Passer-By Pushes Potential Suicide Jumper From Bridge In China

BEIJING — Chen Fuchao, a man heavily in debt, had been contemplating suicide on a bridge in southern China for hours when a passer-by came up, shook his hand _ and pushed him off the ledge.

Chen fell 26 feet (8 meters) onto a partially inflated emergency air cushion laid out by authorities and survived, suffering spine and elbow injuries, the official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday.

The passer-by, 66-year-old Lai Jiansheng, had been fed up with what he called Chen's "selfish activity," Xinhua said. Traffic around the Haizhu bridge in the city of Guangzhou had been backed up for five hours and police had cordoned off the area.

"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interest," Lai was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals."

Xinhua said Lai was "taken away by police" but did not elaborate.

A police officer who answered the telephone Saturday at a station close to the bridge confirmed the incident and said it was under investigation. He refused to give any other details and hung up.

According to Xinhua, Chen wanted to kill himself because he had accrued 2 million yuan ($290,000) in debt from a failed construction project.

On Thursday, he made his way to the Haizhu bridge, where 11 other people have tried to take their lives since April.

Lai volunteered to talk Chen down but was turned away by police, Xinhua said. Lai then broke through the cordon, climbed to where Chen sat, greeted him with a handshake, then pushed.

Photos in the Beijing Morning Post showed Lai, shoeless and in a T-shirt, saluting after Chen fell.

The paper said Lai was released on bail Friday but did not give any details. It said he had been on medication for "a mental illness" for decades and had been on his way to a hospital for his pills.

Chen was recovering in the hospital, Xinhua said.

Comments

[wordvarc]

Murder.

[Weirdwriter]

didn't read the whole story, didja?

[wordvarc]

Sure did.

[wordvarc]

same charge followed by att.

[Curdleberg]

Absolutely dis.gustin­g...but how many of us can deny we didn't think it was at least a little bit funny?

[TeeLolly]

Maybe I'm demented, but I didn't find anything funny in this story.

[Happyexpat]

You're not demented at all. The story is horrifying on too many levels to list.

[squander123]

Yep, I laughed a bit, even though I am glad the guy's not dead...

It sort of reminds me of the way that on the London Underground (and I presume the NY subway too), annoucements that such-and-such a station is closed because of a suicide are always greeted by the massed ranks of harried commuters with a collective expletive which is largely aimed at the person who has killed themselves, for causing delays. Presumably this Chinese commuter felt the same: and I for one wouldn't lay money that a London or NY commuter wouldn't do just the same, given the chance...

[itssafetosay]

Thought it was a story from the Onion. Best part is "he [pusher] had been on medication for "a mental illness" for decades and had been on his way to a hospital for his pills." Well no duh.

I certainly hope the guy is okay, but you have to see the "truth is stranger than fiction" humor in this.

[barrycourage]

It reminds me of an old joke.

A paraplegic woman is sunbathing on a beach. The lifeguard on that stretch is an incredibly handsome hunk. In the course of his duties, he has no choice but to walk by the woman and does so several times.

Every time he passes by, she shouts "[BLANK] ME, BABY! COME HERE AND [BLANK] ME!"

Late in the afternoon, after most of the bathers have left the beach, the lifeguard walks over to the woman.

"Hey Babe," he says, "Do you want to get down? I'd love to [blank] you."

"OH G-D YES!" she screams. "YES! YES!"

So he picks her up, cradles her, and kisses her. He then carries her into the water and when he is waist deep, he throws her in.

"OKAY? You're [blanked] now. SO SHUT UP!"

[skunky93]

:0/ ???

[G-guy]

When either a chemical imbalance or severe depression drives a person
to the point of serious feelings of suicide, selfishness does not apply, here.

Remember, especially under stress, things are seen "not as they are", but "as we are".

That's a fact. Think about it. This incident is a textbook example of that obvious truth.

You got a guy on the bridge, who now wishes to die, and really wants to, and planned to jump.
Locked in his own head, he gets up there. His last bit of sense considers the finality of his actions.

Like it's said, "Did you ever have the feeling that you wanted to go, but then you had the feeling,
that you wanted to stay?' Last thing he's thinking is "better decide fast, the traffic's backing up".

Then, you got the guy who pushed him. He's locked in HIS head. He's gotta get his meds, and
theres a huge traffic jam. He's thinking, "How selfish is this guy, waiting?'. "This could take forever".

So the "jumper" needed help, and the "pusher" selfishly thought he would "give him a hand:".

[napasonoma]

you're overanalyzing this --- boring!

[G-guy]

And you're looking at it "the way you are"......­boring, and bored.
Otherwise, if you're not here for discussion, why are you here?

[twintwine]

"overanalyzing"?

Is there a quota of thought we all need to be aware of?

[cirrus9]

Republican social policy in action.

[Pecola]

Wow. Just wow. We truly are becoming more and more apathetic to the suffering of those around us. And that we're PROUD of that apathy, that we wear it as a badge of cynical mettle...w­ow. (I'm talking about the comments on this board as well as the actions of this idiot).

[shedances]

Suicide is serious business. And I honestly think that a lot of people have pretty mixed feelings about situations like this, as well as medically-assisted suicides & interventions, etc. That's not to say that anyone is endorsing the behavior of someone pushing another off a bridge ~ no matter how close they are to suicide! But when it comes to placing a value on human life, well, most people (I hope!) place a very high value on it!

Suicide, no matter how hard our lives become or how much we go through, just isn't an option for many. And that's not to say that I'm conveniently or unthinkingly blaming the sufferer here. What I'm saying is when someone gets to a point of talking or writing about ending their own life or having obsessive thoughts on death, etc., they need to get help.

[GAPeach99]

Might a tranquilzer have worked?

I dunno, everytime I see one of these situations, I think about an ambulance trying to rush someone to the hospital who DOES want to live and doesn't make it because of the gridlock. It's hard to imagine that my sympathy would hold up for the "potential" jumper in pain.

[formerprosecutor]

So, if it situation just involves a bridge jumper at peak traffic hour, otherwise you are more compassionate?

What aboutthe guy whose car runs out of gas and the ambulance can't get through? what is his fate as far as you are concerned? contruction gridlock and the ambulance can't get hrough? doubl parkers? just what is your standard?



Basically, you said if a suicidal person causes gridock; they get no sympathy; otherwise you are sympathetic?

did it ever occur to you the suicide IS a medical emergency also?

[formerprosecutor]

take a finite fact pattern:
"jumper causes gridlock prevents ambulance from getting through in time to save a person that does want to live" and use that as support for your lack of compassion.


what if it was a bi polar young woman at the bridge and the ambulance couldn't get through with a person that just overdosed on purpose?

where's your moral compass there?

such silly reasoning to disassociate yourself from brotherly love.

[shedances]

When I read of someone (anywhere in the world!) who deliberately pushs another person to their death (or even potential death) ... that person seems frighteningly callous to me, mentally ill or not.

[GAPeach99]

I was not in any way suggesting that pushing the guy off the bridge was appropriate. The was totally reprehensible.

My point was about the choice "jumper" made that potentially endangers others.

[Happyexpat]

Great Posts!!! Both of them.

[David Bradley]

There is an icon above labeled HuffPost's Pick. The "pick" was an eloquent comment from what seems to be a compassionate author. Still, picking a favorite comment in a discussion hosted by your website is not unlike a debate mediator endorsing one of the participants. It biases things a little.

I like the way the Post doesn't pretend to be neutral. No one is neutral. Still, picking a favorite comment in a debate is a signal to the other contributors that their input is less valued. If the Chosen Comment stood alone, it would have far less value than when it is embedded in a stream of contrasting views. The HuffPost's Pick by its nature diminishes some of these contrasting views.

[formerprosecutor]

So, following your logic; professors should not select one essay to be superior to another?

Did you grow up playing in a leittle leaugue where they didn't keep score?
Why does this bother you?

I never read anything that stated that HP was "neutral".

Go over to Faux news and see how "fair and balanced" they are.
And see, here is a discussion about tragedy; and you are concerned about yourself and your hurt feelings that your post wasn't selected. Or your opinion on HP's opinion. Is this all about you and how you feel about HP's selection?
I didn't think the post was all that great, but somebody did. It is all subjective; the nature of opinions.

[formerprosecutor]

Sorry If I was hard on you DB; these "gridlock" posters have got my Law Professor ire up.

[shedances]

That is a good point, David. My eyes, too, have noticed several "picks" ~ some of which I strongly disagreed with & felt were without much merit. It shouldn't discourage people from posting their views, though. It takes courage to sometimes stand alone!

[formerprosecutor]

I simply can't believe how many posters are resurrecting that old myth that sucide is selfish. Where did that come from?? I suppose if you think everything is all about YOU; anything anybody else does , that affects YOU in some manner, is selfish. Once you get that notion out of your collective heads, you might be able to empathize enough to look deeper into the act. But until then you will be stuck thinking about how everything affects YOU.
amazing, exactly what is wrong with society's thinking. "What about ME?"

I am aware how annoying it is when someone scr ews up your day.
Good Grief

I have professionally involved (in some fashion) with dozens of sucides throughout my career, and I can tell you the "selfish" posture is merely another way to blame the vicitm for your discomfort. About half of the "loved ones" of a sucide have said something like" How could they do this to me?"
I have always bit my tongue because I wanted to say : what did you do to them? or what didn't you do for them?"

[iwn2000]

Actual suicide is not a selfish act. Getting up on a bridge and grandstanding for hours, threatening to commit suicide, is. I've had experience with both types, and the ones who threaten but never follow through are just begging for attention. It's sad, yes, and they should get the attention they deserve because obviously they are in need, but it's still a selfish act that has little to do with true despair and much to do with desperation for help.

[pyrojen]

I would bet the bank that every person who said "how could they do this to me?" was ALSO thinking "what did I do to them? What didn't I do for them?" The loved ones of a person who has committed suicide usually suffer from tremendous guilt, along with a range of other feelings, like anger and grief.

[squander123]

Suicide itself isn't selfish. But certain ways of doing it are. Making another person kill you, for example (by jumping in front of their car, train etc), is exceptionally selfish. So can not thinking through who is going to find you, and what condition you're going to be in.

The father of a school-friend of mine had someone commit suicide by jumping in front of his truck. He (my friend's father, that is) was never the same after that, he was haunted by it, and it was a terrible thing to have done to him.

And I write as someone who would absolutely support euthanasia if I could be sure it could never be used as a cover for murder.

[mwoman]

Many comments here illustrate the stigma of mental illness in full force. Congratulations to all of these "enlightened" human beings.

[formerprosecutor]

we have totally failed, as a society, in our responsibilty to our "fellow man"; another poster provided a link to the Seattle sucide bridge events.
the managment there was mostly concerned with disturbing thier employees by all these bodies in the parking lot.

amazing; not one word about what they could do; ; the fatalism on the part of the employees, company and city is a nutshell version of societies attitude: quit bothering us with your despair.

who are we? the callousness reminds me of ancient Rome or E. gypt

[Happyexpat]

Fanned.

[David Bradley]

I second that. formerprosecutor, Puller58 etc, I thought these were great comments. It's true about the stigma of mental illness, but more harmful than the stigma, I think, is the way people simply aren't aware of how devastating depression can be. The man on the bridge was probably in a kind of hell that few people can understand.

[Puller58]

Anyone ever noticed that some jumpers will have people watching start chanting, "Jump'? Shows how low we humans can go. :(

[David Bradley]

I totally agree.

[duncansdad]

Call me crazy, but I thought we were supposed to be civilized. That means you don't push people off of bridges.

[mukTech]

Lai Jiansheng is a hero in my book....

[formerprosecutor]

jurk
enjoy your karma

[David Bradley]

Heroes instinctively protect. Lai killed a man for holding up traffic. I wonder what else is in your book.

[giagirl]

He didn't die.....

[Babele]

And if that were your son or daughter that was pushed you would be just as proud?

[formerprosecutor]

That IS exactly the problem with empathy or the lack of it. People lacking empathy CANNOT walk a mile in someone else's moccassins. The world revovles around them, not even their own family.
We (society) can expect no contribution from them

[wilray]

Jumpers on the verge.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2721089

[guajiro]

I remember an incident about 10-15 yrs ago somewhere in the U.S. about a woman tossed off a bridge after she got in a vehicle accident and started to verbally and otherwise insult those around her. She apparently got on everyone's nerves pretty bad because when a group of about 5 men tossed her off the bridge to her death (she drowned) everyone started clapping. I guess these actions really irritate some people.