SIU investigating Burgoyne Bridge incident

A teenage girl is expected to recover after Niagara Regional Police say she went off the Burgoyne Bridge early Monday.

Officers arrived at the bridge at about 12:50 a.m. responding to reports that a suicidal person was in the area.

After a brief interaction with an 18-year-old female, police say, she went over the side of the structure but sustained only minor injuries in the fall. She was taken to hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Due to the interaction between the teenager and police, Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit was called in to investigate.

The bridge was closed to traffic for several hours following the incident as an investigation was underway.

In early October, two people died at the St. Paul Street West bridge spanning Highway 406. Niagara Region, the City of St. Catharines, emergency responders and mental health agencies later met under leadership of the Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition to review strategies, including one that led to posting signs at pedestrian entrances to the bridge with a 24-hour crisis telephone number, 1-866-5505205.

St. Catharines St. Patrick’s ward Coun. Matt Siscoe will introduce a motion next Monday calling for the addition of suicide prevention measures at the span, such as netting.