The Ohio State University on Wednesday closed two parking garage rooftops for safety enhancements. The closures come about a week after a student died from falling from the Lane Avenue garage.
In April of this year, student Daniel Birdsall died and another student was seriously injured after individually falling from the Ohio Union South garage in the space of four days. Another student, Madison Paul, died in February 2017 after falling from the same garage.
The April incidents led the university to launch a Suicide and Mental Health Task Force. A recent report from the group recommended an assessment of garages across campus.
"This is one of multiple recommendations of the task force that are being prioritized for implementation," said school spokesperson Chris Davey.
On September 11, student Joshua Song died after falling from the Lane Avenue parking garage.
A statement from Ohio State said there is no timeline on the adjustments to the Lane Avenue and Union South garage rooftops.
The task force also recommended hiring additional counselors, offering more non-emergency support services and better sharing information about existing services. Davey says the school hired three new counselors this month to address mental health concerns.
Ohio State's Counseling and Consultation Service can be reached at 614-292-5766, and a crisis text line can be reached anytime at 741741. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
