear of it. Let’s look back in 5 or 10 years and compare the jump history before and after the ugly.

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» Afraid of Officer Tudor on 09.08.12 @ 08:05 PM

There’s no way to stop someone who’s that determined and desperate, and (obviously) so physically able to climb over.

I’m still very glad the barrier is built. Unfortunately, it will never be possible to say how many lives were saved; only the broken bodies down in the canyon.

My compliments to the suicide information in this article, Noozhawk.

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» Afraid of Officer Tudor on 09.08.12 @ 08:11 PM

@Overtaxed Taxpayer.

Hey. Would you mind showing us your tax returns for more than 2 years? I thought so.

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» jayarr on 09.09.12 @ 09:31 AM

54 people jumped since 1964; that’s roughly one a year. The multi-million dollar fiasco hasn’t affected the rate.

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» Bruce Holms on 09.09.12 @ 09:43 AM

It’s interesting to note that “Cold Springs Bridge” DID NOT “Claim Another Victim”. And, this was not a “victim”.

Victim: 1. A person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime (suicide is against the law), accident, or other event or action. 2. A person who is tricked or duped: “the victim of a hoax”.

This was just another suicide - that’s all it was! As far as the comment that many more suicides had been prevented because of the costly barrier is just opinion. There are no facts to back that up.

However, here a few facts:

1. Some people choose suicide.
2. It is almost impossible to deter suicide from happening.
3. Drugs, alcohol, guns, bridges, carbon monoxide, ropes, etc. are not the causes of suicide, people are the cause.

We ought to consider very carefully when blaming inanimate objects for the actions of humans.

And finally, stop making law abiding citizens pay (through taxes and other hidden fees) for bad choices by other reckless citizens.

We may be “our brother’s keepers” but we are not responsible for their bad choices and certainly are not responsible for the costs.

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» johndog on 09.09.12 @ 10:36 AM

$3.2M to save lives is a worthwhile investment. I applaud the folks that fought for years for this barrier to be built. No one ever claimed that it would be 100% effective - a person dead-set on suicide is going to accomplish it one way or another. But, research shows that such barriers do help prevent opportunistic suicides when an attractive method presents itself. Barriers buy time for further reflection and possible intervention. Of course, it is virtually impossible to judge how many suicide-prone people are deterred from suicide by a particular barrier, but studies show that barriers do make a difference.
Excellent article with links to sources and studies:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/07/10/suicide-barriers-are-effective/
also: http://theconversation.edu.au/can-barriers-prevent-suicide-or-do-they-just-shift-the-problem-5515
John Douglas

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» rippeter on 09.09.12 @ 01:15 PM

Peter posted this website to explain his story, please read: for.theloveof.it

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» Lynnda Rae on 09.09.12 @ 01:16 PM

$3.2 million, could have been used to give to the families who are trying to get their loved ones HELP! Not give to organizations listed above!!! I know people who have called all of those numbers and NO ONE helped… Or on a week end no one called back, and yes tragedy the person died, suicide. I knew the fence would not help! What a waste of money, who ever suggested it must have been a friend of the person who made the profit from selling the fence. Sad but true. I have to say is shame on ADMHS and never any real help! This is an issue. Until you know someone with some kind of mental issue than will you understand…

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» 14noscams on 09.09.12 @ 06:34 PM

I don’t know anyone who believed this barrier would be capable of preventing someone from jumping off San Marcos Pass Bridge based on graphics of the barrier before it was built. The bridge isn’t a site for opportunistic suicides - it’s fairly isolated, and can only be reached by driving miles on roads that provide opportunities to drive off the road and fall hundreds of feet down steep terrain. I believe the barrier was built because no one involved in the decision was willing to have their name as an opponent to the barrier, associated with future suicides
The media is far more concerned with one death than with the quality of life of the over 89,000 remaining residents of SB county. We no longer have a Long Term Care Ombudsman in Santa Barbara County and county and SB city government don’t acknowledge the rights of physically and mentally disabled adults to protection from financial and emotional abuse, and provide services only to the developmentally disabled, coincidentally represented by family members of the county council’s office - all are violations of the 1965 U.S. Older Americans Act. We also have no records of prior contacts of potentially suicidal people with SBPD or SBSO, both of whom have a policy of violating the U.S. and California constitution Public Records Act http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/pdfs/publications/summary_public_records_act.pdf#xml=http://search.doj.ca.gov:8004/AGSearch/isysquery/34ee83bf-79f7-42a1-9110-12a3c22478d8/1/hilite/ ,
a violation of the state constitution supported by Santa Barbara City government, in destruction of records as well as access to police records.
There is a trend in local news coverage toward tabloid issues - police PR and traumatic events, and neglect of serious policy issues relevant to the lives of residents.

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» jayarr on 09.09.12 @ 08:24 PM

Wha made the statement that if this multi-million dollar contraption saved one lfe, it would have been woth it.

Stupid statement. First, there is no way of ever knowing it did prevent a suicide; purely speculative. What is not speculative, on the other hand, is the other benefits the funds that went for this boondoggle could have been applied toward.

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» Krakatoa on 09.09.12 @ 08:40 PM

http://www.stopthetragedy.org/

“The barrier will put an end to the tragic loss of life at this location, and will make Cold Spring Bridge safer for everyone.”

Oh, really?

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» Overtaxed Taxpayer on 09.10.12 @ 08:53 AM

The only people government cares about are government union employees, who need to find a reaon for their existence. The rejects of society who failed in the real world, who are over paid and under worked.

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» AN50 on 09.10.12 @ 12:52 PM

It is not a suicide prevention barrier; it is a we-don’t-give-a-crap barrier. A fence is just that, a fence. All this barrier does is tell someone “we, society, wish you would kill your self somewhere else.” If society really gave a crap it would have spent that $3.2 million on actually helping some one, so down they would rather die than live. Those of you who supported this monument to a shallow careless society have revealed yourselves to be the same.

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» Earl Meyers on 09.11.12 @ 02:17 PM

I get tired of “I told you so"s but this is sure one. Your Sheriff Bill Brown pushed and pushed for these barriers—because he is a great humanitarian?—no, because he did not want his deputies to have to risk their lives calling back would be jumpers, and clean up the mess below. Remember this, if you have have the chance to vote against Mr. Brown. If he runs unopposed, write in Yosemite Sam. He will serve you better than Brown.

By the way, leading up the election back when, officials from SBCAG said there would not be any SBCAG funds expended on the barriers. After they go their gas tax passed, guess what? Yep, SBCAG provided funds for the barriers. Your government in action.

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» Krakatoa on 09.11.12 @ 03:01 PM

Earl, I remember that.

Marc McGinnes spotted some cryptic reference to highway funding on the agenda for a closed SBCAG meeting, and it turned out to be a secret diversion of funds from the 101 highway widening to the barrier.

SBCAG had to hold a new public hearing to avoid a Brown Act violation, and in that hearing they promised everyone this was just a temporary loan, and we’d get the money back from Caltrans. Any bets on when we’ll see that money?

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» AN50 on 09.11.12 @ 03:55 PM

That’s right a government that loves to spend your money and a culture that thinks its compassion.

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» Afraid of Officer Tudor on 09.11.12 @ 07:50 PM

What do crushed bodies, shocked and horrified friends and families, and traumatized rescue people mean to those heartless asses among us who are only worried about how much money they have in their overblown bank accounts?

The answer is “nothing!”.

So, my simple question to those self-centered people is “Why don’t you just die and rot and go to Hell?”,

Hey, I’m just asking!

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