Wednesday night I became part of a social media snowball of a very tragic situation unfolding on Seattle’s Aurora Bridge.

Now this obviously pales in comparison to what was happening to a young girl perched high over Lake Union, contemplating suicide, and the heroic police officers convincing her that the possible option far below in the cold Lake Union water was not worth it. But I started the controversial snowball when I sent a Twitter message about what I saw. And 140 characters could never explain all that I saw, felt and hoped.

Whenever I see something out of the ordinary, unique, odd, interesting, I report it. That is what I do as a professional journalist. So when I saw the young girl hop over the rail from Aurora Avenue North, I immediately called 911 and reported to police what I saw. The operator said officers were on their way. Having worked on stories about bridge suicides in the past I knew what was up. And my heart broke when I saw this young girl standing on that precipice.

I contemplated stopping on the bridge and intervening myself but I was in northbound traffic and she was on the southbound (opposite) side of the road. As I exited Aurora, planning my own intervention in the situation, I hit a red light and sent a message on Twitter about the girl, alone on that bridge.

That was when the questions and concern on Twitter began.

As a former newspaper journalist and now an online journalist I am aware of the standards we usually use when reporting suicides: We usually do not do it. You will likely find no mention of the Wednesday situation on the Seattle P-I website or the Seattle Times newspaper/website.

I was also aware that I pushed a boundary when I sent that first message, my heart racing, struggling to comprehend what was unfolding. And as one who provides answers to the public it became difficult not to answer every question that started rolling in on Twitter about the young girl on the wrong side of that rail.

Now I know a bit about bridge suicides. Probably more than most as I used to live under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge. Back in 2006 a man jumped from that bridge and landed in my front yard. We were stunned down below. For a while I was terrified to go outside. The Seattle P-I ran a story about people that live and work under the bridges in Seattle and how many of us had witnessed the horrible results of those lives that ended too soon.

I also remember the awful situation on that same bridge in August 2001, my first week living in Seattle and working at the P-I. Our beautiful city made ugly national headlines when commuters, stuck in traffic, encouraged a woman to jump from I-5. Eventually she did and survived.

Well the news value of what was unfolding Wednesday night on the Aurora Bridge increased significantly in my mind when I heard at least two drivers stuck in traffic loudly call for the woman to jump. In my mind it then became something that people needed to talk about. Seattle Police also blocked a portion of the Burke-Gilman Trail because pedestrians were taunting her from there as well, an officer later told me.

The objective journalist I am supposed to be switched off momentarily when I confronted one man encouraging her to jump. I cannot even write what I thought of him. Others in a small crowd gathered on the nearby Fremont Bridge became agitated when one woman said loudly, “Jump already! I’ve been in traffic for over an hour.” She quickly got back in her idling car when she realized what she said and how loudly she said it.

By then dozens of Twitter users were public and direct messaging me, demanding updates. The snowball was rolling and I was struggling to provide answers while not turning what I was seeing into an online spectacle.

I reached a point where I just wanted to ignore it all and walk away. And I almost did.

Police negotiators were on scene, working their magic. I was on the Fremont Bridge with about two-dozen others, watching the drama unfold high overhead, hoping and praying. Hundreds of people who seemed to genuinely care about this anonymous girl were asking me to be their eyes. Wishes and prayers were coming in from dozens of Twitter users. People wanted a happy ending. The hope and concern was as palpable as it can be on such a bizarre medium.

I knew as this was unfolding that I was treading in murky ethical water. Television stations in Seattle were not publicly talking about the girl on the bridge. Radio stations were not publicly talking about what was snarling traffic. Websites were not reporting that there was a young woman contemplating ending her life in a very public way. But many of those same organizations were direct messaging me for updates. The irony is that even though they felt they could not share with their audience what was happening they were as concerned as many of the other Twitter users.

Next week a long-planned project to install a $4.6 million suicide barrier is to begin on the Aurora Bridge.  Hopefully this low-tech solution will prevent future suicide attempts on that bridge. And hopefully people will be a bit more aware of those around them and the struggles we all go through in life every day. Maybe we can all care about each other just a bit more. After what I saw on Wednesday night I know I am going to try.

Please do not consider suicide. It is the most permanent of all choices. Here is a great suicide prevention resource:   http://www.afsp.org/

And of course they are on Twitter:   @afspnational