Jumping from a dangerous location, such as from a high window, balcony, or roof, or from a cliff, dam, or bridge, is a common suicide method.
[2] Nonfatal attempts in these situations can have severe consequences including paralysis, organ damage, broken bones and lifelong pain.
For example, one suicidal jumper has survived a fall from the 39th story of a building,[13] as has a non-suicidal window washer who accidentally fell from the 47th floor.
There is some evidence to suggest that younger males are overrepresented in those who jump from bridges, while age is not a notable factor in suicides from high-rise residential buildings.
[20] The highest documented suicide jump was by skydiver Charles "Nish" Bruce,[21] who killed himself by leaping without a parachute from an airplane, at an altitude of over 5,000 feet (1,500 m).
This phenomenon played a notable role in such events as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911, the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and other disasters.
[citation needed] Jumping makes up 20% of suicides in New York City due to the prevalence of publicly accessible skyscrapers.
Some of these strategies take physical forms, such as installing barriers to restrict access at suicide sites or by adding a safety net.
[29] Other sites have installed signs containing telephone hotline numbers or incorporated surveillance measures such as patrols and trained gatekeepers.
[citation needed] The term was brought to prominence in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, in which two hijacked airliners―American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175―were deliberately crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, trapping hundreds in the upper floors of both buildings and setting the impacted floors ablaze.
As a direct consequence, more than 200 people plummeted to their deaths from the burning skyscrapers, primarily from the North Tower with only 3 spotted from the South.