More than a decade after the death of her son at the Golden Gate Bridge, Kymberlyrenee Gamboa stood behind a podium as she prepared to give a speech at the ceremony marking the completion of a suicide net for the landmark, long known as one of the deadliest locations in the world.
“This deterrent is not just a physical barrier. It is a symbol of our collective effort to prevent the loss of life and the lifelong heartache that follows,” Gamboa said, while holding a portrait of Kyle Gamboa, who was 18 years old when he jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge on 20 September 2013.
“This deterrent shows we care, that we all care about human beings, that we all care about life.”
In a typical year, bridge officials say, there was an average of between 15 and 20 suicides at this point in the year. Since the net’s completion, on 1 January, there have been three suicides at the bridge, said Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, of the Golden Gate Bridge, highway and transportation district, the entity that oversees the structure.
Cosulich-Schwartz said suicide interventions had also declined since the net was completed. So far in 2024, there have been 56 successful interventions. Before the installation of the deterrent, Cosulich-Schwartz said, patrol officers would successfully intervene in 150 to 200 suicide attempts per year.
“We recognize that people may still come to the bridge to harm themselves and we are maintaining the same level of security staffing now that the net is complete,” Cosulich-Schwartz said.
Among the attendees was Nancy Pelosi, who was also part of the ceremony when the construction of the suicide deterrent system began in 2017. The former speaker of the House of Representatives acknowledged the tireless campaign by families who lost loved ones at the famous structure and who formed the Bridge Rail Foundation, a group that has advocated for a suicide net since 2006.
Their fight reached a significant milestone nearly 20 years later, after the project faced numerous construction delays, as well as resistance from people who did not want to alter the landmark or considered the installation too expensive.
“Some people would say ‘it costs too much money to do that,’” Pelosi said at the ceremony. “Well, how much money is too much money to save lives?”
The project to build the net, constructed of marine-grade stainless steel, which can withstand the harsh saltwater, fog and strong winds of the San Francisco Bay, started with a budget of $217m, according to the bridge district.
The funding came from the bridge district and state agencies such as the metropolitan mransportation commission and the California department of transportation. The California legislature also recently appropriated more funds to complete the net through the California Mental Health Services Act.
Since the inauguration of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937, it is believed that the actual number of suicides there is much higher than the official estimate of 1,700. According to the former Marin county coroner Ken Holmes, whose office investigates the suicide deaths at the bridge, some of the bodies are never found due to the strong water currents of the San Francisco Bay.
“It’s a bittersweet day because it’s taken many years and hundreds of deaths to get anything done,” Holmes said. “But from this point on, hopefully, very few, if any, will come and end their lives.”
In 2007, Holmes released a report about the 206 suicides that were recorded at the bridge over a 10-year span. The majority of the people who jumped from the bridge were between the ages of 14 and 44. Most were Bay Area residents.
Experts say there may be a stressor that at a particular point in time increases the risk of suicide. But if access to lethal means can be reduced, then deaths can be prevented and people can begin to heal.
Many of those who have lost their lives at the bridge have been constituents of assembly district 12, which is represented by the state assemblymember Damon Connolly, who also attended the ceremony.
At the end of her speech, Gamboa and other parents were taken to a ferry provided by the bridge district.
As the ferry prepared to pass under the bridge, Gamboa grabbed a white rose and took a deep breath. It was a moment she had been waiting for since 2013.
When the ferry stopped under the bridge, Gamboa said, she looked at the net that could have saved her son’s life, and that will also now prevent others from jumping to their deaths. Then, she threw the white rose into the water.
“I have always wanted to be where my son took his last breath. This was the closest I have ever been to him,” Gamboa said. “I feel like all of our loved ones were looking down and saying: ‘You guys made it happen and it will save lives.’”
• In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
