The Post-Traumatic Recovery Unit of the New York Mental Health Department has announced the start of a new support cell for citizens who have witnessed the death of persons falling from Manhattan’s Spire sky arc and its Upper-Level platform additions.

With the Spire’s opening in 2216, falling deaths have become a regular if not common occurrence in New York City. But after the opening of less regulated private platforms on the Spire branches fifteen years ago, the number of so-called ‘Fallers’ has seen a steep increase. Even additional protections like barrier walls, elaborate netting systems and balcony shields have not been able to stop people from being blown off platforms or committing suicide from outward facing domiciles and branch struts.

Bain Administrative media coordinator Ronald Charvers spoke with WNYQ7 on what the company was doing to deal with the uptick in deaths and defended Bain’s record in the face of rising statistics.

“While Bain greatly regrets these incidents and does everything it can to try to reduce falls from its U-L structures around the world, we feel that the current numbers are actually an improvement since we took over ownership of the Spire from Balmer Groups eight years ago. These statistics are also in line with federally mandated min++ mortality requirements for our population base.”

Last year the Department of Statistical Causality reported 3682 casualties linked to falls from the Spire and its attachments, 80% of those finalizing in high traffic regions of the crowded Manhattan Ground Level below.

While admitting the number of incidents technically continues to rise every year, Charvers notes that the Upper-Level population is growing at an unprecedented pace and prevalence rates based against these numbers continue to drop, currently sitting at less than .001 per 1000.

“You are five times as likely to be struck by lightning as you are to fall from the Spire. Living on the Upper-Level is very safe.”

The exact population of the spire and attached U-L segments is unknown as federal law does not require autonomous sky arc municipalities to disclose the number or identity of residents. Experts estimate the figure to be somewhere between 22 and 26 million. Last year the Department of Statistical Causality reported 3682 casualties linked to falls from the Spire and its attachments, 80% of those finalizing in high traffic regions of the crowded Manhattan Ground Level below.

“That adds up on an annual basis,” says Mary Taggart, NY-PTRU spokesperson. “Consider the fact that one fall can be witnessed by up to several thousand citizens and you have a very serious number of traumatic incidents negatively affecting the ability of our folks to maintain their levels of corporate productivity and effectiveness. That is why it was so important that we reach out to help those feeling impaired by the effects of witnessing a fall from the Spire.”

Mr. Charvers sees the problem as a reality of dealing with such a large free population.

“The barriers work exactly as designed, but how can they be expected to function when citizens are tampering or disabling the systems?”

“In the end the protections put in place were enacted by humans and can be circumvented by humans. The barriers work exactly as designed, but how can they be expected to function when citizens are tampering or disabling the systems? Whether it is someone intent on ending their own life or just looking to catch a better breeze off the Spire’s edgewind, there is not much we can do other than try to improve education and awareness of the issue, and fine those we find with illegal modifications.”

But critics say there is little preventative investigation or enforcement in this area, even after disaster strikes. Headlines were made after pop star S△△Z was fined Ƀ80,000 when six guests fell from his platform during a private party. S△△Z was controversially allowed to avoid educative sentencing and keep his platform after mediated simulators determined the incident was primarily caused by a freak storm rather than the disabling of his luxury platform’s extensive edge barrier system.

Destiny Patel is a Ground Level councilor for Subward 88-113E and member of the StopDrop organization currently pushing for stricter sky arc regulations.

“What we definitely don’t want to see is a normalization of the situation where we as a society just accept that people are always going to be falling from the Spire destroying valuable property, and there’s nothing to be done about it. The Seoul-Y sky arc has comparable population numbers yet deals with 1/10th the number of Fallers as we see in New York. We are not advocating the same death sentences they have for violating platform safety guidelines, but the point is we can do better.”

Support cell attendance is mandatory for all affected citizens with an EM rating below 600. Those approved for psychoactive treatments must bring a Zone-3 approved medical card and their own dispenser.

*UPDATE* Please note that there is a separate support cell for citizens who have had a loved one crushed by falling persons or debris. Check your civic communicator for local times and locations.

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