There’s a push to add more safety barriers to prevent suicide attempts at the Washington Avenue bridge, which connects the East Bank and West Bank at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus.

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS this bridge sees frequent suicide attempts, but now a group wants to be a difference maker to prevent another tragedy.

Kayla Gaebel was a 29-year-old mother of two who died by suicide on the Washington Avenue bridge in Minneapolis last November.

“An outgoing young lady with a whole life ahead of her,” said MJ Weiss, Kayla’s mother.

“All of this was quite a shock when we received that call,” Weiss added.

Now Weiss and the team at SAVE, or Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, are working together to make changes at this bridge.

“We’re seeing anywhere from two to five suicide deaths a year in that location, and it’s far past time for us to take care of this problem,” said Erich Mische, SAVE’s Executive Director.

Mische says the goal is to build some sort of barrier at the bridge like a net, chain link, or plexiglass.

“If you can create railings that are deterrents, that make it difficult to scale that interrupt that process, the likelihood you can save lives increases exponentially,” Mische said.

This group is now working with the University of Minnesota and state legislators to secure what they believe will be a project that costs a couple million dollars.

“Our goal here is to save lives, suicide is an entirely preventable tragedy,” Mische said.

Weiss believes it’s worthwhile to not only honor Kayla but also help others.

“I don’t want this to happen to another family,” Weiss said.

For more information on SAVE’s mission, click here.

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Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988
• Crisis Text Line – Text MN to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
• Minnesota Department of Human Service’s adult mental health resources
  • DHS map and list of statewide adult mental health crisis response phone numbers
  • DHS map and list of statewide children’s mental health crisis response phone numbers
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Minnesota
• Veterans Crisis Line at 988, Option 1 or by texting 838255
• Minnesota Farm and Rural Mental Health Helpline at 833-600-2670 or by texting “FarmStress” to 898211

If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:

• Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
• Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
• Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
• Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
• Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.