To think people need to get a grip.

[thunderbuddy]

Today a young woman at our local train station died after taking her life in front of a moving train as it pulled into the station in front of a lot of other passengers and people on the platform.

It has been repeatedly explained at the station, on trains, on social media the reasons why the trains were delayed, the reasons why the next trains were busy etc and yet people are still moaning at the stations, on the trains and on social media. People are whining about compensation and money back and how unacceptable it is not to have a contingency of extra staff in case some of them might witness someone take their own life.

I mean come on people, I know it is annoying when you have your train delayed but someone DIED, you get to go home to your families tonight whether it be slightly late, that young girls family never will.

Feeling rather sad tonight.

I also thought that the local minor celebrity (who was an unfortunate witness) could have been a bit more considerate and not plastered it all over their Twitter feed.

Some absolute fucking heartless animals on here tonight

I sincerely hope you never feel the type of pain needed to tempt you to suicide

As a commuter yes it is annoying when your journey is delayed but I witnessed somebody trying to take their life at a train station - thankfully the excellent staff at the station and some very brave passengers were able to stop him - but I can't believe how shaken up I was by the very brief glimpse I had into someone else's despair. Tbh I don't really know what my point is - all I know is that if somebody is desperate enough to take their life this way it kind of feels a little crass to be annoyed at being a bit inconvenienced.

I'm sure mine is not a favoured opinion in the slightest but I do not hold much sympathy for people that jump in front of trains.

How that one act could have a massive impact on the driver for the rest of their lives. That someone else has to clean your body up. That potentially a family member will have to identify you.

It's selfish.

I understand the desperation. I tried to commit suicide last year.

*Why don't the train companies have contingencies in place? It is sadly not a scenario that is so rare that it's not worth having plans in place for that eventuality."

Such as what?

Aside from putting barriers up with gates across the train tracks.

ScotRail drivers are trained to deal with suicides but nothing prepares them for the reality, which is quick and horrific. There have been cases where the body has come through the driver's cab. The trauma can be exacerbated if drivers have to wait alone with the body before help arrives, often for up to an hour depending on the location of the incident.

They may be forced to relive the experience at an inquest in front of family members, who may even challenge the cause of death.

But seemingly that's ok with some of you and makes the rest of us animals.

I was on a train that hit somebody when my DS was a very young baby. They didn't tell us what had happened at first but I knew, the sound and the jolt were horrible. My DS was formula fed and we were delayed for four hours in the middle of nowhere, so it was really stressful as we were running out of milk. However, we were all okay so how could I complain that much?

I don't think it would be as simple as having more staff to lessen delay. We didn't just have to wait for a new driver to move the train to a nearby station, a crew had to come out and check it was safe first, while an ambulance came to find the body, all by torchlight.

This reminds me of a car accident we recently witnessed next to our home. A taxi driver had been driving at such a speed, when he collided with a woman's car infront he knocked them into the other side of the road and the front end of the woman's car was smashed into by a bus! Police, fire fighters and paramedics got to the scene fast but many people were trying to drive around the accident (having a good look while they do, not watching the road) and almost hitting pedestrians. None of them seemed to care that the woman was trapped in her car, with her husband and children. It was such an inconvenience to all those poor drivers trying to get home. All hell broke loose when they had to close the entire road to cut the lady and her family free!
I think people have become quite disenchanted with the world and lack compassion.

I live on a line into London that is quite common for suicides. We get a fair few each year.

It causes massive disruption but our local fb pages are always full of commiserations and thoughtful posts for the whole situation.

The poor girl, to be that desperate to take your own life you need to be beyond unhappy. I'm sure friends, family and colleagues totally feel your pain, being delayed, because she felt she could carry on.

People should get a grip.

Taking your life is not a selfish act, in order to be selfish you need to be thinking clearly, these people are clearly very unwell.

Taking your life is not a selfish act, in order to be selfish you need to be thinking clearly, these people are clearly very unwell.

THANK YOU.

FFS, what is wrong with some people on here?!

I once thought my best friend's dads suicide was selfish as he hung himself knowing one of his kids or wife would find him. I was 11 at the time and didnt understand just how unwell he was to have done something like that. My friends little sister had found him one morning

I don't think it's selfish to take your life. I think to say it's selfish shows a huge misunderstanding of the nature of suicidal depression.

But I also don't think it's fair to tell people they're that "heartless animals" for being annoyed that they're being delayed, whatever the reason.

You can also refrain from posting a thread on the internet moaning and complaining to people who can do fuck all about your annoyance at other peoples' annoyance

WTF?

OP posted, giving details about some utter twats who were being abusive to station staff because of the delays to their journey caused by a suicide.

There's post after post about how it's understandable that people are frustrated and annoyed. I point out that, ok, they're frustrated but that's zero excuse to take that frustration out on staff at the station.

So what the hell is your response to me about? Do you think no, its entirely reasonable to have a go at station staff because of the delay caused by a suicide?

Bizarre.

I don't think anyone has said taking your life is a selfish act
Just that doing it in such a way to pass on your pain and unhappiness and to traumatise others through the way you choose to do it, is

Choosing to end your life is one thing choosing to force someone else to do it - the driver of the train is unforgivable. The impact on the drivers is severe.

No one who has got to the point of throwing themselves in front of a train will have the mental capacity to understand they will be hurting others by doing so.

It is a very sadly fairly frequent experience on the commuter lines into London.

Given the number of people affected by significant delays the cost, based on standard calculations for time savings on train journeys can be as much as half a billion pounds.

Yes it is tragically, desperately sad for the family involved. And it is truly horrific for the poor station staff and the driver.

However, it can also be an event that significantly affects millions of other people all of whom have life's - hospital appointments missed, job interviews missed, not getting to a loved one in a hospice.

Fortunately, there have been major improvements at stations in recent years to stop people being able to get onto the line

No one who has got to the point of throwing themselves in front of a train will have the mental capacity to understand they will be hurting others by doing so.

Quite. Do you really think someone would choose such a horrific death if they could think clearly ? There are plenty of other ways to die that would be far less horrific. Someone in such a state is unlikely to be able to know or consider this.

What's wrong with people ? Really some quote revolting views posted.

I had an experience where we were stuck at a station with no trains,waiting for a bus.
About 200 people who were mostly waiting patiently.
One lady was dashing up and down shouting and demanding taxis.

We all rolled our eyes and said we were in the same boat.

A lot if bad feeling when a taxi came in and the station staff grabbed it for her.
I had a fairly new born baby so was asked if I wanted to get in too.
She was going to her young, about 8yo, granddaughter in hospital. A year ago her granddaughter had been in a car accident which had killed both her parents and severely injured her.
One of the injuries had been her kidneys and she had been waiting for a transplant.

The transplant had come up that morning and they had by the time the train got stuck less than 2 hours before it would be too late.
Granddaughter was getting increasingly distressed and didn't want to go into surgery without the only adult left in her life-granny.
Unfortunately granny lived down in Devon, I think, and was looking after 2 younger ones who were traumatised but otherwise unharmed.
Granddaughter had been transferred by ambulance but granny hadn't managed to get there in time to take the lift as she had to find friends to look after the two younger ones.
I often think about them and hope things worked out.

I don't think that train delay, however awkward, as the same for everyone do you?

It is rare that I am shocked and appalled by people on here, but some of the comments on this thread has changed that.

Many years ago my fiancé killed himself by standing in front of a train. He had struggled with life for a long time and could take the pain of trying to get through each day no longer.

He chose that method because it was the most sure fire way of making sure he died - I know this will seem odd to people but he had previously discussed how he was going to kill himself. I wasn't encouraging him, just trying to get it out in the open so I could help him. Which if course, I couldn't.

At the time he was incapable of thinking of anything other than how he needed to die. Not wanted, needed. In his mind, him dying was the best thing that could happen for his family and friends because him being alive was wrecking their lives too.

If he hadn't been so desperately ill he would have understood that him leaving us was the worst thing that would ever happen in our lives. As he was a kind, loving and gentle person, if he wasn't so desperately ill, he would also have felt compassion for the people he would inconvenience. However, if he wasn't so desperately ill, he wouldn't have been on the track that day anyway.

Adams death that day ruined my life. The suicide of someone you love is totally different than any other death and I can't begin to even describe the absolute hell that I went through that day. Call me selfish but the fact that other people were annoyed al trains being cancelled or delayed was so far away from the utter devastation in my life that it didn't even warrant a thought.

They were inconvenienced for a few years. My life would never be the same again.

Hours I mean. Not years.

zeezeek Its inadequate, but I don't know what else to say. I'm so sorry.

I feel as if mental health awareness has a long, long way to come.

No one who has got to the point of throwing themselves in front of a train will have the mental capacity to understand they will be hurting others by doing so

Well said.

zeezeek