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CBC
10-05-2025
- CBC
Family of victim killed after man fell from Toronto's Leaside Bridge sues city over lack of suicide barriers
Social Sharing WARNING: This story contains discussion of suicide. Last month, Tali Uditsky tearfully addressed Toronto city councillors, telling the story of her father's tragic death after his car was struck by a man plummeting from the Leaside Bridge. Uditsky said Harold Lusthouse, 76, had been on his way to meet her for a Father's Day brunch in June when someone lept from the bridge toward the Don Valley Parkway. The man landed on Lusthouses's car, crushing him in the passenger seat. "He was stolen away from us ... as a result of the failure of the city to protect its citizens," Uditsky told councillors in April, just before they unanimously voted to press city staff to speed up barrier installation. Uditsky and her family are now suing the city for the lack of suicide barriers along the bridge, which the lawsuit alleges would have prevented Lusthouse's death. Lusthouse died in hospital days after the incident, suffering "catastrophic personal injuries" and undergoing multiple medical procedures "accompanied by great pain and suffering," according to the lawsuit. Uditsky, along with Lusthouse's son and two grandchildren, are listed as the plaintiffs in the suit. They are suing the city for a total of $1.7 million dollars as well as potential future legal costs. A city spokesperson told CBC they received the statement of claim and will respond in due course. "The City has no further comment as the matter is before the court," they wrote in an email. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court. WATCH: Councillors push to speed up suicide barrier installation along Leaside Bridge: Do Toronto's bridges need more suicide barriers? 28 days ago Duration 2:37 The lawsuit alleges Lusthouse's death was caused by the negligence of the city, which had a duty to ensure the bridge was safe for the public, including the vehicles passing below it. "[The city] knew or ought to have known that the Leaside Bridge was a 'high-risk location' for incidents," the lawsuit says. There were 17 suicides or attempted suicides from the Leaside Bridge in 2023, nine in 2024 and none in 2025 as of April 28, according to police figures. The suit also alleges the city hired "incompetent employees, servants and/or agents to carry out monitoring, inspection, and/or maintenance," of the bridge, adding that staff were not properly trained. It also alleges the city failed to have trained staff handling the bridge's record-keeping. It claims the city didn't follow up on or implement recommendations made by its chief medical officer and Transportation Service in 2018. They had separately warned about the bridge's dangers and advised the city to look into safety measures, according to the lawsuit. "The City of Toronto, through its failure to protect the public despite numerous warnings calls, has acted with reckless indifference and/or willful blindness," the lawsuit says. Family deprived of Lusthouse's 'comfort, guidance, and companionship' Lusthouse's family members are also claiming damages for the emotional and financial impact of his loss. The lawsuit says they've "suffered and will continue to suffer from nervous and emotional shock, mental anguish, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression," in the aftermath of his death. It says they "have been deprived of the benefit of their father/grandfather Harold's care, comfort, guidance, and companionship." Along with the costs of Lusthouse's funeral and counselling for the family, they also claim damages for the loss of support from Lusthouse, financial or otherwise. His estate is claiming damages for the suffering he went through leading up to his death. The lawsuit made reference to the Bloor Street Viaduct bridge, which was once the second most-used suicide site in North America after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. After suicide barriers were installed there in 2003, suicides dropped from around nine per year to near zero, according to a 2017 University of Toronto study. A feasibility study on the Leaside Bridge has been underway since 2016, when the city planned to install suicide barriers on all major Toronto bridges, Coun. James Pasternak previously told CBC. It could take years until construction for suicide barriers begins under the current plan. In April, city councillors gave staff until Sept. 26 to come up with a plan to install a temporary one.
CBC
12-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Tragedy on DVP sparks calls for more suicide barriers on Toronto's bridges
A horrific event on the Don Valley Parkway last Father's Day has spurred Toronto city councillors to demand a speedier timeline for installation of suicide barriers on the Leaside Bridge. Tali Uditsky tearfully told Wednesday's meeting of the infrastructure and environment committee that her father, Harold Lusthouse, was on his way to meet her for brunch that day in 2024 when someone leapt from the Leaside Bridge and landed on his car on the DVP. The 76-year-old grandfather died in hospital several days later. "I was shocked, devastated, angry and my heart felt like it was going to explode," Uditsky told councillors. "He was stolen away from us ... as a result of the failure of the city to protect its citizens." Plans to install suicide barriers on either side of all major bridges in Toronto have been in the works since 2016, according to Coun. James Pasternak, who spearheaded the effort to have barriers erected on the Leaside Bridge shortly after Uditsky approached him last summer. A feasibility study on that bridge has been underway since then, with councillors getting an update on its progress at Wednesday's meeting. Figures from Toronto police indicate there were 17 suicides or attempted suicides from the Leaside Bridge in 2023, nine in 2024 and none so far in 2025. After Uditsky's emotional deputation, councillors voted unanimously to press staff to speed up the process for installing barriers at the Leaside Bridge. The current plan allows for several years before construction begins, and councillors gave staff until Sept. 26 to come up with a plan to install a temporary suicide barrier. That recommendation goes to council for final approval later this month. Staff said they do not have citywide statistics for suicide deaths at Toronto bridges, but a 2018 report from the city's medical officer of health states that from 2004 to 2015, there were a total of 125 suicide deaths involving bridges in Toronto, for an average of 10 such deaths per year. "Many jurisdictions have erected barriers at bridge locations and found them to be effective in preventing or reducing suicide deaths, with little displacement of suicide deaths to other bridges," the report states. City staff wouldn't say which other bridges in Toronto are being studied as part of their report "given the sensitivity of the topic." However, Pasternak said it's well known that suicide prevention barrier projects are underway at at least two nearby sites — the Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge over Rosedale Valley Road and the Overlea Boulevard Bridge over the DVP. "There's no doubt it's not cheap — it's in the tens of millions of dollars," he said. "I believe it's worth it." Toronto's lone suicide prevention barrier is on the Bloor Street Viaduct. Work was completed on the Luminous Veil, as the $5 million project was nicknamed, in 2003. That bridge had been the second most-used suicide site in North America after San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, but after the barrier was installed, suicides dropped from around nine per year to near zero, according to a 2017 University of Toronto study. That study notes that although there was a rise in suicides at other locations after the barriers were installed, in the longer term there was no sustained increase in people jumping from other bridges in the city. A staff report identified seven options for Leaside, but notes that testing still has to be carried out to ensure the bridge can bear the added load of suicide barriers on either side. The city has earmarked $500,000 for the preliminary work, which includes the cost of public consultations, but staff said in their report it could be 2028, or longer, before shovels are in the ground. That's not good enough for Pasternak, who sits on the committee. "Suicide is a moment of despair, a moment of hopelessness, of darkness and futility," he said. "What we want to do is take away that opportunity," Pasternak said. The Leaside bridge has spanned the Don Valley between Leaside and Pape-Donlands since 1927. It was last renovated in 2004, about a year after the Luminous Veil was installed. That's when the city should have seriously considered installing a barrier there too, according to Jason Ash, co-chair of the Leaside Towers Tenants Association. "The LTTA believes bridges must have safety barriers, city-wide," Ash wrote in a letter to the committee. "Too many tragedies have occurred already." Ash told CBC Toronto that although he's seen no numbers on suicide attempts at the bridge, he and his members believe they've risen in recent years. "We know when a suicide has occurred when there's flowers on the bridge, when there's flowers on the Lower Don Trail beneath it, and even when there are attempts that are thankfully unsuccessful," he said. "The police presence closes all or part of the bridge and impacts the whole area." Ash also noted that last summer's tragedy may give momentum to the effort to speed up the barrier construction at Leaside. "My heart goes out to the families, particularly in the last year, when innocent people unfortunately lost their lives as well," he said. "It's a tragedy all around." Uditsky told the committee the lessons of the Luminous Veil's success should have been heeded at other locales. "When you know better, you should do better," she said. "And you didn't. "Please change this for the safety of everyone driving on the Don Valley Parkway under that bridge."
