file photo by Boyd Loving
Some Readers Not Sympathetic to Suicide by Train
Basically I think anyone who kills themselves by any method is selfish and doesn’t give a damn about who they hurt.
I was on a train that killed someone. Didn’t feel a thing.Any sympathy I would have had for someone who has lost hope to the point of ending it all, was erased by the inconsiderate and attention whoreish way in which they decided to do it.
And what’s the point? Nobody ever learns your name. Nobody cares. It just makes them three hours late for wherever they were going.
It sounds harsh as we are talking about someone’s life, but I agree this is a very rude way to end it all. First of all, the trama you cause the guy driving the train is terrible. Why do that to someone who has done nothing to you? And as Rob noted, you have now delayed people on that train and trains behind it for several hours — maybe you caused a mother or father to miss their kid’s birthday party, recital, sporting event, etc. You might even deprive a mother or father the rare chance to read a book to their kid on a night they happened to get out of work early enough. Suicide is never the right answer, but if you are going to do it, try a less self-centered approach — at least this way the world won’t say “good riddance” about the jack-a$$ who, for example, made me miss my baby’s first steps.
Happened again yesterday in Metropark or thereabouts, right before the evening rush, seriously fucking everyone who commutes from Penn Station.
The stated NJT policy should be: remove the carcass from the tracks, call the local authorities, and resume service within 10 minutes. Give the conductors a set of gloves for use in said carcass removal.
Any scavenger birds / critters that beat the EMTs to the scene get first dibs on the tasty bits.
Is it possible for the trains to go in reverse? If so, NJ transit should at least allow the train to go backward to the prior station so that folks can get off and either get a cab or call someone to pick them up. Riders should not be trapped on a train for hours. It is particularly frustrating when you’ve just passed a station and you are relatively close to home, which has happened to me.
Here’s a thought: How about we try and find out why people do this and work on a cure for depression? We can throw some of the defense budget at it.