Pedestrians intervene to stop woman jumping from the bridge

Chief Superintendent Chrislyn Skippings, flanked by senior members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Criminal Investigations Department on May 13, 2024. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff

As of Tuesday, May 14, 2024

By KEILE CAMPBELL

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN tried to jump from the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge while holding her two-year-old daughter yesterday before pedestrians intervened to stop her before police arrived.

The incident was one of two attempted suicides reported yesterday.

The 32-year-old woman and her child were taken to the hospital for medical attention and evaluation.

The incident around 1pm yesterday comes three months after a woman jumped to her death from the bridge. Occupants of a nearby vessel retrieved her body from the water. Relatives later revealed that the woman struggled with depression and had been kept at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre for a time.

Police also said a 15-year-old male had multiple self-inflicted lacerations on his body from a sharp instrument yesterday and was taken to the hospital by EMS personnel.

According to police statistics last month, though suicides decreased by 25 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, attempted suicides increased by 86 percent.

Six people committed suicide in 2023 compared to eight people in 2022, with five of last year’s suicide victims being men.

Eighty people attempted suicide last year compared to 43 in 2022, with most attempts being women.