Cold Springs Bridge Suicide

Santa Barbara County - September 12th, 2008

On Monday, September 8, 2008, in the early morning hours Sheriff's Deputies were dispatched to a call of a man sitting on the railing of the Cold Springs Arch Bridge on hwy 154. Prior to the Deputies arrival, the man had fallen to his death. The Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue team was called out to make the recovery of the decedent from the rough terrain below. The man has been identified as 39 year old Matt Aydelott, a teacher at Cuesta College and resident of San Luis Obispo. The next of kin have been notified and the cause of death has been determined to be a suicide.

This is the 3rd person this year to jump from the bridge, and the 46th person since the bridge was built in 1963. In May of this year, Cal-Trans released their Draft Environmental Impact Report that proposes the raising of the existing barrier by 6 feet. The current barrier on the bridge is only 2 feet 7 inches in height. The proposed increase in height of the barrier would significantly reduce or eliminate suicides from the bridge. An additional benefit would be the decrease in danger to public safety personnel that must make the recovery in the rough terrain below, and to law enforcement personnel responding to calls for service on the bridge. Sheriff Bill Brown, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association and Santa Barbara Search and Rescue Association have all publicly supported the Cal Trans proposal.

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