Life Worth Living

 

Mianus River Bridge northbound, Jun 28, 2022

The car on the shoulder of the Mianus River Bridge had Massachusetts license plates.

And it was empty.

I knew right away.

*****

The police turned onto Interstate 95 north just ahead of me. I was joining the highway at Exit 4, just minutes from home.

As I sat in the right lane, more police blew past me on the shoulder of the highway along with an ambulance from GEMS (Greenwich Emergency Medical Service). 

Then more police and a fire truck whizzed by.

I tweeted on the WGCH account (don't judge) and prepared my phone for a potential photo of what I figured was a car accident.

Yet when I got closer, after moving to the center lane because the right was closed, I saw something I didn't expect.

The police were looking over the railing of the bridge.

Then I looked at the vehicle in question.

Massachusetts plates. 

Empty

I froze.

I couldn't take the picture. Dereliction of duty as a journalist.

I knew what was happening. Around the time I was crossing the Mianus River Bridge, famous for partially collapsing in 1983, a woman had propelled herself some 70 feet into the water below.

I'll let the Greenwich Police Department tell you more:

Earlier this afternoon, our Dispatch Center received a call from the Connecticut State Police requesting assistance with a possible suicidal female sitting on the edge of the I-95 Northbound bridge over the Mains River, between Exits 4 and 5.  GPD dispatched several units to the area.  One of our Officers, Master Patrol Officer Moavero, made contact with the subject and engaged the subject in conversation.  Officer P. O'Connor with the assistance of some of the area marina workers, was able to take a position in a work boat underneath the bridge.  For reasons unknown, the female subject suddenly pushed herself from her seated position over the edge of the bridge and fell into the Mianus River.  After she landed in the water, Officer O'Connor was able to get the female out from the water and pulled her into the boat.  She was taken to a nearby marina, where medical care was handed over to Greenwich Emergency Medical Service.  The subject was transported to the Greenwich Hospital without incident. An initial assessment showed no signs of life-threatening or serious injuries.

Before we proceed, thank you to GPD for their effort, especially Officer O'Connor.

But.

I found myself thinking, even before I knew the whole story.

What drove this person to this point?

Just...why?

Why on the Mianus River Bridge?

Why reach that low mark?

Do they have loved ones? Parents? Kids? Friends?

Is it financial problems?

Career issues?

Relationship problems?

A crime committed?

Running away from something?

Just. Why?

Somebody loves this soul. 

Someone wants to hug her and is hopefully at Greenwich Hospital tonight to do so.

The depths of sadness, the beast of depression, works in myriad ways. Sometimes I fear that many really do just snap. 

Maybe it happened here?

I drove on and tried to not think about it yet I couldn't stop. I kept checking Twitter. I kept thinking I had it wrong.

Then came the GPD statement. 

This isn't about me yet I'm still haunted by it.

Horrified.

So many thoughts.

I'm hardly a genius but I knew it. 

This could be any of us. 

We'll likely never get answers. These stories are never fully told.

So the questions just sit there.

Thank you, Greenwich Police Department.

To the poor soul who sat on the edge of a bridge on I-95 north in Greenwich, CT, staring towards the Mianus River, the Metro-North and Amtrak train bridge, and beyond to Long Island Sound? 

Looking into the abyss of her soul?

Feeling lost, empty, and just done?

Know that you were heard.

Please listen to the help that is being offered to you.

This was not the answer.

Your cry was heard.

I feel we must include the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline here (800-273-8255), even if it is sort of like going through the motions. Still, if someone reads this post and notes the number then that is a good thing.