Quebec coroner says Montreal's new Champlain Bridge needs anti-suicide barrier

A Quebec coroner says Montreal's Samuel DeChamplain Bridge must have a suicide-prevention barrier installed, after a 38-year-old man jumped to his death from the structure last May.

Dr. Jean E. Brochu said in his report released Jan. 5 that the current barrier along the bridge's pedestrian pathway should be made impossible to climb.

He suggested as a model the anti-suicide fence installed in 2004 on theJacques Cartier Bridge, which is owned and operated by a federal agency.

The Samuel DeChamplain bridge was a joint project of the federal government and the Signature on the Saint Lawrence Group.

Brochu's report says Erik Bouton was seen by security guards on May 22 standing "upright and motionless" on the bridge's pathway before the man jumped into the St. Lawrence River.

A national suicide prevention group recommends that bridges have adequate barriers to help prevent suicides.

Robert Olson with the Centre for Suicide Prevention says anti-suicide fences are not systematically installed on new bridges because of the cost or for esthetic reasons.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Talk Suicide Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text between 4 p.m. and midnight ET).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.

If you're worried someone you know may be at risk of suicide, you should talk to them about it, says the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Here are some warning signs:

• Suicidal thoughts.
• Substance abuse.
• Purposelessness.
• Anxiety.
• Feeling trapped.
• Hopelessness and helplessness.
• Withdrawal.
• Anger.
• Recklessness.
• Mood changes.