My sweet son Nat is gone. He left in a shocking way.

The overpass connecting E118 to the N23 near Moorpark, CA is called a suicide bridge. It is 100’ high and 2.2 miles long. There have been many deaths on it since its opening in 1994-present day. CA@Caltrans HQ could have saved my son’s and many more lives. 
If in 2015 Carrie Bowen (@imaginepeace77 ) had listened to the pleas of Moorpark officials 5 years earlier. One of whom was Councilman @Keith_Millhouse. He pushed for a barrier, to stop people from jumping off the overpass.

I have been researching Caltrans’ practices. It seems Caltrans HQ’s feels that a citizen’s life is not worth much. I prefer to pay a few more dollars in taxes a year just to see & hold my son and anyone else that died on that bridge for the next 40 to 50 years. How much money a year is one person’s life worth? Now think of the hundreds we could save together!  
Nat was my first baby boy.  He had dark curly hair and a thin frame like me. We had the same smile. We drove to Reseda to donate plasma together on Wednesday’s and Saturday’s. He helped me with gardening, spring cleaning and heavy lifting. Nat was only 31.

As for cost and effect, I must say, Caltrans is WAY BEHIND the times! Civil engineer students in college are designing bridges and buildings lighter, stronger, cheaper, aesthetically pleasing & virtually invisible. Their biggest excuses have been cost, weight and driver visibility. Carrie Bowen in 2015 said, “a more effective solution could be to post signs with information about suicide prevention help and to have phones available for people who see someone trying to jump off a ledge.” She said “Caltrans is still looking into different options.” It is now December of 2020. The signs obviously don’t stop people but perhaps let them know that death is possible ‘IF THEY JUMP HERE’. There are no phones, because the CHP officer told my husband and I it was too dangerous to stop and get out of a car on the side of the highway there. So Caltrans doesn’t seem to know the law very well either. 
Caltrans has NO IDEA what they are doing!!! When it comes to the welfare of our sick and afflicted or what is best for the community! We the PEOPLES of the USA have to speak out for Simi Valley, Moorpark, Westlake, Thousand Oaks & other places where “public” and “infrastructure” needs are not up to OUR safety standards. This decision should not be left to the politicians or public works officials.

Do you know anyone that has a mental, emotional, chemical, neurological or psychological disorder?  Chemical, neurological and most emotional disorders are genetic. Nat was not suffering alone. Yet, he was reported as a lone body. I had to call the newspaper to tell them it was my son. No one seemed to even care. He wasn’t famous or a criminal. The TRUTH is when a suicide happens it effects much more than just the victim and their family. It devastated an entire community. School classmates, Church members, co-workers, family friends, doctors, grandparents and extended family members. To name a few. 

Why are we allowing Caltrans HQ’s (or any other none public voting system) to dictate how our tax dollars are SPENT when they choose NOT to protect our most vulnerable and handicapped citizens?

Sign this petition and join me as a step in protecting  some of the USA’s most vulnerable. 

A Grieving and Strong Mother, Nella McLaughlin

#NatBrigade