[Humpty Dumpty]

Let me start this by saying there is good reason most of this will be hidden by the trigger button. If the suicide or possible suicide of others is a trigger I highly suggest you don't read this.

You have been warned.

Possible trigger:

The other day I was driving down the interstate & saw someone standing on the narrow shoulder looking over the edge of a bridge. There were no disabled vehicles near by. The closest one was about 1/2 a mile up the road at an exit. Based on that I'm thinking that they were contemplating jumping.
I thought about calling 911(America's emergency line for police, fire, & ambulance). In the end I decided not to. Had I called 911 they would have sent police to check on her & probably arrest her & forcibly commit her to a state mental Institution. Which probably wouldn't help.
As someone who struggles with suicidal thoughts myself, what gives me the right to stop someone else from doing what I can't bring myself to do?
What should I have done? Well I guess society would say I should have called 911, but what gives me the right to make that choice for them?
Regardless of the outcome I don't have a problem not calling 911 but I am still torn about what I really should have done. I don't know if she jumped or not because I don't watch the news or follow them on social media.

Thoughts?

[GennyM]

I, personally, would not have called. I probably would have rationalized it by telling myself that I really had no idea if that was the reason that person was on that bridge, and their motives were possibly far different. I don't think you should feel bad about not calling though, that's giving yourself too much responsibility in that person's life. I'm not the kind of person who would readily call the cops either.

[Raindropvampire]

I'm an idiot and would have pulled over to talk to her( I know that could go really badly). Then after talking to her if i thought it necessary I'd have called 911. But you did what you felt was right at the time. No point in second guessing.

[Humpty Dumpty]

Originally Posted by Raindropvampire

I'm an idiot and would have pulled over to talk to her( I know that could go really badly). Then after talking to her if i thought it necessary I'd have called 911. But you did what you felt was right at the time. No point in second guessing.

I have pulled over to help people before & ended up regretting it. I once stopped to check on someone that was involved in a bad wreck & ended up getting my car side swiped.
True I may have not known what her intentions were but there was no good reason she should have been standing there. She could have easily been hit by a car if she did not have "bad" intentions.

[Raindropvampire]

Oh I've pulled over many a time and only a handful did I not regret the decision but like I said I'm an idiot. It's the handful of times that I don't regret that keeps me making dumb decisions. But I am a "fixer" by nature. I see something "wrong" and I have to "fix" it. It's like a freaking compulsion. I know I shouldn't mix in but I have to.

But like Genny said you aren't responsible for whatever decision she made or didn't make. Heck she could have just been hitchhiking and stopped there to enjoy the view.