Speakers Bring Personal Experience to Suicide Prevention Discussion

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Kevin Hines and Kevin Briggs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Kevin Hines is author of the personal memoir Cracked But Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt.

Kevin Briggs is a retired California Highway Patrol sergeant who earned the nickname “Guardian of the Golden Gate” for helping convince people not to jump from the San Francisco Bridge on more than 200 occasions.

The two men will bring their personal stories to the program “Call For Hope: Promoting Suicide Prevention” at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Fayetteville Town Center. The event is the second in this year’s University of Arkansas student Distinguished Lecture Series. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is free, open to the public, and no tickets are necessary. Free shuttle bus service will be available from the Union Bus Station on Garland Avenue starting at 5 p.m. and running back to campus after the lecture.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the U of A School of Social Work, the Social Work Student Organization Phi Alpha and the Northwest Arkansas Suicide Prevention Coalition.  

Kevin Hines was 19 years old in September 2000, had been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and was hearing voices that told him he had to die. He jumped from Golden Gate Bridge and in 4 seconds fell more than 200 feet. His first thought after jumping was “I don’t want to die.”

Hines is one of the very few Golden Gate “jumpers” to survive. A woman saw him jump, called the Coast Guard, they rescued him from the frigid water. He was seriously injured but began a long recovery toward physical and mental health, dedicating his life to working for suicide prevention.

Hines is profiled in the documentary The Bridge, which will be a shown at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, in Hillside Auditorium. Admission is free. The film focuses on people who jumped from the Golden Gate Bridge over a one-year period, as well as those who were saved from jumping.

Kevin Briggs spent 23 years patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, where an estimated 4 to 6 people try to commit suicide each month. Briggs was known for his patience and commitment to talking with hundreds of these people and his ability to convince them not to jump. Since retiring he has become a leader in promoting suicide intervention and prevention, crisis training and management worldwide. 

The two Kevins have appeared in programs together for several years, sharing their experiences and perspectives, with messages that resonate with both people who have thought of suicide, and people who seek ways to prevent it.

The Distinguished Lecture Series is a student-sponsored program. Speakers are chosen by a committee of students, faculty and staff, and the events are funded by a student-approved fee, appropriated by the Programs Allocation Board.