Skip to content

Mental health call closes Hwy. 400 briefly at Bayfield St.

Eyewitness says two women and paramedics helped bring man back over the railing Sunday evening
2020-03-15 IM 400bayfieldnew
The Bayfield Street bridge over Highway 400 in Barrie is shown in a file photo. | Ian McInroy for BarrieToday

Highway 400 was closed briefly at Bayfield Street in Barrie, Sunday evening, for a man in distress on the bridge. 

Barrie police and emergency crews received a call at 6:10 p.m., Sept. 17.

“(A) person in crisis (was) apprehended by police and paramedic services,” Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon said.. 

Leon said the highway was closed "very briefly." 

No further details will be released about the situation, he added.

"There were two women, regular bystanders, on each side holding him by his arms," eyewitness Faron Taylor said shortly after the incident. "He was already over the rail of the bridge and paramedics pulled him back over the railing.

“We all started clapping and I just burst into tears — so did my daughter,” she added. “It all happened so quickly.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from a mental health crisis, contact the Simcoe County Crisis Response Service Mental Health Crisis Line, which is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week, at 705-728-5044 or 888-893-8333.



About the Author: Kevin Lamb

Kevin Lamb picked up a camera in 2000 and by 2005 was freelancing for the Barrie Examiner newspaper until its closure in 2017. He is an award-winning photojournalist, with his work having been seen in many news outlets across Canada and internationally
Read more