More than 40 people have died by suicide on Natchez Trace Double Arch Bridge in Williamson County since the bridge was built in 1994. This week, the National Park Service began constructing a temporary chain-link fence on the bridge to deter suicides.
Trish Merelo, co-founder of Natchez Trace Bridge Barrier Coalition, and Briana Browne, who survived after jumping off the Natchez Trace bridge, joined This Is Nashville on Wednesday to talk about the importance of a barrier and why it has taken years for one to be added.
This Is Nashville will air an episode dedicated to mental health on Tuesday, June 14. Listeners can submit their questions or experience with mental health care or therapy here.
This Is Nashville host Khalil Ekulona: Trish, you are co-founder of the Natchez Trace Bridge Barrier Coalition. I know this is difficult for you, but will you share with us how you got involved with pushing for change?
Trish Merelo: I lost my son, John, in 2016 at the bridge. He was only 17, and at the time, I didn’t know a whole lot about suicide and the bridge. But as you experience these things and you read more and you learn more and you talk to people, it became very apparent this is a problem. This bridge is what they call a “suicide magnet.” There’s something about it that draws people. It’s extremely high — 155 feet high. It’s got this very low railing. It’s not even three feet. And it’s over a road. It’s not over water. It’s not over a canyon or grassland or hills. It’s over a road. People are driving under there.
So, in about 2010, there were some groups that tried to do something. The Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network made a big push with the National Park Service to try to do something. I know The Tennessean has written editorials on the subject. … This is a federal structure as part of a national park. So, we are up against about as much red tape as you can imagine. They only got as far as the Park Service agreeing to put up a sign on each end, which is nice. You know, it says there is hope. It’s got the lifeline number. Wonderful, right? That’s it. They had mentioned something about call boxes. They never went in. So that was 2010.
Fast forward to me coming around. This is now 2017, 2018, 2019. It just felt nothing was happening. … I think everyone gave it a push. They ran into a lot of resistance, and they went on with their lives. So here you’ve got this new crop of people. I had some friends in the local press who ran stories on it. I ran into at a function Aaron Elmer Burke, who is my co-founder. … Scott Ridgeway at Tennessee suicide prevention network introduced us. He said, “Hey, you want to do something about this? He wants to do something about this. You guys should meet.” He had lost his sister there. And that meeting was such a catalyst because you felt, all of a sudden, you weren’t alone. And there is something that families have a passion for families more so than, I think any other institution or entity. So that was kind of the start of things. We formed this coalition. We got real lucky. We spoke out in the right places. We gathered more and more support in Nashville and in government, and I kind of went from there.
KE: Briana, you’ve also been very involved in advocating for changes at the bridge, and I understand that’s for pretty personal reasons, too. Would you mind sharing your story with us?
Briana Browne: In May of 2016, I attempted suicide. … I had just come home for my junior year of college, and I attempted suicide. I fell over 100 feet and broke about half, probably the entire upper half of my body, and spent approximately a month at Vanderbilt Hospital where they put me all back together. It was incredibly lucky. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in college. I was a music major, which puts you under a lot of stress. And yeah, it was … it was a lot.
KE: What was going through your mind?
BB: Before my attempt … I felt hopeless. And it’s interesting because I never thought about the bridge for suicide. … I used to go visit it as like a tourist attraction. You take your friends there from out of town because it’s really beautiful. But I never thought about it in that manner. And my memory stops the day before my attempt around lunchtime.
KE: After your experience, tell me, why was it important for you to speak out about suicide and safety at this bridge?
BB: So, I am the only person that has survived this bridge, which has taken a lot of lives. I’m very fortunate to be here. I’m very, very grateful to be here. … I think the number is currently at 42 lives lost on the bridge, and with being the only person, I feel that I almost have a duty to be the voice for those people. When you’re suffering from mental illness, it’s hard to find your voice and to speak out. The hardest part about the mental illness is speaking out and saying, “I need help.” So I feel that like I was given the second chance at life, and now I have this opportunity to help others and to tell my story. I mean, the fact that I’m alive is amazing. And so I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life.
KE: Trish, in 2019, the state legislature declared a suicide health crisis at the bridge, but why is it taking so long for these temporary barriers?
TM: It’s so complex. So, the bridge is part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is a national park. It’s a 444-mile national park. We’re dealing with the federal government. The state did that as a show of support, saying, in essence, “Look, this isn’t ours, but we’re just saying it’s in our state, and we don’t like it.” I loved that they did that for us, and I believe it had unanimous support. So, it was just another feather in our cap saying, “OK, federal government, come on, you know, it’s here in Tennessee. Even our state legislature is deeming it a hazard. So let’s do something.”
To me, it was such a practical fix. Just put something up, right? It’s the easiest suicide method to take off the table. You’ve got railings that are too low. You just erect higher railings or a higher fence. It should be an easy fix. The bridge, you know, is has been deemed exceptional for its design. It’s won awards for that segment. … It’s slated to be on the National Historic Register. There’s all kinds of stuff on the line for them. So, in order to plan and engineer and all this, they had to think about wind and weight and are we modifying the structure? And what about a certain bat that lives around the bridge? Will it be harmed? And I mean … there’s a lot to it. There right now, for public comment, are the three possible designs for the permanent (barrier). The temporary (barrier) isn’t up yet. They’ve just started kind of the prep. I went out there yesterday to see it with my own eyes.
KE: What does it look like?
TM: Well, it’s just that they’ve put the cones down. They’ve got the portable traffic lights for the flagging. So nothing’s up yet. It’s just the prep down to one lane. But I have to tell you, these were the most beautiful traffic cones I’ve ever seen in my life. I took so many pictures. I never knew I’d love a road work ahead sign so much.
KE: You would think that the federal government seeing this act of solidarity from the state … you would think the federal government would kind of fast track it. I know they have to take in mind the environmental impact and the aesthetic impact, but why aren’t they?
TM: Well, get this: they told me this is fast tracked. Yeah, we’re speeding along here. … March of ’19 was when they finally said, “OK, we’re going to do something. Give us some time. We’ve got some ideas, but this will be a process.” … For the permanent (barrier), now it’s looking more like 2024. It’s just a lot of work. It’s very involved on their end. Plus, you’ve got a bridge that’s very minimalistic. There’s not a lot to work with, you know, it’s not like the Golden Gate where you’ve got all kinds of structure. This is just a very sleek design. So it’s tough.
KE: Briana, aside from a permanent barrier, what do you want to see the federal and state government do to prevent suicide attempts at the bridge?
BB: I think a big thing with suicide prevention and helping with mental health is offering therapy and offering counseling services and behavioral health services to people that are more affordable. A lot of people, I think, could or … would seek these services if they were more affordable because a lot of these services aren’t covered by insurance. They don’t take insurance at all, and it’s out of budget for a lot of people. So, I think offering more affordable options and making it more reachable for people I think would really help. I think getting out and talking about (suicide and mental health) more. It still is seen as a taboo thing. … I think, you know, ending that stigma and … just being able to have an open conversation will help more.
The interview transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
If you know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741).
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