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Officers stop man from jumping off Vista Bridge

The Columbian
Published: October 7, 2013, 5:00pm

PORTLAND — Portland police say a man climbed over the Vista Bridge’s new suicide-prevention fencing and threatened to jump before officers persuaded him to live.

The 36-year-old man was standing on the outside rail when police arrived late Monday. Officers convinced him to climb back over the barrier, and he was taken to a hospital.

In the past decade, at least 19 people have jumped from the bridge known locally as “The Suicide Bridge,” including five this year.

To prevent further deaths, the group Friends of The Vista Bridge asked the city to erect suicide-prevention barriers.

Transportation Commissioner Steve Novick agreed and approved the installation of temporary fencing until money is available for a permanent barrier that is architecturally appropriate.

The 9-foot-high fences were installed just before Labor Day.

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