To think that people who moan on facebook about being delayed after someone has committed suicide under a train are insensitive twats?

I've read all the posts since my last one, and I am astounded at the sheer lack of understanding so many people have!

I struggle to understand why, even if you can't empathise with the feelings of a suicidal person per se, you can't see that someone contemplating taking their own life implies a fundamentally different perspective to your own. It also suggests that the person in that position is not thinking as rationally and clearly as you either.

And this is itself should be saying to you "do you know what? You really don't understand this" and if you don't, then you are lucky.

You can still feel "grrr" if 'inconvenienced', but "selfish" and particularly "twattish" are two of the most ridiculous and ignorant words I've ever heard associated with suicide. It's not a rational decision. It is not even a choice. At the point at which you go, you are not rational.

At the point at which you jump under a train rather than take an overdose you are damned sure you want it to work. That is all.

I know I once sat staring at the train tracks and listening to them singing to me; they wanted me to come to them so everything could stop. (Side effects of the medication the doctor couldn't see my problem with, on top of depression.) I hung on to the platform bench for dear life exactly because I agree that train tracks is a bad bad way to kill yourself, because of the knock-on effects for everyone else, and that's what I kept telling myself! Therefore I am grateful to all the insensitive impatient people whose comments I had heard over the years, whose voices were louder than those in my head, and who saved my life.

I thought it was terrible to say things like that in the wake of the Clarkson comments. Then about 2 weeks later I got stuck in London with a very fractious 18 month old or about 5 hours due to a one under at East Croydon affecting all the trains going South East oof London. We were expecting to get home by 6.30 and actually got home at midnight. You can imagine what it was like as DD did not sleep all day. It got me thinking about people that might have missed job interviews, flights to see their families, getting a contract that might save a business from bankruptcy.

Yes, people are in a terrible place but if your commuting is constantly being interrupted I can see why you would moan.

I've only been on a train when this happened once, thankfully. The thing that rankled was the total absence of any information regarding diversions, estimated timings etc from the train staff (very important when trying to rejig connections/appointments from the stuck train) and any announcements made were at speed over poor PA equipment (ostensibly not to upset children on the train?!?! when I asked the conductor), so everyone was getting het up, not so much from the delay, or the cause of it, but because of the helplessness that they feel over it, which could be greatly attenuated by simple information.

I have also talked someone down from a bridge over the tracks, so seen a bit of both sides.

TfL are working on something for the tube apparently - power will shut off if a large object hits the track, which in theory should stop jumpers being hit by the train (but I guess there will still be enough momentum to kill or seriously injure if they jump right at the very last moment). Obviously this will still result in delays but these would be shorter, and crucially, lives will be saved.

Ugh so sick of the "selfish" comments. Listen, when you are suicidal, you feel like nothing, a speck of dirt. You don't think "oh the poor train driver" because you can't imagine your life/death will have any impact on anyone. You do not feel human. You cannot imagine your actions affecting people AT ALL. It seems to be hard for some people to imagine this, and if it is hard for you to imagine that, you are lucky.

As for getting annoyed about it: I live in London. I live with the delays we face almost daily for whatever reason. If you seriously huff and puff about being late because someone died, you need to get your head out of your stupid London arse and get some perspective. I don't like being late either, who does, but it is part and parcel of living here. Grow up.

Another point worth making is that British Rail could do more to help prevent suicides on their tracks, which would obviously be better for their customers and maybe be of some help to the person who is considering ending their life that way.

They are getting better by all accounts, they do work with Samaritans and have publicised their service, but they could do more.

You don't think suicide as a response to rows with their partners or the loss of a pet indicates a level of mental instability then?

The idea that someone tops themselves on a whim is laughable. "What shall I do today, I know I'll piss off a load of commuters by jumping in frot of their train. That'll cheer me up"

Everyone on the trains thinks "fucking hell, not again" (well, in London anyway as its a weekly occurrence), but its one of those things you just don't say out loud - a social convention that Facebook is breaking down?

Depressed people are not necessarily completely unable or unwilling to think of the effect their death would have on others, in fact if they're as far as contemplating suicide, they think about the deed and the aftermath in depth beforehand.

I really dont think someone would jump infront of a train because their dog died Frankie!

I commuted for a number of year and yes, guilty of maybe inwardly rolling my eyes at a delay but my god, I would never outwardly grumble about it.

I tell you, I would much rather my son witnessed it and lived to tell the tale than actually be the poor soul who thought they couldnt live anymore - how utterly tragic! How anyone fails to sympathise with them is beyond me and to call them a twat????? I cant even phathom how someone could think like that.

Sadly, we have become a very selfish nation all out for ourselves and sod everyone else and it's only getting worse. I pity my poor DS growing up in todays society! :(

How awful for you son, of course.
But one day someone you know may become the jumper- hopefully you wont be so scathing and try to see it from a different point of view

My son was on a train when someone jumped in front of it. The train came to a stop and he was left looking out at a large bloody lump of meat on the tracks for a long time. He was 14.

sorry, there are other ways of doing it.

why does the jumper automatically have the right to inflict depression and misery on those left to clear up the bits/cope with their nightmares/deal with the aftermath, and we all have to sympathise?

Wow, I am shocked at the lack of understanding of mental illness on this thread. who said they have mental illness - they might be suicidal for any number of reasons, not just mental illness. They could be terminally ill, their mother could be terminally ill, their dog could have just died, they could have had a row with their boyfriend.... mental illness isnt always the reason

I appreciate it must be inconvenient if your journey is delayed, but shocking to complain about it, given the circumstances

I would instantly de-friend that person. I can partly understand how regular commuters might feel some frustration at such delays but most reasonable people have a self edit facility and recognise that their feelings of irritation are misplaced and shouldn't be aired in a bullish defiant way on fb

I don't think someone who is that deeply ill is able to empathise with the trauma their choices will inflict on the drivers or other workers who are left to clear up. I'm sure the impact their death will have on a worker's bonus is pretty far down their list of considerations too.

I'm shocked too samstown.

It must be awful to be in such a dark place that you feel you're only way out is to throw yourself under a train. But it isn't though is it? If you really want to end your life there are ways you can do it without getting someone to kill you, which is what they want the train driver to do.

I feel for the poor driver and the person who has to come along and scoop up all the mess! Not only that, but suicides are also added to journey delay figures and if they exceed a certain figure the workers lose their bonuses. So it does impact on everyone and yes, it is a selfish thing to do. Find another way.

I don't think it's much different to moaning about being held up in traffic because of a serious road accident with fatalities, or complaining that your street has been sealed up due to a murder (as happened to me recently). It is tragic and awful for the victim(s) and their families, but if you don't know the person or the circumstances or any other information aside from there being a "person under a train," it can be hard to summon up a lot of compassion. Especially when it happens nearly every week on some lines.

Implying the victim is an idiot is obviously pretty low, but acknowledging the delay and the fact it is inconveniencing you isn't really that bad IMO,

Its awful for relatives and friends when they lose someone to suicide, not just because of the brutal harsh and sudden way they lose their loved one, but due to the fact everyone seems like they are entitled to an opinion on the way they have died- words such as 'selfish' 'cowardly' etc always come up whereas if they'd have died from cancer you get 'oh they were so brave' and 'such a tragic loss'
This just makes even more stigma for those with mental illness imho and it needs to STOP

I commute and I can understand how annoying it is when trains are delayed. After all, it's just another reason for many, many delays. But I'd never complain about it on facebook - imagine if one of your friends knew the person who'd died? Or even if they didn't, it's not really appropriate, is it.

One of my colleagues always whinges about her trains being delayed for suicides and says it's selfish. It really annoys me.

I can understand why people choose to jump in front of trains - because it's so accessible isn't it? There are railways and railway bridges everywhere. And it's pretty much guaranteed to work.

There was a thread like this a while ago, wasn't there? Maybe after Jeremy Clarkson said his bit. There was a train driver on there who said she thought it was better for a train driver to cope with a suicide than a friend or relative of the dead person finding the body, because they get training.