# Man apparantly jumped off Fred Hartman bridge just now



## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Drove over Fred Hartman bridge going Northbound at about 915am just like normal....

Drove back over at 10am going south and saw Coast Guard at Old Ninfas boatramp (Baytown Waterfront) with cops and ambulance...

On top of the bridge, there was a small suv (greenish in color), maybe a Saturn or Ford Escape... with 2 cop cars behind it.

Didnt know what was going on, then stopped by a customer off Bay Area Blvd and apparantly one of their employees was driving by and witnessed a man get out of his car and just jump over the side....

Yikes....

Prayers to family


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## KYLE (Jun 6, 2007)

about 45 minutes ago i overheard on a port vhf channel at tug and barge that found and held the body for cg say that it looked like they had been in the water for a very long time not someone who could have jumped off today, wonder what the real story is, hopefully not 2 seperate incidents


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## DA REEL DADDY (Jun 7, 2005)

prayers for th family.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Based totally on what the guy told me, he saw a man exit the SUV, climb on the rail and jump. Again, thats just what he says he saw...

There was an SUV on the SBound side with no occupants and cop cars behind it when I drove by earlier....

Also, the ambulance at the boat ramp had its lights on.... I would think a corpse that had been in the water would just have a coroners van present.

Who knows... Im sure the news will say something this evening...


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## KYLE (Jun 6, 2007)

i agree our harbor tugs find bodies down there usually at least once a year and is normally alot more low key than what you describe,


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## cncman (Sep 12, 2005)

saw the car sitting there with the police looking over the side about 8:20 this morning driving by. asked an LEO I know about it, definitely a jumper and they recovered a body by the marina, not sure if I remember it right but I thought he said it was a woman. Sad.


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

None of the evening news programs have mentioned it. Nor could I find any reports on Chron.com or Baytown Sun.

Other than CNCMan, nobody else seems to have even heard about it....

hmmmm....... kinda strange.... usually TV and Newspapers would be all over this....


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)

There have been quite a few jumpers from the Hartman bridge since it opened. As someone already said, the authorities keep it low key. It's not something you need to share with the world, and give other depressed, and desperate people ideas.


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## lordbater (May 21, 2004)

Bocephus said:


> There have been quite a few jumpers from the Hartman bridge since it opened. As someone already said, the authorities keep it low key. It's not something you need to share with the world, and give other depressed, and desperate people ideas.


yup, it's rarely the ones who need to..

a


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

Im pretty sure I heard that one that took the plunge a while back actually survived..... now that is amazing....

How tall is that bridge at its highest peak anyway? 200ft?


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

justinsfa said:


> Im pretty sure I heard that one that took the plunge a while back actually survived..... now that is amazing....
> 
> How tall is that bridge at its highest peak anyway? 200ft?


440' to the beacon, 268' from up camber to water!


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

catchysumfishy said:


> 440' to the beacon, 268' from up camber to water!


Is that your final answer??? hahaha... just kiddin....


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## Tucsonred (Jun 9, 2007)

I went by there a few mins after 9am and there was an accident. My nephew was ahead of me by about 15 - 30 mins and he had called to warm me about it. Police was there when I went by but it was an accident...and I'm thinking it was a small green car?? ummm..interesting...


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## justinsfa (Mar 28, 2009)

I saw the accident on the way to the office.... it was at the bottom of the bridge on the Baytown side in the North Bound lanes....

This instance was a little later, at the top of the bridge and on the South Bound lanes


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## IsleSurfChunker (Sep 25, 2009)

I work in Baytown, I was going over the Hartman Bridge at 0500 Hrs today and that SUV was not there, there was a wreck on the Baytown end of the bridge, but no other action at that time. When my relief came in tonight he said the very same thing Justin reported. There are a couple of jumpers off this bridge a year it seems.


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

Seems like I remember the bridge being about 90 feet above the water. Doesn't that sound about right? It is impressive when you are under it looking up.


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

MT Stringer said:


> Seems like I remember the bridge being about 90 feet above the water. Doesn't that sound about right? It is impressive when you are under it looking up.


Oh nosir it's on up there i had some podnuhs that did the erecting of the bridge and i had a 180 ton Demag Hydraulic crane up on the bridge when all of the little 7/8th inch cables that supported the big yellow cables snapped-we were on the bridge for three weeks with men in personel baskets replacing the cables! I actually had to put rubber matting between the cranes outrigger pads and my 1.5" thick steel support pads and the road bed to keep me from bouncing off of the steel support and sliding down the bridge- That bridge floats up and down and depending upon the traffic load there is sometimes a 4' difference in height between the north and south bound sides! The vibrations from the traffic and bridge fluctuation is what was bouncing my crane. 268' from the water on low tide to the highest point of the bottom of the bridge!


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## catchysumfishy (Jul 19, 2008)

catchysumfishy said:


> 440' to the beacon, 268' from up camber to water!





justinsfa said:


> Is that your final answer??? hahaha... just kiddin....


Lol, i know i was off the first time i have done quite a bit of bridge work and was off on my Numbers! I'm not sure but i don't think anyone could make that 268' give or take a few fall and survive!


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## MT Stringer (May 21, 2004)

> 268' from the water on low tide to the highest point of the bottom of the bridge!


WOW! No wonder it looks so impressive from below.
Thanks


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## Lat22 (Apr 7, 2005)

justinsfa said:


> None of the evening news programs have mentioned it. Nor could I find any reports on Chron.com or Baytown Sun.
> 
> Other than CNCMan, nobody else seems to have even heard about it....
> 
> hmmmm....... kinda strange.... usually TV and Newspapers would be all over this....


 It's usually the policy of the media not to report suicides.


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