Would-be jumper gets 'helping' hand (China Daily) Updated: 2009-05-23 10:23 GUANGZHOU: A bridge that has gained a reputation as a macabre tourist destination after attracting at least 12 would-be suicide jumpers since the start of April was the scene of a bizare incident this week in which a passerby pushed a man who was threatening to jump. A man named Chen Fuchao who threatened to kill himself on Thursday is pushed off Haizhu Bridge by a 66-year-old person,Lai Jiansheng in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, May 22, 2009. [CFP] The passerby was agitated by the fact that the would-be jumper had held up traffic around Haizhu Bridge for almost five hours. None of the 12 who threatened to jump has done so, although each has held up traffic for several hours. In the latest case, a man named Chen Fuchao threatened to kill himself on Thursday after saying he was in 2 million yuan of debt following a failed construction project. After being pushed off the bridge, Chen fell 8 m onto a partially-inflated emergency air cushion. The 66-year-old person who pushed him, Lai Jiansheng, had broken through a police cordon and climbed up to where Chen sat. He greeted him with a handshake before pushing him off the bridge. Chen damaged his spine and elbow in the fall. "I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interests," Lai said. The 66-year-old Lai Jiansheng, salutes to the passers-by after pushing Chen Fuchao who threatenes to kill himself off the bridge on Thursday, May 21, 2009. [sina.com.cn] "They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals." Lai was taken away by police after the incident. Chen is recovering in hospital, according to Southern Metropolis News. Chen Fuchao, who got his spine and elbow injured in the fall, lies in bed while receiving treatment in a hospital in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, May 21, 2009. [sina.com.cn] Police sources said many suicidal people had financial troubles, such as unpaid wages and some suffered from medical conditions and injuries from workplace accidents. "Traffic across the Haizhu Bridge, which is widely regarded as an important scenic attraction, become worse," said a spokesman with the Guangzhou public security bureau. He said the situation caused chaos to residents, adding that the city had to send a rescue vessel, an ambulance, several police cars and fire engines each time there was a "jumper". A policeman talks to Chen Fuchao who threatens to kill himself before Chen is pushed off the bridge by a 66-year-old person on Thursday in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong province, May 21, 2009. [sina.com.cn]
To all fucking mainlander haters, here is a sample of not being selfish -devil Da "hero" was thinking of all the car driving people who had to wait so many hours uke: Some folk over there really need to be in a mental hospital
do u think that guy who got pushed off will sue the guy who pushed him since he has spinal injuries now?
If he can get more than 2 million Yuen then his problems are over and being transferred to da "hero" -rotfl
if i was stuck inthat traffic and knew he "would-be" jumping, i would soo totally give him a helping hand and tell him to fuck off the road and let me get to where i want to go..
people sue others for anything now. now that he's survived, he's gotta find a way to pay off his debts
what the heck is he so poud about, if he was blocking my way onto some sort of emergency or going somewhere that is important to me... pfft... meh never meet me on the roads im such a road rager
I would have thought of pushing him if i was in this traffic,wth?he wants to die?why waste other people's time? he will definitely sue him because he has debts...
They're all assholes. The jumper guy for taking his life into his own hands and threatening suicide; the pusher guy for attempted murder and interference with police officials in the performance of their duties; and the Guangzhou municipal government, for their failure to secure a bridge that is known to have a history of twelve jumpers in a little more than a month.
Everyone is so quick to judge the old guy as a bastard, but i think his approach was valid, if a little unorthodox. Jumping from a height of 8 meters is hardly a death sentence, definitely would hurt alot, but you'd have to land on your head for it to actually kill you, and with the placement of a inflated safety device there was little chance the guy would actually die. I'd conclude that the gentleman threatening to jump probably had no intention to do so, especially with a dozen previous individuals who had been on the same bridge and threatened to jump but had not done so. He was clearly just attempting to sensationalize his problems and get some media attention and maybe some government aid. With 12 prior 'attempted suicides' it would seem that standing on this bridge and pretending you're going to jump while holding up traffic for hours had turned into a sort of fad to garner attention. This failed construction manager actually got extremely lucky, he now has the opportunity to sue for damages and will probably be able to pay off his debts. I wouldn't be surprised if he is laughing it up right now. I'm not saying i would also have pushed the guy off the bridge, but if i had been one of the people stuck in traffic for hours because of the last 12 jumpers, i would probably be applauding the old man as i drove by.
first of all, how did the 66 year old guy get up there? anyway, even if the old man helped out the people who were stuck in traffic, I would still call this assisted suicide (the official name of which I am not clear on), which is technically a crime. Also, the jumper should be charged with attempted suicide. Either way, both should go into court.
That bridge is very famous for people threatening to suicide on it, there a few every month. It was on the news a few times, how these people always going on it and stopping traffic. It's too easy for people get on it.
