OLD LYME–Two state troopers recognized for helping a distressed woman off the side of the Baldwin Bridge in 2023 joined a group of suicide awareness advocates on Friday to commemorate the installation of new signs reminding everyone that help is out there.
The four plain blue signs, installed on Old Lyme and Old Saybrook ends of the sidewalk along the bridge’s southbound span, direct those who have lost hope to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau Director Mary Seidner during a ceremony on the Baldwin Bridge trail credited Sergeants Ashley Harkins and Matthew Belz with inspiring her to get the signs installed. A group of local, regional and state leaders made it happen.
Belz and Harkins on Friday morning recalled for reporters the day over a year and a half ago when they found the woman perched atop a 5-inch ledge on the river side of a tall metal fence. Several 911 calls had alerted police to the despondent woman.
“I made the connection with her,” Belz said, describing his position on the sidewalk as Harkins navigated the grooves of metal mesh in uniform boots to get herself up and over the fence to the woman’s side.
Harkins remembered having difficulty at first scaling the fence in her uniform and thick boots.
“Then I kind of took a quick second and reevaluated it, and I was like, ‘OK, this is what we’re doing. I’m doing this,’” she said. “And then I just did it.”
For Harkins and Belz, helping people at risk of suicide is first and foremost about connection.
“Showing that you care is a big step,” Belz said.
State police shared the emotional and harrowing body camera footage shortly after the incident to call attention to the troopers’ quick, decisive actions. Harkins could be seen on the narrow shelf, one or two hands gripping the fence at all times, while she kept the woman close to the fence with her body.
The sergeants coaxed the woman onto Harkins’ bent legs so troopers on the other side could pull her to safety. She was taken by ambulance for treatment, according to state police.
Friday’s ceremony included a presentation by State Rep. Devin Carney, R-Old Lyme, of a citation from the state legislature to the troopers for “heroic actions saving a life in crisis.” The recognition was introduced in Hartford by Carney and State Sens. Martha Marx, D-New London, and Norm Needleman, D-Essex.
“You saved a life. You saved a family’s heartache,” he said. “You gave someone an opportunity for the future.”
Seidner told the audience of roughly 50 people that she started researching signs after she heard about the rescue. That’s when she engaged Old Saybrook Youth and Family Services Director Heather McNeil in the process.
“I know some [bridges] have signs, but ours did not,” she said.
Southeast Regional Action Council (SERAC) Director Mark Irons said the effort in technical terms comes down to “lethal means prevention.”
“What can we do when someone’s choice leads them to potentially making a lethal decision? In the case of high places and bridges, we have the opportunity to use signage,” he said.
The signs were funded with SERAC dollars through the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and manufactured by incarcerated individuals in the state correction system.
“There’s a notion that a crisis can be momentary, and we’re looking for some small breaks or opportunities to intervene,” Irons said. “In the case of seeing a sign, the message of hope and support can really make a difference.”
He said the signs can, and have, made a difference for people who stop to call or text the hotline number to find someone on the other side.
“Connection is prevention,” he said. “And that’s what’s happening here.”
Danielle Amaral, a facilitator with Eastern Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board, pointed to statistics showing 49,000 people die by suicide every year, or one every 11 minutes.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 356 people in Connecticut died by suicide in 2023, marking one of the lowest suicide rates in the country.
“In Connecticut, we’re talking about it more,” Amaral said. “And that’s what it takes … talking about it.”
Ann Dagle, a grief counselor and founder of the Brian’s Healing Hearts center in East Lyme, said September is a difficult and immersive time for many prevention advocates. Her work during Suicide Awareness Month is consumed with presentations, training sessions and outreach for 30 days straight.
Dagle’s son, Brian, died by suicide in 2011 while in his sophomore year of college.
“It’s challenging to work in this space all the time, but days like this give us hope,” she said. “They give us hope that we can make a difference. They give us hope that we can save lives.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or text “HELLO” to 741741 for free, confidential support at any time.