原文: 10 Extremely Lucky Suicide Survivors

Suicide is the 13th leading cause of death world-wide and ranks 3rd in many countries among 10-24 year olds. An estimated 815,000 people commit suicide each year around the world representing one death every 40 seconds. Some who attempt suicide are fortunate enough to receive a second chance at life. This list includes some of the more popular suicide locations along with people that were given another chance to live. Also included in the list are the grim suicide statistics for each destination. It also should be noted that the details from each incident varies depending on the information put forward by the press and the survivors.

Location: Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (Estimated over 30 Suicides)

In 1995 after a failed relationship, 29 year old Connie Mercure from Brooklyn jumped over 200 feet into the Lower New York Bay. Rescuers immediately pulled her from the chilly waters. Mercure survived with a broken leg, extensive internal bleeding and hypothermia.

Location: Throgs Neck Bridge (Estimated over 40 Suicides)

In 2001 26 year old Matthew Sicoli, after a fight with his girlfriend and job woes walked on the pedestrian lane toward the center of the Throgs Neck Bridge. Authorities spotted Sicoli kneeling and then watched in horror as he hopped over a railing and disappeared. Police quickly mounted a rescue effort and saved Sicoli in less than 10 minutes. Matthew survived the 140-foot leap and suffered only bruises to his ribs, stomach and face. It is estimated he went into the East River hitting the water at 64 mph. Sicoli’s 51-year-old mother committed suicide by jumping off the Whitestone Bridge just five years earlier.

Location: Sunshine Skyway Bridge: (Over 120 Suicides)

On May of 2001, 35 year old artist and inventor Hanns Jones was despondent over business pressures. After heavy drinking and a horrible fight with his wife, Jones drove his pickup to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to end his life. Right after Jones jumped he said he knew it was a big mistake. Jones described the jump as “You just accelerate and accelerate so fast and then it stops, but when you stop you don’t feel like you hit water, you feel like you hit concrete”. The force of the impact ripped Jones’s clothes off. Despite multiple rib fractures, internal bleeding and a collapsed lung, he was able to swim to the rocks near one of the pylons. He was sitting there naked when rescuers arrived, and then spent weeks in the hospital recovering. Jones says he’s fine and happy today, and he often wonders why he survived when so many others didn’t.

Location: Jacques Cartier Bridge (Over 140 Suicides)

Did Bélizaire had an addiction to gambling which started when he was 17 years old. In 2003 at the age of 36, he had another losing night playing the video lottery terminals at the nearby Casino de Montréal. Bélizaire found himself deep in a hole and called his girlfriend on his cell phone, asked for her blessing and ended the call without telling her what he was about to do. Bélizaire then jumped off the Jacques Cartier Bridge into the St. Lawrence River. Bélizaire survived the jump and was unable to force himself to drown because his survival instincts took over. The jump cost Bélizaire the use of his legs and is now a paraplegic. Bélizaire is quoted saying “Once I was a strapping 6-foot-7 basketball and football player and now I’m a 3 foot 3 inches in a wheelchair”. Bélizaire takes every opportunity he can to tell young people his story and sound the alarm against compulsive gambling.

Location: Brooklyn Bridge (Estimated suicides are in the hundreds)

In June of 2008, a 34 year-old woman identified as “Michelle” decided to end her life by jumping off the pedestrian walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge. After her 10 story leap into the East River several witnesses called 911 and the woman was quickly plucked from the chilly waters. Paramedics were amazed that she came out of it with no broken bones and hardly a scratch. She was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where she was admitted for having water in her lungs.

Location: Humber Bridge (Over 200 Suicides)

28 year old Angela Schuman was going through a custody battle with her ex- husband over their daughter. She wrote several letters, including one saying:” I can be with my daughter all the time. I can be free and far away where no Julio (her husband) of this world can reach us and separate us. And I can be with my daughter on her birthday.” In the fall of 2005 Angela jumped off Humber Bridge (3 days prior to her daughters 2nd birthday) holding on to her daughter all the way down. The little girl was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary where she was found to be hypothermic, but five days later was able to go home. Angela Schumann spent almost two months in hospital for treatment to lower body fractures. In the hospital, Schumann was found to have faded writing on her stomach saying: “Cause of death Julio”. The mother and daughter are two of only five to have ever survived a fall from Humber Bridge.

Location: Aurora Bridge (Over 220 Suicides)

John Dittmann felt suicidal, blaming it on a daily regiment of taking tranquilizers to treat mental illness and drinking alcohol to offset the pills. Dittmann often would stare at the Aurora Bridge from his Wallingford halfway house and in 1979 at the age of 22 he decided to end his life with a leap off the bridge. After jumping Dittmann had a change of heart and decided he didn’t want to die. He then frantically threw his arms back and fought to keep his body from pitching forward and tried to keep his feet extended as he plunged 174 feet. He hit Lake Union at 70 mph with a crack and struggled to swim meekly to shore. Dittmann fractured his back and injured his lungs, but survived. The Seattle man is one of about 30 people who have survived a leap from the landmark bridge.

Location: Clifton Bridge (Over 500 Suicides)

This miraculous escape from death happened over 120 years ago. 22 year old Sarah Henley received a letter from her fiancé breaking up their engagement. In a state of despair she rushed to end her life by the jumping off the Clifton Suspension Bridge. That particular morning there was a slight wind blowing and Sarah’s skirt was inflated (acting like a parachute) and considerably slowed down her decent. The wind also prevented her falling straight into the water. Sarah lived a full life and died in 1948. Her incredible luck gave her an extra 62 years of life. Sarah Henley’s jump has become legend and is recorded in the official history of the Suspension Bridge.

Location: Beachy Head (Over 500 Suicides known)

In June of 1995, 15 year old Martin Hinchcliffe had a fight with his girlfriend’s parents. After writing a note to his mother saying he would kill himself he walked to Sugar Lump cliff on Beachy Head and jumped. 35 feet into his fall he was caught by some extending rocks and was completely hidden from view in a deep crevasse. After spending 72 hours holding on to the cliffs, his cries were finally heard by a man walking on the beach below. Coastguard, police and firefighters went to the scene and were able to rescue Hinchcliffe who suffered a broken leg and cracked several ribs. Hinchcliffe said he sucked on rocks during the 72 hours to avoid dehydration.

Location: Golden Gate Bridge (Over 1500 Suicides)

At the age of 19 Kevin Hines battle with bipolar disorder became so intense that he finally decided to end his life. In the year 2000 he attended his first class at school, and then took a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge, crying all the way. Hines picked his spot and stood there for 40 minutes. No one approached him to ask what was wrong and when a tourist came up and asked whether he could take her photo, Hines thought that was clear proof that no one cared. He took the picture, and then jumped. Instantly he realized he had made a mistake and thought to himself “God save me”. As he was falling Hines came up with a plan to save his life, and threw his head back and tried to hit feet first. Hines was hurtled 40 feet underwater but miraculously survived. Hines endured arduous physical rehabilitation after his near-death experience, but said dealing with his bipolar disorder had been far more difficult. He now lives by a strict schedule, and has found a combination of drugs and therapy that allows him to regulate his manic highs and depressions. Currently, Hines works with several mental health groups and suicide prevention hot lines.

Contributor: Blogball

译文: 10个非常幸运的自杀生还者【Top List】

自杀是世界范围内导致死亡的第13大死因，是许多国家10-24岁年龄段人中导致死亡的第三大死因。一项评估显示，每年世界上约有81万5千人死于自杀，这相当于每40秒中死亡一个。一些企图自杀的人又获得重生的机会是弥足幸运的。下面列举了一些发生自杀事故较多的地点和在那里又获得第二次生命的人，同时还包括了各个地点触目惊心的自杀统计数字。人们还应注意到每一次事故的详情随新闻界和幸存者提供的信息不同而各异。

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地点: 韦拉扎诺海峡大桥(估计发生自杀事件30多起)

1995年，29岁的康妮• 莫可尤因一段关系破裂，从布鲁克林跳进了200 英尺深的纽约湾下游。救援者立即把她从寒冷的水中拽了出来。莫可尤活了下来，但断了一条腿，身体外部大面积流血，伴体温降低症状。

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地点: Throgs Neck 桥 (估计发生自杀事故40多起)

2001年 26 岁的马太 •斯克里，在工作失意又和女朋友吵了一架后，在通往Throgs Neck 桥中心的人行小路上踯躅而行。有权威人士发现马太 •斯克里跪下来，接着惊恐地看见他跃过栏杆，消失了。警察快速过来展开营救，不到10分钟把他救了上来。马太从140英尺高的地方跳下幸免于难，仅仅撞伤了肋骨、胃部和脸，估计由于他跳进East河以每小时64英里的速度撞击河水而造成的。仅仅在5年以前，斯克里51岁的母亲从白石桥跳下自杀身亡。

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地点: 阳光航线大桥: (120多起自杀事故)

2001年5月，35岁的画家和发明家汉斯•琼斯由于经营压力倍感沮丧。一次喝醉酒与妻子大吵了一架后，他驾上自己的赛车到阳光航线桥想一死了之。刚一跳下去，他说他知道自己犯了大错。琼斯描述那一跳“你只是加速再加速，非常非常快，然后停下来，然而停下来你感到不像是撞在水上，倒像撞在混凝土上。”水的冲击力把琼斯的衣服撕裂了。尽管多处肋骨骨折，内部器官出血和肺部衰竭，他还是游到了一个路标塔的附近的岩石上。当救援人员赶到时，他裸体坐在那儿，然后在医院度过了几个星期恢复。琼斯说他现在很好，很幸福，他经常纳闷为什么他能幸存下来，而那么多人都死了。

地点: 捷克卡帝尔大桥(Over 140 Suicides)

贝利沙从17岁就开始沉溺于赌博。2003年，贝利沙36岁，他在蒙特利尔赌场附近玩视频彩票终端抽奖一晚上又赌输了。贝利沙极度消沉，仿佛陷入无底深渊，他用手机给他的女朋友打了电话，告诉他要保重，然后挂了电话，没有解释他要干什么。随后贝利沙从捷克卡帝尔桥上跳进了圣劳伦斯河。他的这一跳没有强迫自己淹死而幸存下来，因为他求生的本能复苏了。这一跳给他的代价就是失去了双腿，现在他是个截瘫患者。人们引用的话说，“过去我曾经是身材魁梧的6到7英尺高的篮球和足球运动员，现在我在轮椅上只有3.3英尺。”他总是抓住每个机会告诉年轻人他的故事，警告他们要强制戒赌。

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地点: 布鲁克林桥(估计自杀事件数百件)

2008年6月，有个叫做“米歇尔”的34 岁的妇女决定从布鲁克林桥人行道跳下结束生命。当她从10层楼高的地方纵身跃入东河时，几个目击者打了911电话，此名妇女很快从刺骨寒冷的水中被救了上来。护理人员看到她救上来后骨头没有伤着甚至连皮也没擦破，感到很惊讶。她被火速送到Bellevue医院治疗，在医院她承认有水进了肺子里。

地点: 汉伯桥( 200多起自杀事件)

28 岁的

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地点:奥罗拉大桥 (200多起自杀事故)

约翰迪•迪特曼抱怨每天都要服一大把镇静剂来治疗精神病，饮酒来抵消药丸的副作用，感到无比绝望想自取灭亡。迪特曼经常从到瓦林福特半途中他的屋子里盯着奥罗拉大桥看，  1979 年在他22岁时，他决定从桥上跳下去了却此生。跳下去以后，他就改变注意了，不想死了。然后他疯狂地向后甩胳膊，挣扎着身体向前俯仰，当他陷入174英尺深处时，就使劲蹬腿。他以每小时70英里的速度啪地一声撞击到了联湖上，然后挣扎着游到一个岸边，奄奄一息。迪特曼跳水自杀造成脊背断裂，并且伤了肺部，但终究性命保住了。这个西雅图人是从地界标桥跳下30个生还人中的一个。

地点: 克里夫顿桥(500多起自杀事故）

这是发生在120年前，从死神手里逃生的一场奇迹。22岁的莎拉•亨里从他未婚夫那儿收到一封解除婚约的断绝信。在绝望中，她贸然跳下克里夫顿桥吊桥要结束自己的生命。那是个特别的早晨，微风轻吹，莎拉的裙子膨起来（就像一把降落伞），使她降落的速度相当慢。风的阻力同时也阻止了她直接落入水中。莎拉保全了性命，死于1948年。难以置信的好运，让她多活了62年。莎拉的这一跳变成了传奇，在吊桥的官方历史上都做了记录。

地点:滩头(已知超过500多例)

 1995年6月， 15 岁的马丁• 赫次克里夫和他女朋友的父母吵了一架。 他写了个便条给他的母亲说他要自杀，然后走向位于滩头的块糖悬崖，跳了下去。 在落下去35英尺处，他被一些突出的岩石托住了，完全被掩藏在一个很深的裂缝里，不能被人看见。他紧抓绝壁度过了72小时，最后他的哭喊声被下面海滩上行走的一个人听到。海岸警卫队、警察和救火队员来到现场营救赫次克里夫，他得救了，但断了一条腿，摔断几根肋骨。赫次克里夫说他在被困的72小时里一直吸吮岩石以免发生脱水。

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地点: 金门大桥(超过1500起自杀事故)

19岁的凯文•赫恩斯备受抑郁症折磨，以至于他最后决定结束自己的生命。2000年，他上完第一节课，然后乘车到金门大桥，一路上他都在哭泣。 赫恩斯选好了地点，在那儿站了40分钟。没有人靠近他问他怎么了，有一个游客过来请他给她拍一张照片，赫恩斯很清楚没有人在意他。他给游客拍了照片，然后跳了下去。瞬间他意识到他犯了一个错误，在心里说，“上帝救救我。”他一边下落，边想出一个自救的计划， 把头向后甩，尽量让脚先撞击。赫恩斯在水下急驰40英尺，但奇迹般活了下来。他死里逃生后，忍受了艰难的身体复原过程，但他说，对付抑郁症更困难。现在他严格按照时间表起居，他发现了药物和治疗相结合的方法，这个方法可以控制住他的狂躁和抑郁症。目前，赫恩斯与几个精神病治疗小组合作，开通了自杀预防热线。

写稿人: Blogball