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Suicides Using Ground Vehicles (Trains; Trucks; Etc.)

M

Mighty_Emperor

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Botswana's suicide branch line

February 18, 2004


Officials in Botswana have reportedly urged people wanting to kill themselves to "use trees" and not trains.

"If people want to commit suicide, they should use trees, not our trains," the country's minister of works and transport Tebelo Seretse told a Gabarone newspaper, according to The Star in neighbouring South Africa.

"I am sick of these people who throw themselves in front of the trains. The drivers are people - why turn them into murderers?" she was quoted as saying.

Train drivers in the diamond-rich southern African country often faced having to remove human body parts from their engines, The Star said.
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http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/18/1076780011878.html

Emps
 
The government should realize that throwing yourself in front of a tree isn't a surefire way of dying. What if the tree isn't moving fast enough? :eek:
 
perhaps they mean: throw the tree in front of a moving train, realise that suicide is a bit pointless, and get on with your life:confused:

and if we had one in Tony Blairs Britain it would say: use trees, trains don't move fast enough . . . oh, and blame Michael Howard
 
It isn't possble to make the same request in the UK as we have the wrong kind of trees.


Attached to the wrong kind of leaves......



Actually it's a serious problem. It must be pretty traumatic for the poor drivers who can see what is coming but can't stop in time.
 
It's all a bit too reminiscent of the old UK Govt. safety info. film that the Pythons did circa 1970-ish. ("Ways to kill yourself: Jumping out of a basement window -Not Recommended!" and so on, IIRC. Only saw it the once and I was wee so the memory's kinda hazy.)
 
Its very good advice.

A sucide this way happens every day in the UK, one wonders how the drivers cope.

I have a friend whos an ex driver (He lets me play with his train set, -the local railway preservation trust.) If Im feeling brave enough Ill ask him about it.
 
I always liked those subway posters in Neverwhere, the ones that read "Be a man - do yourself in".

As you say it can't be good for the drivers though, and it's a real pain when it delays your service.
 
There was an actual railway selfie video suicide in England last year.

A man set up a camera to record the train hitting him. Not much more to say about it, except that he'd obviously planned it well as everything happened as expected.

No, I haven't seen the video, but I believe I know people who have. I won't be asking for a look though.
 
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escargot said:
A man set up a camera to record the train hitting him. Not much more to say about it, except that he'd obviously planned it well as everything happened as expected.
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What must have been going through his mind?

The 09:05 from Paddington.
 
Yithian said:
What must have been going through his mind?

The 09:05 from Paddington.
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The question is 'What must have been going through his head?' not through his mind.
The joke doesn't work otherwise.
 
escargot said:
The question is 'What must have been going through his head?' not through his mind.
The joke doesn't work otherwise.
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I know, I buggered it up.

And now it's too late to edit.

I am a failure.
 
Two college students fell from the roof of a 4-story apartment building while partying and taking selfies ...
2 Temple University students fall from rooftop in North Philadelphia: Police

Two Temple University students were hospitalized Saturday after falling from a four-story rooftop in North Philadelphia, police said.

Temple University and Philadelphia police departments were called to an off-campus apartment on the 1800 block of North Bouvier Street around 2 a.m. Saturday.

According to police, several Temple students were attending a party and gathered on the rooftop.

Police said two 19-year-old women were taking selfies and fell from the roof and onto the sidewalk of a back alley.

One of the students suffered leg and ankle injuries and the other is in critical but stable condition with injuries to multiple parts of her body. ...
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FULL STORY: https://6abc.com/temple-university-...rooftop-party-teens-fell-from-police/6735533/
 
Naughty_Felid said:
Talking to a mate who picks up bits of people who have been hit by trains he reckons they look like lumps of chicken.
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Yup, I have known people with that job and I suspect 'chicken' is what they have to tell themselves to get through it.

Wasn't our own @Swifty offered such a post?
 
A hell of a job to have. When things are a bit quiet you can always drum up some work with some judicious shoving.
 
escargot said:
Yup, I have known people with that job and I suspect 'chicken' is what they have to tell themselves to get through it.

Wasn't our own @Swifty offered such a post?
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That was about 25 years ago and my Mum tipped me off about a job going picking up body parts on the rail track next to the A38 road .. suicides and kids playing hit by trains .. I've no regrets not even considering doing that. F**K that. The money's good though but not many people last long in the job.
 
My Mum's friend ran her own cleaning company and she got a contract to clean up after a terrorist attack (in London, don't know any details).
She and her husband had to do it themselves, because they couldn't get any of their employees to do it (yep, even the loo cleaners).
She told my Mum it was the most awful contract she'd ever done. It involved picking up gore and small body parts...
 
I know someone who works for the highways agency (U.K.) He told me that the people who jump off bridges into oncoming lorries (trucks) end up all over the place (one spattered body can close all six lanes of a section of motorway!) He said they have to call in army experts to collect the debris.
 
I have been required to collect humans in kit form off railway tracks more than once. Special equipment issued for purpose: Zero. (We didn’t even get rubber gloves).

l recall one time a couple of us were doing it (Intercity 125 suicide: IIRC he was spread along 180 yards of track), prowling along with our black bin liners, when l spotted a dead crow on the ballast. l picked it up, whirled it round my head and shouted to my mate, “I’ve found his wing!” How we laughed.

The correct attitude will see you through.

maximus otter
 
pandacracker said:
I know someone who works for the highways agency (U.K.) He told me that the people who jump off bridges into oncoming lorries (trucks) end up all over the place (one spattered body can close all six lanes of a section of motorway!) He said they have to call in army experts to collect the debris.
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I have a relative who does this. It's called in as a "bio hazard". There is a motorway bridge near me which is a favourite jumping point, really awful. I suppose that even if the bridge was made jump proof other bridges or means would be found. Desperately sad.
 
PeteS said:
I have a relative who does this. It's called in as a "bio hazard".
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Yup, same on t'railways. It has to be dealt with in a particular way.

A friend who's a station platform cleaner was asked to scrub some body-gore off a train in a station. She indignantly refused, partly because leaning off the platform with a big brush would be dangerous and more importantly because she wouldn't receive the special bio-hazard rate for it.

The mess itself didn't worry her, she's seen all sorts!
 
PeteS said:
I have a relative who does this. It's called in as a "bio hazard". There is a motorway bridge near me which is a favourite jumping point, really awful. I suppose that even if the bridge was made jump proof other bridges or means would be found. Desperately sad.
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Yup, there are lots of ways of jump-proofing bridges and crossings. The railways and Highways devote a lot of effort and money to it but even where it works, as you say, determined people will find a way.

There's a popular beauty spot that we've sometimes cycled to (and posted photos of on'ere, in fact) which has a well fenced-off level crossing with a metal-tunnelled footbridge. There are Samaritans signs up.

You'd think it was reasonably safe but people still kill themselves on the track there. I've been about to step onto a train at the next big station only for it to be stopped because of such an incident.
 
Samaritans worked with Network Rail to provide training to railway staff about how to look out for people. The original plan (about 9 years ago or so) was that they would contact their local branch, and the railway staff would sit with the person until a volunteer came to talk to them. But they found the staff were actually doing a good job, so they upped their training to the staff, and gradually the numbers have gone down a little bit. Apparently there are signs to look out for. Also many underground stations have a Samaritans phone at the end of the platform if people need it.

As for picking bits up, a mate had to do it on the LU once. He said they thought it was a fox as there was some fur and bits, but it seemed like a very big fox. Till they worked out it was a person with a fur coat.
 
A ex-copper mate of mine told me about the time he attended a light aircraft crash and helped tidy-up.

When the coroner asked where the body was he just pointed at the bucket in the corner and continued eating his curry.
 
I've only once been on a tube train when it hit a 'jumper': because he waited near the exit of the station, the impact was enough to kill but not enough to disassemble. I was in the front coach. It looked like someone had chucked a bucket of red paint at the windows. Of course, the staff training kicked in and they managed to persuade those of us in the nearest carriage not to look - I doubt there'd be much to see, it being on the track. But the initial impact spray was enough for me. I've a fairly hard constitution so the gore didn't bother me - it was the emotional state of the jumper and the driver that upset me.
As an aside on clean-up crews, Australian comedian Shaun Micallef had a series called Mr & Mrs Murder about a husband and wife team of industrial cleaners specialising in crime scenes. Of course, they turn sleuths.
 
Stormkhan said:
I've only once been on a tube train when it hit a 'jumper': because he waited near the exit of the station, the impact was enough to kill but not enough to disassemble. I was in the front coach. It looked like someone had chucked a bucket of red paint at the windows. Of course, the staff training kicked in and they managed to persuade those of us in the nearest carriage not to look - I doubt there'd be much to see, it being on the track. But the initial impact spray was enough for me. I've a fairly hard constitution so the gore didn't bother me - it was the emotional state of the jumper and the driver that upset me.
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Is the urban myth true that if you're unlucky enough to be a tube train driver who is on the receiving end, as it were, for a third time, you get your gold clock and a full pension there and then? How about overground trains?
 
Krepostnoi said:
Is the urban myth true that if you're unlucky enough to be a tube train driver who is on the receiving end, as it were, for a third time, you get your gold clock and a full pension there and then? How about overground trains?
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That's the premise of the 2008 fillum Three and Out.

Much as I admire the starry cast and fond as I am of back humour, its premise was a little too close to events in my own life on its release, when things had taken an Eastenders-type turn. Maybe it's time to give it a whirl.
 
Krepostnoi said:
Is the urban myth true that if you're unlucky enough to be a tube train driver who is on the receiving end, as it were, for a third time, you get your gold clock and a full pension there and then? How about overground trains?
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Being mildly interested, l had a quick Google. l was unable to find any definite confirmation or denial of this tale, though it was interesting to note that - at the time the film about Tube suicides was released - the ASLEF General Secretary gave an interview to the BBC about the effect of suicides on Tube drivers. Despite it being what most people would consider to be a golden opportunity to shoot the story down, he didn’t.

Make of this what you will.

maximus otter
 
When I saw the thread in the main listing, the title only displayed as far as "Suicides Using Ground Vehicles (Tra", which my brain automatically filled in as "tractor". I'm pretty certain I've read of cases of people, mostly farmers or farm workers, committing suicide by tying themselves to their tractor and tying a noose around their neck and to a tree or something similar, then just setting the tractor to go forward automatically. I would likely either have read it on here on in FT.
 
Ogdred Weary said:
When I saw the thread in the main listing, the title only displayed as far as "Suicides Using Ground Vehicles (Tra", which my brain automatically filled in as "tractor". I'm pretty certain I've read of cases of people, mostly farmers or farm workers, committing suicide by tying themselves to their tractor and tying a noose around their neck and to a tree or something similar, then just setting the tractor to go forward automatically. I would likely either have read it on here on in FT.
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This happen in the urban Midlands about 3 years ago. A couple sat in a car with nooses round their necks and tied to trees or whatever and then drove off fast, and dragged their heads off. Apparently they were involved in a child cruelty case.
 
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