The 2019 death of a man who fell from a bridge in Northern Ireland could have been prevented by higher barriers, a coroner has said.
The man, who was a patient at a mental health unit, made his way to the bridge while on unaccompanied leave.
Coroner Maria Dougan said there were “missed opportunities” to save his life within the health service, adding that “action is needed” on the Foyle Bridge. “The railings and barriers ought to be raised in height to be a deterrent to persons in crisis,” she said.
She called on the Northern Ireland departments for Infrastructure and Health, as well as two local councils to make “greater efforts”, adding “This should not be left to charitable agencies with limited funding.”
Professor Siobhan O'Neill, the Mental Health Champion for Northern Ireland, was quoted on BBC News as saying:
“Reducing access to methods of suicide is the last line of suicide prevention. We need to make sure that the guidance around the height of barriers on bridges, particularly where there is a history of suicide, is implemented.”
In July 2025, coroners in the Australian state of Tasmania made a similar call to improve the barriers on the Tasman Bridge (link opens in new tab).
