Berkley Resident Identified as Woman Who Jumped from Woodward Overpass

Berkley resident Jodi Guenther, 40, has been identified as the , Pleasant Ridge Police said Monday.

Guenther was taken to  in Royal Oak in critical condition Saturday afternoon and later died of her injuries, it was reported. Beaumont spokeswoman Angela Blazevski confirmed Monday that Guenther had been admitted to the hospital and her condition was listed as deceased.

It was the second time Guenther had jumped. She survived an April 26, 2009, jump from the Washington Street bridge onto Woodward in Royal Oak, suffering two broken legs, Pleasant Ridge Police Chief Karl Swieczkowski said.

Sgt. Michael Bunting of the Pleasant Ridge Police said  and was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

"She parked her car on the turnaround bridge, put her hazards on, climbed the wall and jumped," Bunting said. There was no evidence of foul play, he said.

Several people said they saw Guenther stop her car, get out and walk over to the edge of the bridge, Swieczkowski said.

"They thought maybe she was going to jump so they tried to pull up and stop and stop her but they were too late," he said. "They were going to see if they could help her and try to get her to stop, but it looked like she was already over the top of the rail or let go or was in the process of falling off."

One witness told police it "looked like she was like staring down at first" before she jumped, he said.

Guenther fell into traffic coming northbound, but she was not hit by any vehicles, Swieczkowski said. 

Royal Oak, Ferndale and Berkley police worked together to close the Woodward Avenue underpass to traffic while officials retrieved Guenther and Pleasant Ridge police investigated. The northbound underpass was shut down for approximately an hour, he said.

Michael Flener of Pleasant Ridge was driving near the Detroit Zoo when he saw Guenther stop her Jeep Liberty 4x4 on the turnaround bridge.

“She was out of her car and up on the rail,” Flener said. “My first thought when I was driving by was ‘uh-oh’.” Flener said he didn’t see much after that.

Several other people have commented on local Patch Facebook pages and stories that they saw the woman stop and get out of her car, but were unaware of what she was doing. 

"I ... noticed the green jeep with flashers on,saw the lady walk to the rail but then saw her get back in her vehicle & thought everything was ok but then read where she jumped & died," Michael Milobar wrote on Ferndale Patch's Facebook page. "My thoughts & prayers are with her & her family during this difficult time."

Howard Belkin, a psychiatrist affiliated with Beaumont Hospital, said it can be difficult if not impossible to detect signs that a loved one is contemplating suicide. While an increase in depression and anxiety can be signals, "sometimes there are no warning signs," he said.

"Even when warning signs are relatively minor, it's important to get into treatment," said Belkin, who added that the first step to finding treatment would be to call a family physician and request a referral to a psychiatrist.

He advised those who don't have a family physician to ask friends and family for suggestions or to call Beaumont at 800-633-7377 for a referral.

"When somebody's starting to feel so desperate and lonely – for whatever reason – that they are considering hurting themselves or someone else, the only treatment is immediate transport to the emergency room. There is no time to wait.

"In a case like this, it's difficult for almost anyone to understand," Belkin said.