Suicide attempt at Davis Square T, just after noon.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

At 12:10 this afternoon, I saw a man jump in front of the incoming train at the Davis Square T stop.

He landed on the tracks about three-quarters of a second before the train passed over him. I saw him lie flat and align himself in the direction of the tracks, and pull his arms in. There's a slim chance the train passed over him and he's still alive. I don't know what the vertical clearance on those things is. At first I thought it was somebody pulling some sort of "Jackass" style graduation stunt, until I talked with the woman who was sitting next to him on the platform, who reported he was getting more and more agitated as they waited.

The area is full of emergency vehicles now, and I think that's a news copter circling.
Expect delays in red line service.

Comments

[moireach.livejournal.com]

:(

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

oh. ick. I feel bad for the person driving that train...

The Red Line has been having delays all day, most of which weren't so tragic, but annoying anyway.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

This has to be devastating for the train operator. He would have been just going about his business when somebody used his train as a suicide weapon.

I'm sure he'll have nightmares about this, and may never be able to drive a train again...Every time he noses into a station, he'll fear another jumper.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

They had an article in the Globe a few weeks back about the problems experienced by drivers in such situations....ack.

[magid.livejournal.com]

I read that. They've got support groups for the engineers who have it happen... it's unfortunately frequent enough for there to be lots of support in place.

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

I've been told that most railway operators (think above ground, not subway) will run over someone during their career, and that the railroads pour an enormous amount of money into counseling and disability to deal with it.

Buckets o' fun.

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

i've heard that train operators are told when they're hired that if they drive the train for a certain number of years, it's almost guaranteed that they'll run someone over in that time. so, they are warned. still sucks, though. i'm sorry you had to see it.

[lee-cheri.livejournal.com]

Oh how terrible.

And bizarre, as when a friend and I were delayed at Charles/MGH this morning, my friend said that whenever there are delays he thinks it's b/c of a suicide attempt as apparently on the tube in London there are about 6 attempts per day.

Christ, that's insane. I hope he's okay.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

That's weird. I'd think someone really attempting suicide would lie perpendicular to the tracks, and why would he pull his arms in? I bet he was schizophrenic or on drugs, not suicidal. Still really sad.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

It's possible it was an impulsive jump, and he changed his mind in the fraction of a second he had after jumping. His actions while lying on the track seemed very deliberate.

[glowroper.livejournal.com]

And perhaps because of a pretty recent news item where a guy jumped and his legs were cut off but he survived.

May God have mercy on him and those also affected.

[st-darwin.livejournal.com]

I've heard that changing your mind post-jump is not uncommon (http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/ajumpsurvivorsbridgetoactivism). Poor guy. And definitely, poor driver.

[t-e-c.livejournal.com]

i just watched a film about the golden gate brige being the suiside capital of the world.....

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

That was my first thought too. (Not the schizophrenic or on drugs bit--the "why pull arms in if attempting suicide" thing.)

[magid.livejournal.com]

Oh, man. I hope he's ok, if only for the train driver's sake.

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

The official term is "medical emergency," dontcha know.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

Actually, the T's website is claiming "fire department activity"

[cutieperson]

well, there were a couple of fire trucks there...

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Sounds like they are taking press release writing advice from the White House.

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

Er, no, today's euphemism from the MBTA web site is even worse:

"There is busing in effect on the Red Line between Harvard Square and Alewife stations due to fire department activity at Davis Square."

[gilana]

Wow, that's awful. Sorry you had to see that.

[ceo]

Yipes! I'm pretty sure there isn't enough clearance under the train for him to have made it.

And on Harvard Commencement day too. Havard Square's going to be all kinds of amusing this afternoon. Nothing on the local news sites yet.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

It's possible there won't be anything on the local news sites, nor the newscasts tonight. The producers might want not to encourage copycats.

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

A few years ago, I got stuck in a T snarl (and wound up walking home from downtown). When I checked the papers next day, the blurb was tiny and included the phrase: "non-life-threatening injuries to her buttocks" If they don't plan to report anything, why the news crews?

[julyana.livejournal.com]

Most likely.

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

That was MY first thought. Way to pick a day to die...

[toastistasty.livejournal.com]

That sucks. I'm so sorry you had to witness that. I was in South Station a couple of years ago when someone fell on the tracks, and some brave soul jumped down to help him up, when the train came rushing in. Luckily, everyone waved and the train stopped with plenty of time, but for a brief moment there, I thought two people were going to be dead. I was shaken for a few days. To have witnessed that must be much worse. An e-hug, or an e-reassuring pat on the shoulder to you.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

A few years ago I was at the Downtown Crossing red line on the inbound side, and there was a large family across on the outbound side. A little girl was doing cartwheels unsupervised on the platform, and I screamed when she cartwheeled right off the platform and onto the tracks. There was no train coming, and her male relatives jumped right down without a moment's hesitation and lifted her (and then themselves) to safety. She was crying but unurt, and must have landed on her knees or bum. The family just brushed her off, and then got on the train when it came. It was one of the most terrifying and surreal things I've ever seen.

Watch your kids on the platform, peeps.

[iabervon.livejournal.com]

Those trains can stop a lot shorter than you'd think. I saw someone climb down and walk across at Central once, and a train stopped outside the station to wait for him to clear the tracks. It's really only when the person wasn't on the tracks beforehand that they don't have time to stop.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

By the time this train stopped, two or three full carlengths had passed over the jumper.

[myselftheliar.livejournal.com]

I feel awful for having complained about the shuttle buses running right now

what a tragedy

[tisana.livejournal.com]

That's awful.
I'm sorry you had to see it, also sorry for those more directly involved.

But thanks for keeping us informed.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

So sorry you had to see that. That's my "home" station too. Shudder. Poor everyone involved. Big hugs to you.

[guxx.livejournal.com]

That must have been, sorry for the euphemism, haunting to you.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry you had to witness that. :-( Do take care of yourself, 'kay?

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

As everyone else was saying, sorry you happened to be there when it happened. I feel terrible for everyone involved, including the witnesses.

[charlwoo.livejournal.com]

That totally sucks. Last spring I was walking on the Mass Ave bridge and saw a body floating in the water. Turns out it was an MIT student who'd jumped off it the previous December and had floated up on one of the first warm days of spring to greet everyone. Public displays of suicide are really traumatic.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Aaack!

[whodameg.livejournal.com]

I can't believe that jumper would dare endanger other people's lives. If he survived, I hope he's locked up for the rest of his natural life. Last winter my mother witnessed the jackass who tried the park his car and kill himself on the commuter tracks in Glendale, California. The man chickened out, but left his car on the tracks. Caused 3 trains to collide. My mother's co-workers were the first on the scene and pulled people from the wreckage. The following week, they buried three of her coworkers. I have ZERO sympathy for those who choose to take their lives in a manager that endangers the safety of others.

I'm sorry you had to witness such a terrible thing.

[mycroft.livejournal.com]

It was all the rage in Japan as a form of ritual suicide, until they started billing the families (http://www.aarrgghh.com/no_way/suicideByTrain.htm) for the cost of cleaning up the mess.

eh?

[spampy.livejournal.com]

If he survived, I hope he's locked up for the rest of his natural life.

yeah, because a lifetime of manrape w/o lube instead of professional therapy is exactly what he needs to help his depression.

From the Somerville News

[lena-a-mermaid.livejournal.com]

June 09, 2005
Jumper closes Davis Square T-stop
A 45-year-old Somerville man was struck and killed by a southbound Red Line train at or around 12:10 p.m. closing the station until 2:20 p.m., said Joseph D. Pesaturo, a spokesman for the MBTA.

The matter is under investigation by the MBTA Transit Police and the victim's name is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin, he said.

Re: From the Somerville News

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

A quick google gave me the link you were referencing.
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2005/06/jumper_closes_d.html

Okay, this means there's not enough clearance under the train for a person to survive...even if he deliberately lies flat and pulls his arms in, as I watched him do.

I'll pour myself another drink now.

Re: From the Somerville News

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

Okay, this means there's not enough clearance under the train for a person to survive...even if he deliberately lies flat and pulls his arms in, as I watched him do.

You can get away with that in the NYC subways, but the MBTA trains are built much lower to the ground. :(

I'll pour myself another drink now.

Amen to that. :(

Re: From the Somerville News

[keimel.livejournal.com]

I'll pour myself another drink now.
Make it a double.

That sucks to have witnessed that.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Ugh, so horrible. I'm sorry you and everyone else had to witness that. :(

[ehy2k.livejournal.com]

I work in Somerville, just outside of Porter Sq. A number of my employees were late to work because of delays on the Red Line. We had no idea and were cursing the lag in the schedule and the inconvinience of it all. It just makes you realize how interconnected we are, how one event spreads like waves from a pebble on a pond water's surface.

I am so sorry. This sort of thing is beyond my scope of language when coming to grips with it or trying to express feelings. Know that there are many of us who are there to support you and to mourn the insane loss of human life.