A crash Friday morning along the Maine Turnpike resulted in police responding to a mental health crisis and preventing someone from jumping from the Piscataqua River Bridge.At about 9 a.m., Maine State Police say two vehicles crashed on I-95 southbound on the bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth. A short time later, State Police received a call reporting a man who appeared to be trying to jump off the bridge. Police say the man threatening to jump had been involved in the crash. Police said he had been having a mental health crisis earlier that morning and was driving to the bridge with plans to jump. Kittery police officers were able to safely take the man into custody and took him for a mental health evaluation. Traffic on the bridge was impacted for about 30 minutes while the situation was being handled. No one was hurt in the crash.This comes less than a month after suicide prevention signs were installed on the Piscataqua River Bridge. The white signs say “There is hope. YOU MATTER. Text. Call. Chat. 988.”Maine officials worked with New Hampshire and Seacoast mental health advocates to install the signs after three suicide attempts in a matter of hours in May on Portsmouth bridges.There are no fences along the outside of the Piscataqua River Bridge, which carries I-95 over the river, with just concrete jersey barriers lining the highway.
A crash Friday morning along the Maine Turnpike resulted in police responding to a mental health crisis and preventing someone from jumping from the Piscataqua River Bridge.
At about 9 a.m., Maine State Police say two vehicles crashed on I-95 southbound on the bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth. A short time later, State Police received a call reporting a man who appeared to be trying to jump off the bridge.
Police say the man threatening to jump had been involved in the crash. Police said he had been having a mental health crisis earlier that morning and was driving to the bridge with plans to jump.
Kittery police officers were able to safely take the man into custody and took him for a mental health evaluation.
Traffic on the bridge was impacted for about 30 minutes while the situation was being handled. No one was hurt in the crash.
This comes less than a month after suicide prevention signs were installed on the Piscataqua River Bridge. The white signs say “There is hope. YOU MATTER. Text. Call. Chat. 988.”
Maine officials worked with New Hampshire and Seacoast mental health advocates to install the signs after three suicide attempts in a matter of hours in May on Portsmouth bridges.
There are no fences along the outside of the Piscataqua River Bridge, which carries I-95 over the river, with just concrete jersey barriers lining the highway.
