Multiple law enforcement and emergency response agencies sprang into action June 19, in response to a possibly suicidal woman standing outside the barrier of the Agate Passage Bridge around 8:30 a.m.
The 39-year-old Suquamish woman told a responding officer that her father had passed away recently and she had been out getting some air, according to a Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office incident report. She also told the officer that she had been standing on the edge of the bridge, “thinking about jumping,” the report reads.
Michele Laboda, a spokesperson for North Kitsap Fire & Rescue commended the work of the responding agencies during the incident.
“It was quite a multi-agency effort,” Laboda said. “It’s my understanding that our boat was underway out of Kingston, Poulsbo Fire [Department’s] boat was underway out of Poulsbo, Bainbridge Fire [Department] had a rescue swimmer on the beach.” Meanwhile ashore, responders blocked access to the bridge in both directions. Traffic on the Suquamish and Bainbridge Island sides were brought to a standstill.
The marine response, Laboda said, was a precautionary measure in case the woman had decided to leap from the bridge and fortunately one that was not ultimately needed. A spokesperson with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office estimated that morning commuter traffic was held up for approximately 20 minutes while emergency personnel assessed the woman, after she reportedly complied with a responding officer and entered a nearby ambulance. The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation.