Is the Coronado Bridge the second deadliest “suicide bridge” in the country, as some news reports have suggested? It’s hard to say.
No agency tracks suicides by bridge on a national basis. Also, the deadliness of a bridge can be measured in two ways — by the total number of deaths or by an average per year. It is clear, however, that four bridges — including the Coronado Bridge, with 233 suicides to date — have well-deserved reputations as suicide magnets.
Other bridges with high numbers of suicides are:
- The Golden Gate Bridge, with more than 1,250 suicides since it was completed in 1937. (Source: San Francisco Chronicle.)
- The Aurora Bridge in Seattle, with more than 230 deaths since 1931. (Source: AuroraBridgeFence.com)
- The Sunshine Skyway Bridge near Tampa with at least 140 deaths since 1987. (Sources: St. Petersburg Times; Tampa 211.)
—RANDY DOTINGA