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Last year, I killed a man

lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk — At 9.45am on Saturday, June 23 2007, I killed a man. A perfectly ordinary man, on a perfectly ordinary summer's day. CCTV pictures show him entering the station, unremarkable among all the passengers going to the West End. He waited at the front of the platform until he could hear my train approaching, then he calmly stepped down on to the tracks..

Bury
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  • jakv5, on 07/19/2008, -134/+12That is simply crazy!
    • urbano35, on 07/20/2008, -1/+30No that's not crazy, that's just the type of life some people live with and yet can go by you so unnoticed.
      • sarixe, on 07/20/2008, -1/+9thank you for that.
      • Xspire, on 07/20/2008, -11/+9So the narrator was gay?
      • Mnementh2230, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6Not necessarily. In many places outside the US, people refer to their husband/wife/live-in-boy/girlfriend as a "partner"
    • TheMidnight, on 07/20/2008, -4/+10What is with the first posts that add no insight or even an opinion? It's like these idiots have a direct connection from their fingers to their limbic nervous system and whatever instinctual reaction passes through their synapses immediately makes it to the text box.
      • Pusod, on 07/20/2008, -2/+12Some people think the whole point of the comments game is to be witty or get under peoples skin... i think he just got under yours. lighten up a little and don't take these comments personal. I know you're thinking of a swift and clever rebuttal right now for my comment. May I suggest that you refrain from replying back and save it for another day when you're on top of the list for maximum exposure to get the thumbs-up. Because we all know you check your "My Profile" section religiously to see how many people dugg your smart remark for that quick little ego boost.
      • Blandyman, on 07/20/2008, -3/+4@Pusod:

        I do that... :(
    • xkrwlng, on 07/20/2008, -4/+3THIS IS SPARTA!
  • discodeathopera, on 07/19/2008, -156/+26"Do you know there's a person under your train?"
    I lol'd so hard at this. (and hated my self for doing so)
    • EatChex89, on 07/20/2008, -1/+27That might have been on of the most depressing parts of the story.
    • sarixe, on 07/20/2008, -3/+16that's great.





      i almost cried.
      • Xspire, on 07/20/2008, -14/+5From laughter?
      • mynameistux, on 07/20/2008, -7/+2***** off
      • mostfynest, on 07/20/2008, -9/+2***** it he deserved to die if he stood there, ppl die all the time don't digg him down did anyone of you ppl know him? No i thought not so just shut the ***** up.

        He woulda lubricated the tracks thus saving on global warming.
      • TheTaoOfBill, on 07/20/2008, -1/+5maybe he deserved to die as it was no one's fault but his own. But his loved ones did not deserve to lose him. Death effects more than one person. Especially suicide.

        And your attempt to show how little you care about human life does not help if any of his loved ones happen to read this.
    • BlackMask, on 07/20/2008, -12/+2i don't know why you are getting dugged down, but i feel sorry for you
      • Rammy912, on 07/20/2008, -2/+2'Dugg' is past tense so you don't need to add the 'ed'.
        ;) Just a heads-up.
  • billllyboobs34, on 07/19/2008, -214/+17Pics or it didn't happen...
    • Lithpiperpilot, on 07/20/2008, -8/+30If you really love morbidity so much, just Google. An accident like that must have police pictures.

      But please, burn in hell for saying that.
    • texasthor, on 07/20/2008, -5/+23You kind of people are the reason comments are ruining the Internet.
      • Xspire, on 07/20/2008, -11/+6No, these kinds of people are ruining the Internet.

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        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _,,,--~~~~~~~~--,_ . . . . ._________/
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      • Synyk, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1comments are *RUINING* the internet? Isn't that an overstatement? I mean, some comments are dumb...but I still love the internet
    • An800lbGorilla, on 07/20/2008, -9/+3You should go and ***** yourself.
    • baldwin90, on 07/20/2008, -11/+8don't worry i dugg you.
    • directedition, on 07/20/2008, -1/+2The assholes are really coming out of the woodwork for this.
  • wesdenton, on 07/19/2008, -119/+48You didn't kill a man. You unwittingly and involuntarily assisted a man committing suicide.
    • Asshate, on 07/20/2008, -5/+14Oooh oooh oooh oooooo, sometimes I wish I'd never been born at all...
    • transfuse, on 07/20/2008, -0/+8Why is this being dugg down so much?
    • uberbucket1, on 07/20/2008, -0/+3Another comment is virtually the same and has hundreds of diggs, ????
  • orangederange, on 07/19/2008, -40/+419He didnt kill the man, nor did he assist in the suicide. The man was ill, he needed help.
    • ChaosProfessor, on 07/20/2008, -58/+78he technically did kill the guy
      • sanman, on 07/20/2008, -3/+107trains can't stop on a dime, they take awhile to slow down
      • twiztidsinz, on 07/20/2008, -51/+4Cars cant either.. but when you hit someone with one, even on accident, you're still charged with vehicular manslaughter.

        I'm not saying this guy is guilty, but yeah... he did kill that person.
        He was in charge of the train, the train hit the guy....
      • raydeen, on 07/20/2008, -2/+111No, the 'guy' killed the guy. Or if you must be 'technical', momentum and an unthinking, unfeeling and unforgiving engine of metal killed the guy.
      • djholybolt, on 07/20/2008, -17/+5if the glove didn't fit, You MUST acquit-- oh.. wrong case.
      • Lulzkillah, on 07/20/2008, -20/+4Technically, he killed him, because the guy was responsible of the train, but he isn't guilty, since it wasn't the train guy's intention.
      • mattlohkamp, on 07/20/2008, -0/+62no, technically, the several tons of metal killed the guy. The driver couldn't have stopped it - he even tried to stop it, but was unable to. That's a lot of momentum.
      • TheMidnight, on 07/20/2008, -0/+40You don't get charged with vehicular manslaughter if someone jumps out in front of you. It would only be a charge if your negligence, recklessness or maliciousness constituted the cause of death. If you were speeding, drunk, or you ran a red light, you would get the charge depending on the jurisdiction.
      • fool13, on 07/20/2008, -3/+5He killed the guy in that he drove the train. But realistically the man killed himself, the legal system would agree.
      • Anpheus, on 07/20/2008, -3/+9Nah, in this case we have to rely on what we consider "cause and effect." Necessary and sufficient conditions are what we can use to determine cause.

        And the only necessary condition is that the boy jumped in front of the train. Everything else is sufficient. Even the braking of the train didn't change the result. Every choice each of them made was sufficient, but the only necessary choice was, did the boy jump in front of the train and choose to stay there?

        Yes. Depressing as it is, no one killed that guy. He made a choice. An irrational choice he couldn't take back.
      • bluezinc, on 07/20/2008, -1/+27No, technically...
        Ok, can we stop this retarded conversation about who or what "technically" killed the guy?

        It's totally irrelevant to the point of the story.
      • sx66gns, on 07/20/2008, -11/+2The point is that he is starting to rethink his atheism.
      • Millsee, on 07/20/2008, -3/+1No, he was in the front of a moving object that killed someone. It wasn't his will.

        Otherwise, technically everyone on the train killed him as they were in the same position as him.

        Logic: Ur doin it rong
      • Gudeldar, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1The train ended his life, but he caused his own death. The conductor doesn't really factor into either of those, though I can understand why he feels the way he does.
      • arobicha, on 07/20/2008, -1/+4@sx66gns:

        I don't think the point of the story was that he was trying to re-think his stance on faith. I think the point of the story was that logically you shouldn't fret over the things that are out of your control. That Henrik decided to take his life by his own accord, and the train driver couldn't stop in time (despite wanting to), and later learning that his death was an unfortunate tragedy and an impatient mistake.

        The point is that basic human compassion has overridden the logic, and he feels griped by his remorse for this man. The point is that he knows the success, and love, and wonders that awaited this man are all over, and that his involvement in the piece of the complicated puzzle was a front row seat to his demise. It's traumatizing.

        I won't take this opportunity to discuss atheism against religion other than the fact that it's irrelevant in this case, because compassion has nothing to do with either; it only affects how we grieve. In the end, all that matters is that somebody died early, and life goes on. I don't know how I would deal with an event such as this, but I know it would tear me up inside.
      • RobotCitizen, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1Technically, people use the word "technically" way too much.
      • sx66gns, on 07/21/2008, -1/+1@arobicha:

        Good point and I accept your opinion as valid , I would at some point like to hear your opinion on atheism and religion.
      • arobicha, on 07/21/2008, -0/+3@sx66gns:

        Somehow I doubt that, but I appreciate the gesture. I just advise you that human decency and compassion are common to all of us... but practiced only by those who feel it strongly. Trust only those who you know do.
    • Speed, on 07/20/2008, -0/+81Doesn't make him feel any better.
    • Zaneris, on 07/20/2008, -24/+18Technically, the rapid acceleration from 0mph to 30+mph killed him, followed by his body being torn apart while being dragged by the train.

      Just saying...
      • sarixe, on 07/20/2008, -3/+9it's true, why are people burying you?
    • rypic7, on 07/20/2008, -1/+157you clearly didn't get the story. the person who wrote it isn't an idiot. he knows that he did not technically kill the man. but that doesn't stop the guilt and horror of the experience. you try conducting a train that crushes someone to death and i am sure that you'll wish you had more than 60 seconds to edit digg comments.
      • Recuso, on 07/20/2008, -16/+10"you try conducting a train that crushes someone to death and i am sure that you'll wish you had more than 60 seconds to edit digg comments."

        Very well, I shall report back as soon as I have completed my experiment.
      • ryansimbalist, on 07/20/2008, -4/+14It's actually five minutes.
      • rypic7, on 07/20/2008, -4/+1right you are with the five minutes. i read the "please allow sixty seconds fro comments to show up" or whatever. damnit. there goes my eloquence.
    • lutiana, on 07/20/2008, -2/+58Wow, most of you totally missed the point of this. The technicality of it is irrelevant. As far as the train driver is concerned he killed the guy and more traumatic to him is the fact that he could do NOTHING to prevent it.
    • fool13, on 07/20/2008, -1/+21Story went over a lot of peoples heads. Irrelevant is 'who' killed the guy. What's important is the impact of the event, if you have ever seen someone get into a car accident or be seriously injured you would know the feeling. Take that and multiply it to get the feeling of 'killing' someone.
      • grumpyrain, on 07/20/2008, -2/+4There is a difference between a car driver and a train driver. With a car accident, there are a thousand what-ifs based around the fact you have some direction control. By contrast, once the train driver hits the emergency brakes, he is but another passenger.

        Regardless, an event such as this will have a massive impact on the driver as indeed it would have had an effect on the other passengers, station staff, and the recovery staff. The driver would be no doubt wondering about what-if he had left the other station a minute behind schedule. Waiting passengers and staff would have been left with the what-ifs about if they could have dragged him off the line. You can bet your bottom dollar the passenger who inquired about when the train would proceed still hates himself for even thinking that, let alone saying it.

        The real tragedy here is that a young man was so disturbed and thought he had no other hope.
    • orangederange, on 07/20/2008, -11/+4we all killed this man. this narrative is about a tragedy of our society as a whole...
    • nicmakaveli, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6he was actually just thinking he's ill.
    • crazycraka, on 07/20/2008, -7/+2lol awesome ending pretty funny
    • mike17032, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1A train is a great cure for stupidity it seems.
    • oxpecker, on 08/15/2008, -0/+0I was told about this thread by a friend, so logged in because I am curious about your opinions. The comments are thought-provoking, many sympathetic and a few downright bizarre! Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed reading them all and I am grateful for the responses. I've been amazed by the reaction from sites around the world to my article and pleased to give an insight from a sometimes overlooked position.

      To answer a few random points:

      Despite my belief that I could have done nothing about it, it was only when I saw the pictures that I finally felt some sense of vindication; I no longer feel guilty about it being my fault. Had there not been irrefutable evidence I may never have got over it.

      The man on the platform who asked about the resumption of service would almost certainly have witnessed the whole tragedy. He probably wasn't functioning properly when he spoke to me and he has nothing but my sympathy.

      Henrik would, in all likelihood, have been suffering from anxieties other than his suspected medical condition in order to prompt such a radical response. I'll never know, but it's not something that I've thought about much since.

      I was extremely lucky in the support I had from friends, workmates and my employer. Other train drivers have fared far worse. But Henrik's actions, no matter how much sympathy I have for him and his family, were entirely reprehensible. He wanted to kill himself, he should have devised a method with fewer repercussions.

      Finally, in answer to the bizarre query about my sexuality: I use the term "partner" in conversation to refer to both genders and all sexualities. Nothing should be read into its use in the context of sobbing my heart out "in the arms of my partner." I wasn't being coy, as I have nothing to be coy about: my partner is male and we have been together for 20 years. "Partner" is simply an accurate and apposite term.

  • maz2331, on 07/19/2008, -74/+33He killed himself, victimizing the driver of the train and inconveniencing every bystander in the process.

    Selfish bastard. Too bad we can't execute him.
    • yayintertubes, on 07/20/2008, -13/+36***** you man.
      • djholybolt, on 07/20/2008, -7/+26suicide is pretty selfish, man.
      • therightclique, on 07/20/2008, -16/+7everything everyone you've ever known has done was for selfish reasons. humans are incapable of doing anything selflessly. maybe you've never lived with a torment, so you don't get it. dismissing suicide as "selfish" is an extremely selfish thing to do.
      • Zarokima, on 07/20/2008, -2/+8therightclique: When a jaded, cynical misanthrope tells you you're an idiot for thinking people are incapable of doing anything selflessly, you know you're wrong.

        You are an idiot for thinking people are incapable of doing anything selflessly.
      • djholybolt, on 07/22/2008, -0/+1sorry Rightclique.. you're wrong. I've done many selfless things in my days and I try to be the least selfish. Suicide is Selfishness. The person only thinks of themselves and have no consideration for the impact of their actions. They are usually one-minded in the fact that they don't think they can get out of the hole or situation they are in and that the only way out is the sweet release of death.
    • radu79, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1yayintertubes, I think that was sarcasm (at least, the execution thing).
    • juvigt, on 07/20/2008, -3/+3you're an idiot
    • rpebble, on 07/20/2008, -2/+13It's true, while I can't imagine the pain these people must be in before they decide to kill themselves, I also can't imagine ever putting an end to my life in a way that brings so much pain to someone else. Selfish doesn't even begin to describe it.
    • Myonosken, on 07/20/2008, -0/+4Whilst I find it retarded you suggest execution, you are sort of right that suicide is selfish if it is done in a manner such as this.
      • stk198323, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2Suicide is selfish no matter how you do it, unless you have no family or friends... his parents will ask themselves what did we do wrong, did we loved him enough, did we gave him enough importance, etc. His friends will think: why did I did this joke about the screw up he did at work last time or why did I joked about the fact he would never see his country for years, etc etc! All those people will feal bad and guilty because you just couldn't freaking talk to them to tell them how you felt!
  • Notyavgkat, on 07/19/2008, -47/+22http://www.reddit.com/info/6sjv4/comments/
    wonder who thought of submitting this 1st
    • DeskFlyer, on 07/20/2008, -10/+94MrBabyMan, as much as certain people dislike him, did not "steal" anything. You people complaining about him monitoring Reddit and submitting the stories that make is popular over there is like complaining about your local newspaper "stealing" stories from the AP, which they all mirror. It's the internet, which was invented to share information as efficiently as possible. So shut the ***** up already, both of you.
      • ouzome, on 07/20/2008, -1/+30well said, I don't even visit Reddit so I don't care.
      • elbartdaaawwg, on 07/20/2008, -0/+3yeah, agreed, very well said.
    • dswinder, on 07/20/2008, -3/+3Why would anyone visit Reddit and Digg? Too much time on your hands?
      • dswinder, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1And why would that comment receive either a digg or a bury? It seemed like a simple question to me. Sensitive Reddit/Digg fans around here.
      • JaysonthePirate, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2its because nobody loves you.
    • skyroket, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1A lot of us don't like to go around to a bazillion sites to get our news. That is the beauty of Digg.com - it all comes here. Do you whine that all the TV news stations report on the same *****?
  • demonic, on 07/19/2008, -16/+528Suicide : A permanent solution, to a temporary problem.

    Sad and I feel for the train driver as he will have those images for the rest of his life.
    • InfernoX, on 07/20/2008, -10/+41It makes more sense to permanently solve a problem than to only temporarily solve it.

      Besides, temporary is relative.
      • worldtrade2890, on 07/20/2008, -9/+5Temporary is very relative indeed.

        I hate so much that quote. For someone who already contemplated suicide, I can say that when you're in pain, you just don't care if your problems are supposed to be temporary.

        All you want to do is to stop the pain...
      • reaperhatch, on 07/20/2008, -13/+7craaaawwwling iiinnnnn myyyyyyy skiiiiiinnn
        These wouuuuunds will never heal.
      • xiphy, on 07/20/2008, -1/+8lol THANK YOU! i'm so sick of hearing that phrase as the refrain of those who think they're being one part wise, and the other part helpful whenever the topic of suicide comes up.

        Everything is "temporary" on a grand enough scale...

        Chances are, if you're bleeting this line, you've never really BEEN there or experienced the pain of someone who has. Otherwise, you'd well know that pain is pain. It doesn't matter if its 10 seconds, or 10 years... When it's acute enough, someone very well may be driven to suicide to end it. To invalidate that by scoffing it's only a "temporary" problem is the height of ignorance toward the nature of their pain. It's such a meaningless statement designed to help like Hallmark cards are designed to love. Throw a "get well soon" and "cheers" in there while you're at it.

        People who kill themselves do not want to die - they just want to end the pain they experience being alive and aware. A lot of them have "temporarily" solved their problems too many times already - by drinking, through drugs, failed treatments, even just toughing it out... I believe no one considers death as alternative to a state that is at all "temporary" - it's the inescapably of it that drives them there, because of a suffering that is as real and as deep as all their life proceeding it in that state. Most suicides are long, drawn-out affairs, sometimes spanning yesterday of contemplative misery.

        Don't knock it till you've been there, and lived to tell about it.
      • HerbertWest, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Been there.

        Almost 20 lost years.

        Rethink it.
    • LucerinRed, on 07/20/2008, -14/+3until the driver permanently solves his problems by throwing himself into a train. Thus ending the cycle forever.
    • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 07/20/2008, -15/+5Why the hell would you want a temporary solution to a problem?

      You just made suicide sound about twice as appealing to me. Thanks a lot, ass. My death will be on your hands...
    • ralphthemagi, on 07/20/2008, -3/+22Only assuming that death is the ultimate end, which it probably is. But imagine for a moment that it's not. In which case, suicide is merely a temporary solution to a permanent problem. How much would that suck?
    • HerbertWest, on 07/20/2008, -1/+42In my darkest hour I didn't know that my brightest days were ahead.
      • retoriplastique, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5It sucks that you can't fave comments...
      • new2u, on 07/23/2008, -0/+2When people are in their darkest hour, they can see nothing but darkness all around them. If only we had a crystal ball to show us that things will get better, they always do.
    • thestranger, on 07/20/2008, -2/+4What if your "problem" is not being able to walk, or breath on your own, or live without extreme pain? These problems are usually associated with life time problems and illness.
    • ledguitar, on 07/20/2008, -3/+9God that quote is just beautiful.
    • Samsong, on 07/20/2008, -10/+3Um... Pretty sure AIDS ain't temporary...
      • falafelkiosken, on 07/20/2008, -1/+11rtfa
      • Samsong, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1I did... But when he acted he assumed he had AIDS and thus would have it for ever.
    • dopplerdog, on 07/20/2008, -2/+3It's permanent.... but it's also painless, it brings on many changes, and you can take or leave it if you please.
      • wrathchilde, on 07/20/2008, -3/+2A brave man one requested me, to answer questions that are key, "is it to be or not to be?" and I replied, "oh, why ask me?"
    • bluezinc, on 07/20/2008, -0/+7But if you've ever been there, and you know in your mind that the pain is probably temporary, but your soul is tired and can't take anymore and every second it builds. Just because you know in your brain that something is temporary doesn't mean that you wouldn't do anything to make it stop.
    • theVariable, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5Seriously people. Stop using this as a means to reason with someone who wants to die. They know it's a permanent solution. That's why they want to do it...

      I speak from experience. Every time I heard that, I wondered how the person saying it could be so foolish, to use those words.
    • kaelyiesta, on 07/20/2008, -0/+4If you've ever gone through an immensely hurtful experience, you would know that these things aren't necessarily temporary. Life can leave mental scars that never heal.
    • hmphargh, on 07/20/2008, -1/+12http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

      (800) 273-TALK
    • Scriabin, on 07/20/2008, -3/+2This guy has no class, no civility, no respect for others... if he were a gentlemen, he would have tried to kill himself in a way that would hurt as few people as possible, not make it some public spectacle. He was selfish by killing himself in the first place, and he added an extra dose of selfish to this by doing it where everyone could see it, and likely messing a few people's lives up in the process. I know the article doesn't talk much on his life, but I bet this guy was a bitchy selfish ***** in real life, who valued friends like money, and thought 'Why don't I jump in front of a bus instead of using the countless ways of silently killing myself, so EVERYONE can know!'

      It's still a tragedy that this driver has to live with this though. Nobody deserves that.
      • bluezinc, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2Seriously, stfu.

        You really don't know how much of an ass you look like right now.
    • Emmo213, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1I'll admit I'm biased being a railfan, but whenever there's an train accident, normally with a car whose driver just couldn't wait, very few people ever think about how the train crew feel. Even though there's nothing you can do after applying the emergency brakes, knowing what's coming and then watching it has to be a deeply painful emotional experience.
  • LordoftheFly, on 07/19/2008, -23/+497He didn't even have AIDS; he should have waited for the test results.

    But then again.. I hate waiting for food to heat up in the microwave.
    • Sarevok9, on 07/20/2008, -2/+26Thats the issue with people who suffer from mental illness, when you try to calm them down, or to reassure them they get more and more distraught. Sometimes medication is the answer, but more often then not just talking to a person can help.

      This story seemed like just another lame thing (I was expecting a fresh-prince again) but honestly part of me really feels for the driver, and Henrik. Hopefully something like this doesn't happen to one of your friends or loved ones.
      • lamiaconfitor, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1Actually... in my experience, talking to someone in that state of mind (no matter how compassionate you are) can have unforeseeable results.
    • twishart, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5But that's no reason to stick your hands on the stove burners...
      • rearlgrant, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1Though some people do, and it makes them feel better, for whatever reason.
    • vikingkatja, on 07/20/2008, -3/+17Sometimes I catch myself staring my microwave down, shaking my fist impatiently and shouting "COME ON, I DON'T HAVE ALL DAMN MINUTE HERE!!!!"
    • GregFD3S, on 07/20/2008, -0/+58I always open the microwave when there is 5-10 seconds left.
      • lamiaconfitor, on 07/20/2008, -1/+14I don't know if it was meant to be, but that is kind of poetic.
    • D14BL0, on 07/20/2008, -1/+10This Hot Pocket might come out frozen in the center. It might not. Why should I risk it? That's it, I'm jumping into the garbage disposal.
    • clruss1, on 07/20/2008, -0/+18I don't get the regular AIDS test anymore. I get the roundabout AIDS test. I ask my friend Brian, "Do you know anybody who has AIDS?". He says, "No". I say, "Cool, because you know me." -Mitch H.
  • pauls88, on 07/19/2008, -70/+15Help Support The Bury The Baby Campaign!
    • twiztidsinz, on 07/20/2008, -7/+4"Help Support The I Speak In All Capitol Letters And Am An Annoying Anti-BabyMan Cry Bay Campaign!"

      I fixed it for you.
  • UltramegaOK, on 07/20/2008, -10/+192Here is something you can't understand.......
    • victor22, on 07/20/2008, -6/+118how i could just kill a man?
      • jkleinfeld, on 07/20/2008, -8/+3Genius, simply genius
      • colourclassic, on 07/20/2008, -13/+7Cypress Hill FTW
      • gplpark92, on 07/20/2008, -11/+7is it sad that i only knew that thru Radio Los Santos?
      • TheMidnight, on 07/20/2008, -10/+5Cuz if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, it might blow up and kill a man.
      • firstpost, on 07/20/2008, -3/+4@gplpark92
        I know what you mean, I only know the Rage Against The Machine version
      • Nath2k8, on 07/20/2008, -1/+3Cyprus hill version here... :/
      • pablo82, on 07/20/2008, -0/+21God dammit im always about 12 hours and 1 minute away from making a good comment.
    • azzy, on 07/20/2008, -17/+3it wasn't part of the plan..
    • hawk3210, on 07/20/2008, -3/+4I hope people get this reference...
    • nycwintersbleed, on 07/20/2008, -0/+0got it
    • evilbeaver22, on 07/20/2008, -2/+0What a shame the article says he was
      just another local
      kid from the streets
      gettin' paid for his vocals
  • diemunkiesdie, on 07/20/2008, -2/+64Remarkable that the driver was able to stay so calm and collected. I hadn't really thought of them being trained for this kind of stuff.
    • Chalks777, on 07/20/2008, -2/+36Pun intended?
    • Miamisun, on 07/20/2008, -6/+1He is from London. They are much calmer and overreact less than us in the states.
      • sigginike90, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2How could you possibly know that?... What there are 250 million or 300(?) million people living in the united states and 5+ million in london i think, how could you possibly know how all these people would react to a situation? You're just basing that on your past experiences and what you see on TV which is no where near enough data to state such a thing.
  • Elliottx, on 07/20/2008, -40/+3I knew that man, earlier that day he murdered three people in an alternate dimension which were descendants of your mother!

    WHAT A TWEEST!
  • britblogger, on 07/20/2008, -3/+92powerful and somber story.
    • retoriplastique, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6It's even more powerful when you are reading this story at a very difficult moment. You see, I can see me in the sweidish guy right now. Not that I have AIDS, but I'm passing through an almost impossible to solve situation. And reading this slapped me friggin' hard.

      Not a funny article, indeed, but powerful.
  • Fuxsit, on 07/20/2008, -38/+229He paused for a heartbeat, looked at his watch and said, "So, how long before we get on the move again?"
    some people are such assholes its not even funny anymore
    • synik, on 07/20/2008, -33/+89the person who jumped in front of the train was the biggest ***** of all.
      • fuhlavaflave, on 07/20/2008, -5/+55The man needed assistance. I'm more sorry for him than angry.
      • brad3378, on 07/20/2008, -16/+5The guy who pushed him was a bigger *****.
      • EddieOwns, on 07/20/2008, -10/+2brad is the bigger *****.
      • dopplerdog, on 07/20/2008, -7/+8"Mental illness". Look up what that means.
      • uberduger, on 07/20/2008, -2/+6@ fuhlavaflave:
        Actually it's a very selfish way to kill yourself. I feel sorry for him too, but it's no excuse to potentially ruin someone else's life (i.e. the train driver in this case, or the family member who has to sponge bits of brain matter from the walls when someone blows their head off). My sympathy for these people drops a lot when I hear they chose an exit like this.
      • Synyk, on 07/20/2008, -4/+1fuhlavaflave said "The man needed assistance"

        Well...he got what he needed. :x
    • aphexcoil, on 07/20/2008, -5/+116It isn´t like the guy started screaming for the conductor to get moving. He sounded polite to me.

      Unfortunately, the whole of society can't stop their day just because some sick dude jumps in front of their train.
      • BOFH2, on 07/20/2008, -2/+15How about he use some common sense? If someone dies there is at least a cursory investigation right? Which means people have to arrive, pictures, statements and getting the body out. That means it is going to be a while. Find another mode of transportation.
      • RobotBuddha, on 07/20/2008, -13/+8If society can't stop because of the loss of a human life, right there outside the window... I think it says just as much about the sickness of it as the guy who killed himself.
      • KOSmurfy, on 07/20/2008, -0/+51It never hurts to ask.
      • Jabertsohn, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2@BOFH2

        If you already have a train ticket, finding an alternative mode of transport from some random station might not be a viable solution.

        Of course he knew there would be an investigation, he asked how long it would be.
      • cervantzt, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Well said...
    • unknownpoltroon, on 07/20/2008, -6/+67Yeah, and some of us deal with dark stressful ***** up situations by using dark humor. Deal.
    • Brian48216, on 07/20/2008, -1/+19He was probably taken off guard by it so badly. I mean, what the hell else do you say in that situation? The first thing his brain probably thought of was a way out of the conversation.
    • focom, on 07/20/2008, -1/+20It's a bit hard to understand unless you've been in that situation before... I've been on a train that was used for suicide. There was no station nearby and it ended up getting delayed for 1 hour on a 2-hour trip. Everyone on the train was pretty pissed in the end, and who knows how many other trains got delayed as well. It's hard to feel anything but annoyed with some random guy that's responsible for wrecking a few thousand people's schedules when you're actually on the train getting delayed.
      • aprocter, on 07/20/2008, -15/+8Dude, the guy killed himself. Think about his family, and get some perspective. Your life got delayed an hour. Their lives are dramatically changed forever, and his is over. Anyone on that train who was 'pretty pissed' is an *****.
      • Ramble, on 07/20/2008, -0/+7Not really, there are better ways to commit suicide, why should we cry over some guys death when it was his choice?
      • GeorgeStone2, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6@aprocter: I've always had the opinion that people who throw themselves onto the tracks are just selfish arseholes.
        Sure, kill your self all you like. See if I care.
        But make me late? That's just ***** bad manners.
        Why make my day worse just because you're having a bad day.
      • minervapractica, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1@focom
        Sure, it would be unreasonable to think someone should care about every single person that dies, but come on. Several people's lives were changed, and possibly destroyed, by something that happened right outside your door. How much important ***** did you miss in that hour that was worth getting pissed about?
    • kinerry, on 07/20/2008, -1/+29You obviously haven't taken the tube

      This ***** is a daily occurance and it gets tiring real fast.
    • Memitim, on 07/20/2008, -2/+4We're getting close to 7 billion human beings on this rock; human life isn't precious. I'm all behind someone's right to off themselves, just as long as they are complete dicks to other people by doing it in a fashion that screws with the lives of others. At least this choad didn't threaten the lives of others, like those morons who jump off of tall buildings or drive into oncoming traffic. But sick or not, he was still a dick to all of the other commuters and staffers, particularly that driver who has to live with that for the rest of his days.
    • jimmies, on 07/20/2008, -3/+1You have obviously never commuted on a train. I've done so for the last 5 years.

      Suicide by train is quite common, and incredibly annoying. I have better things to do with my life than worry about some idiot who took the easy way out at the expense of others.
    • Disregard, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2The way people shove, swear at each other and just generally act like dicks on the tube, I'm not surprised at all.

      But yeah, 'person under a train' is literally a weekly occurrence on my tube line alone.

      It's a weird euphemism for suicide - almost like 'leaves on the track'.
    • flynnfx, on 07/20/2008, -1/+2Death is cheap. Why give a ***** about anything anymore? (Note HUGE sarcasm)
      No mourning about what could have driven the person to do this, as we find out in the article - this is a human being. Instead we get numerous Digg users bitching and moaning about how this suicide ***** up schedules, delays people, makes things late.

      I do hope it never happens to a brother, sister, mom, dad or close friend or relative.
      Your tune will change from "some ***** suicided and is making me late".

      And no, I've never had anyone close to me suicide.
      Just listening to the callous comments from Digg assholes here.
  • victor22, on 07/20/2008, -20/+181I'm not a fan of big articles, but this one is just awesome. I dont care MrBabyMan was the submitter, i'm still digging it!
    • spookyttws, on 07/20/2008, -7/+2Big articles? As in popular? Because that's a strange statement. Because lots of people find something interesting you tend not to?
      • RobotBuddha, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6I think he meant length of the text.
      • TalahRama, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5Why is the concern focused on what he meant by "big" instead of what he meant by "awesome?"
    • anselm83, on 07/20/2008, -2/+10Big articles? As in long? Because that's a strange statement. Because lots of people find newspaper articles not all that long really.
    • Karmavs, on 07/20/2008, -2/+23810 words ≠ Long article.
      • ProfessorFoo, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11It is long compared to all the pictures, comics, and cracked lists digg usually has.
    • camilos007, on 07/20/2008, -4/+5Big Article? You don't read very much do you Victor22? Is the "22" in your name the maximum amount of alphabet letters you're willing to read?
    • Miamisun, on 07/20/2008, -1/+2Oh MBM posted it? Did not notice that. Well Now i must un-read it and create 2200 accounts to digg it down. Be right back.
    • Disregard, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11Long? Maybe it would do better on Digg reformatted as "Top 10 Things That Suck About Running A Dude Over With Your Train!"?
  • HowDoYouSayThat, on 07/20/2008, -1/+110For the first time being a procrastinator would have really, realllly paid off
    • InfernoX, on 07/20/2008, -0/+15Worked/works for me.
      • FatLoser, on 07/20/2008, -0/+18will work for me tomorrow... or maybe next week
    • iSinned, on 07/20/2008, -1/+3Pool's closed, they just wouldn't listen....
  • bcorder, on 07/20/2008, -7/+27How sad, two lives damaged for reasons that don't add up to anyone. Death is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Makes you give pause and hopefully pay attention to your fellow man. If you have friends and family treasure them, if you don't, find some, they're out there. In order to have a friend, be a friend.
    • InfernoX, on 07/20/2008, -7/+13I love how everyone coins the "permanent solution to a temporary problem" phrase. Idiot, it makes more sense to permanently solve a problem than temporarily solve it.

      • itsripitsrip, on 07/20/2008, -0/+9the problem will go away (hopefully).

        your life, on the other hand, is gone.
    • fuhlavaflave, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11It's more like "the only solution to the only real problem." Camus said the only real question was whether or not to commit suicide. Play the game by the rules, or reject the absurd?

      In any case, I feel bad for the driver and the victim.
      • anaesthetica, on 07/20/2008, -0/+4I highly recommend reading Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" to anyone who still hasn't. It'll change your outlook on everything. Just make sure to get a good translation from the French (or read it in the original).
    • IanPR, on 07/20/2008, -1/+4Death is a permanent solution to a permanent problem.
      That is until cells don't age, or lose reproduction abilities, or all viruses are erased from this world.

      Suicide on the other hand...
  • hektur, on 07/20/2008, -40/+96These comments are remarkably *****.
    • adeadwaffle, on 07/20/2008, -3/+44And yours isn't? Try contributing if you think the comments are so bad instead of just being a useless critic.
    • xDynaBlade, on 07/20/2008, -1/+10Everybody's a critic.
    • FatLoser, on 07/20/2008, -0/+33your comment is a temporary observation to a permanent problem
    • ProfessorFoo, on 07/20/2008, -3/+3Why aren't comments just disabled for every article? Every single one has someone saying "These comments suck" and everyone always seems to agree.
    • PilotHead, on 07/20/2008, -2/+0What do you want? Comedy?
      It's pretty serious article.

      *Plays "You Have AIDS" song from Family"*
  • scottsutherland, on 07/20/2008, -2/+46Definitely a powerful story from a point of view we don't usually see. Another point of view I'd like to see is that of the people who have to clean the mess up.
    • Mard, on 07/20/2008, -0/+20How in the world do people do that? Even paramedics who deal with living people, but still people who could be mangled and bloodied beyond recognition. I could not cope with it. They are all heroes.
    • An800lbGorilla, on 07/20/2008, -0/+13I was an EMT-B for about 3 years, and we are the ones who have to clean it up, along with the firemen and police paramedics. You have to pick up all the pieces and basically pile them together in haz-mat bags so that a coroner can try and put them back in order (it's hardest when there's more than one victim).
    • jasonh1234, on 07/20/2008, -0/+10I once saw the cleanup after one of these situations from outside a groundlevel station.
      And it was just like 800lbGorilla above me said. The thing that got me though was I could overhear them talking as they cleaned and they were laughing and making jokes about the deceased. I thought that was pretty bad but I guess it's the kinda moment/task that could definitely use lightening when you're bagging hairy chunks of scalp.
      • An800lbGorilla, on 07/20/2008, -1/+7We call it graveyard humor. If you don't have it, you can't make it as an EMT past your first dirty job.
      • andy101, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6As a paramedic myself, I can tell you that you don't need "graveyard humor" to make it past your first job. You get somewhat desensitized to seeing dead people, but the idiots who make jokes like "Hey, this is like a jigsaw puzzle!!!1" are ***** morons.
    • dvavasour, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6After the July 2005 bombing on the London Underground, there was a horrific clear-up operation. I remember listening to a piece on the radio by someone from the Salvation Army - the had set up a tea and "befriending" service for the rescue workers. Not only was the work gruesome, it was also in intensely physically challenging circumstances (trying to treat human remains with respect while extracting them from mangled metal in a severely confined space).

      I salute the rescue workers, and those who support them.
    • djlosch, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5in high school, my english teacher's parents did cleanup for death scenes. and since my english teacher was an old guy, and those were different times, his parents "brought him to work" on quite a few occasions. he would tell stories about it if people asked.

      he'd often tell the story of this one specific murder-suicide couple. they were literally a couple that weighed 400 lbs each, and lived in a trailer home. the husband shot his wife 3 times at close range with a shotgun, twice in the chest and once in the face, and then he shot himself in the stomach. the teacher would explain that when he entered the trailer, the stench was just so wretched, and by the time they all had gotten there, the floor was covered in inches of a mixture of blood, fat, feces, and other tissue.

      he'd also tell the story of when a lady living alone hung herself from her ceiling, and no one came in until weeks after. the problem is that the flesh starts rotting and the muscles have released so the bowels literally fall out of the body through the anus, and drip out onto the floor.

      when his parents pushed him to join the family business, he moved away and became a teacher.

      i can only imagine this being just as disgusting. think of a large cockroach being splatted... all the guts oozing out from different parts. now think of that hundreds of times larger.
    • rearlgrant, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1I'll add a detail. Funny, I've only talked about this to random people once before... and that's b/c I was calling BS on a person who was making stuff up.
      I've done cleanup, for different reasons at different times.
      It never really bothered me, probably b/c all of my grandparents volunteered to do the same, probably b/c they were veterans of fierce combat and saw stuff I couldn't imagine. They taught me that if you can learn the skill of cleaning up, then doing clean up was the right thing to do for all involved; and if you just do it, you make the situation better. All my life, it's just seemed like the right thing to do, and people are generally relieved that someone can. (as an aside, I do get bothered by people who, while I'm doing it, say "how can he do that?" in a derrogatory tone. It's not easy to do cleanup, but I can do it -- positive encouragement is appreciated.)
      I will say the one thing that does trigger a feeling that I might describe as PTSD symptoms is the smell... When I read novels or newspaper accounts and there's all these details, I often wonder if the person isn't close enough or is getting accounts second hand, b/c the smell, to me, is unique and always the same.
      • scottsutherland, on 07/22/2008, -0/+2I don't think people mean "how can he do that" in a derogatory way - it's just an impressive mental feat to be able to deal with that.

        And I'm not surprised that smell causes "flashbacks", smelling is the sense that we associate past memories with the best.
  • postvivace, on 07/20/2008, -50/+3SEXY TIME!!!! (borat)
  • jf317820, on 07/20/2008, -30/+2ghey
  • prguitarman, on 07/20/2008, -23/+1Is it ironic that five articles down, I found this?:
    http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/07/16/Scienti ...

    ._.
    • therightclique, on 07/20/2008, -2/+6no. that's coincidence. try not to learn things about things from alanis morisette songs. it turns out she doesn't know what irony is either.
  • rationalbeats, on 07/20/2008, -9/+81You are a rationalist because you can sob, and god dammit life is REAL, and finite!

    "I left work and went home in the full realisation that perhaps I am not such a rationalist after all, because I sobbed my heart out in the arms of my partner"

    Amazing ***** snapshot of humanity this article is.
    • FatLoser, on 07/20/2008, -11/+7Just out of curiosity... perhaps one of the enlightened folks can help me here. When somebody refers to their sexual partner as their "partner" rather than girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband, does that necessarily mean that the person in question is a homosexual? It seems so disjoint whenever anybody says it that I assume they are sanitizing their homosexuality for public consumption. The guy who wrote this article seemed a bit elitist though, so perhaps he was using the pompous correct term for those who want to homogenize sexuality so as not to offend any panty-waist douche bags. meh
      • rohan1234, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11No, partner can mean they're not officially married but are life partners not just boyfriend/girlfriends.
      • utinam, on 07/20/2008, -1/+3Whatever the majority may take it to mean, it always feels to me like it means they're referring to their homosexual boy/girlfriend. And that's what it's always been when I've seen it *shrug*
      • rationalbeats, on 07/20/2008, -1/+4How did this topic become a discussion on my comment?
      • DeadBabySoup, on 07/20/2008, -0/+4I hear all subway conductors are elitists lol


      • Bluemandrew, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2I assumed he meant his train-engineer partner...
  • RomeyRome, on 07/20/2008, -5/+37Better that jumping off of an overpass & into someone's windshield.
    • SonicAD, on 07/20/2008, -8/+4This is the same ***** thing, just an Underground train instead of a car. The person hitting him is going to feel guilt no matter which vehicle they're driving.
      • raeshao, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11Looking at the larger picture, if this took place on a highway, there'd be a much higher chance of additional fatalities.
  • Ex3poo, on 07/20/2008, -15/+6well....*****
    • sl9sl9, on 07/20/2008, -1/+12That was a superb description of your comment.
    • FatLoser, on 07/20/2008, -3/+3you insensitive son of a bitch... that's how i caught hepatitis you *****
  • chesss, on 07/20/2008, -52/+5Both are pussies.
    First became a nervous wreck because he cldn't wait for his AIDS results
    and the other ....
    "I sobbed my heart out in the arms of my partner. A year has passed now, but I can still see Henrik standing on the track," pussy pussy pussy
    • rationalbeats, on 07/20/2008, -1/+30Your comment makes me realize my life is so much better than yours. Thanks.
    • RogueMountie, on 07/20/2008, -1/+15I guess that makes you an ***** ***** *****?
    • twiztidsinz, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11Go eat a bullet.
      • fuhlavaflave, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11It's more likely he lives his life in ignorance, staining everything he touches.
      • twiztidsinz, on 07/20/2008, -3/+1You're probably right...
        Addendum: They're tasty!
    • Antz0rz, on 07/20/2008, -0/+12Hey look an internet badass.
  • Draculecom, on 07/20/2008, -21/+10Apparently, none of you PC assholes live in L.A. Traffic's bad enough around here but when some ***** decide he wants to be on the 6 o'clock news and hangs off an over-pass for hours, it's GRID-LOCK, CITY-WIDE for HOURS.

    Assholes like that inconvenience everyone. Who is he to ***** up everyone's day? Sorry mommy and daddy ***** you up but get off the track, loser. I'd have rolled the train back over him a few times. Just to be sure.

    Commuters didn't ask for this. Poor Mr. Train Driver didn't ask for this, cleaning up this mess and not to mention the obvious impact it had on him. Yeah, selfish bastard, indeed.
    • RogueMountie, on 07/20/2008, -3/+10If living in L.A. turns people into huge assholes like you, I'm very happy to say I don't live in L.A.
    • therightclique, on 07/20/2008, -1/+9society is just as responsible for ***** people up as "mommy and daddy" are. society should have to pay every now and then for being bastards ALL THE TIME. that time spent sitting in traffic is time for you to reflect about what kind of prick you were that day.
      • Synyk, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2don't blame society for en individual's mental illness. If you read Henrik's story, society didn't do anything wrong. He just didn't wait for his AIDS results and over-reacted. What could we have done? Guess he was going to kill himself and stop him? No, we couldn't have done anything.

        I agree with Draculecom, clean up the tracks and move on.
    • benologist, on 07/20/2008, -1/+4Anger management. It'll be easier then pleaing manslaughter.
    • bunki8, on 07/20/2008, -1/+1The article wasn't about feeling sad for the guy who died, but rather feeling the impact it had on one person.
  • briansorders, on 07/20/2008, -11/+1this is like sitting in the players box at a sporting event and complaining about your seats
  • iJessicaRabbit, on 07/20/2008, -1/+53I commute into Chicago every day and am friends with a bunch of conductors. They have so many stories about suicides on their trains. I was always shocked by how they become almost numb to them. I mean some of the details about train deaths... really really gruesome :( I feel awful for everyone involved.

    The commuters can be even worse. On the first day commuting in I had someone tell me that the chances for a delay during the spring is higher becuase, "spring is suicide season". That just didn't ring right to me.
    • rationalbeats, on 07/20/2008, -9/+23Yup because you just made it through the darkest time of the year and you realize that Fox News is still the number one news program by 3 times the closest competitor, that Karl Rove can ignore a Congressional subpeona, and that you still owe the IRS 3500$ plus intrest, and you still owe $45,000 to the hospital for your kids broken leg, and you realize that Scooter Libby is let free because its ok to out a US spy, and then you realize you only make 40$ an hour and that is still ***** peanuts, and your wife wants to divorce you and seek alimony payment of 1800 a month.

      Reality ***** sucks people.
      • theutopian, on 07/20/2008, -0/+8***** man. You're life sucks. Fix it. Only you can affect change in your own life.
      • HerbertWest, on 07/20/2008, -9/+2Karl Rove??? In here??? Jesus H Christ.

        Oh what's this? It looks like the Bury button. "Click"
    • focom, on 07/20/2008, -3/+7It's hard to understand until you experience it yourself. Trust me, you'll be pretty annoyed too when you have to reschedule your entire day because some random guy decides to throw himself in front of your train.
      • homanh, on 07/20/2008, -2/+3Yea I hate it when I have to reschedule my journey to work because some guy killed himself, the inconvenience is unbearable
    • FatLoser, on 07/20/2008, -3/+7How come people from Chicago always have to bring Chicago into every god damned conversation? They move to other states and won't shut up about Chicago. Move to Chicago and stay there if it's so ***** awesome.
      • iJessicaRabbit, on 07/20/2008, -2/+1Because it's an amazing city. Sometimes it doesn't work out to stay in the place you love :shrugs:
      • wrathoftheafe, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2people from Tampa are even worse
    • kingmanic, on 07/20/2008, -3/+6I was on the front train when some ***** tried it around finals. I still remember the crunch. (un)fortunately he survived to be a quadriplegic. I'm not certain if he tried to off himself again later.
    • rearlgrant, on 07/21/2008, -0/+2About the spring thing... I have a theory which is only mine that could help explain that. I think that some depressed people don't have that much difficulty functioning while depressed and that for them it's a coping mechanism -- a time when the frontal cortex goes into a fetal position if you will.

      The problem is that as they begin to heal and have to deal with the overwhelming amount of problems that have built up while they were in psychological hybernation, their healing, but bruised, psyche (for lack of a better word) is overwhelmed, and hence suicide seems rational.

      I'm not saying it's an explanation for all mental illness related to suicide. My own belief is that brains that are not suicidal have no ability to relate to those that are, and vis a vis. It's like a dog trying to communicate with a cat. We may never know what people are going through and how to communicate with them.

      I came up with this idea b/c I find Spring difficult around the Puget Sound, and it doesn't really make sense given the popular wisdom about it being a time of rebirth and Winter being the time of SAD. Things that seem so difficult to me in the Spring, like cleaning gutters, are much easier for me to do later in the Summer, even though it's the same amount of work regardless of when I do it.

      On a final note, whenever I talk about mental health and Seattle I'm reminded of a line from Frasier in an episode where he's had a particularly bad day -- "Is Seattle experiencing a Prozac shortage?" I use that line all the time.
    • Mirag3, on 07/21/2008, -0/+1April is the cruelest month.
  • Alphax45, on 07/20/2008, -3/+122That was actually very deep and real. Dugg
  • TalkingBanana, on 07/20/2008, -4/+20Chilling. Dugg.
  • Retrospekt, on 07/20/2008, -27/+10Go get a life MrBabyMan.
    • Mrdudeperson, on 07/20/2008, -1/+16Dude, all of you need to shut up about him already. Its not about him its about the article.
  • angusware, on 07/20/2008, -5/+25This happens to 4 people a day in London.
  • MetalGear7, on 07/20/2008, -6/+8Deep...
  • sadsadrobot, on 07/20/2008, -13/+2lol?
  • JohnsonGotOwned, on 07/20/2008, -18/+148http://imagechan.com/img/3066/

    I sent that into the "Experiences" thing. I'm dead serious. I typed it all up, and sent it in.
    • cmapes2, on 07/20/2008, -2/+55Thank you for countering the depression that was inflicted from reading the main story.
    • IanPR, on 07/20/2008, -1/+23Oh my god... I laugh out loud EVERY time I read that.
    • WillJS, on 07/20/2008, -1/+46..... ok ya got me.
    • al3xman, on 07/20/2008, -3/+8Hahaha good one. I remember when my cousin first did that to me. He said a had girl slit her wrists in his room... :O
    • kinseyincanada, on 07/20/2008, -0/+8***** me
    • aprocter, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11That song is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. *sigh*
    • fxu1989, on 07/20/2008, -6/+1Old.
    • brbeaird, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6Well played. Gets me every time.
  • steveiskfc, on 07/20/2008, -3/+21RIP dude buddy.
    • fuhlavaflave, on 07/20/2008, -0/+21Pal. Chief. Friend. Sport.

      Really though, RIP.
    • Mnementh2230, on 07/20/2008, -4/+2At the risk of being terribly trite... he IS RIP.

      Resting In Pieces.

      Sorry, gotta try to find some humor here or I'm going to be staring at the ceiling tonight trying to sleep.
  • JLTinPA, on 07/20/2008, -4/+4Wow. How horrifying.
  • UltamateAddict, on 07/20/2008, -22/+7MrBabyMan kills innocent diggers souls everyday by submitting stories from reddit and digg. Shameless.
    • Mrdudeperson, on 07/20/2008, -3/+2Dude, all of you need to shut up about him already. Its not about him its about the article.
      • Pusod, on 07/20/2008, -3/+1you again?! always defending that babyman. are you like his "partner" or something? (read the article first so it doesn't go over your head)
  • ninja0, on 07/20/2008, -9/+24He didn't has the aids.
  • Micktion, on 07/20/2008, -6/+13It's ironic that another story on Digg's front page along side this story, is about advances in finding a cure for aids.

    AIDS isn't the death sentance it use to be, with modern medcine people can still have a good quality life whilst living with AIDS.
    • aramova, on 07/20/2008, -0/+15Have to admit, it makes finding a mate a little harder.
    • Millsee, on 07/20/2008, -0/+1It's not irony - it's a coincidence
  • stephant, on 07/20/2008, -14/+1No one seems to think it's odd that a train driver is a master essayist. No wonder we're so easily influenced.
    • aramova, on 07/20/2008, -2/+2Have to find something to do while driving a train. It would be easier for them if they didn't always have that "thump thump" when someone jumps out in front of them.

      Damn selfish people, always throwing themselves in front of trains interrupting his research and writing :(
    • loper, on 07/20/2008, -0/+5What an ***** thing to say.
    • HerbertWest, on 07/20/2008, -1/+4Someone at the Guardian could have helped him and I'd be fine with that.
    • stonebone4, on 07/20/2008, -0/+2Mark Twain was a steamboat pilot.
  • jheimark, on 07/20/2008, -14/+9as another rationalist and an atheist, it's nice to know a traumatic experience such as this one can be dealt with crying in the arms of a partner, without a conversion as a coping mechanism.
  • HardwareWeenie, on 07/20/2008, -1/+34A few weeks ago I was driving to work at about 9AM, a person had just jumped on to a local freeway from the overpass. I came around the bend in the road and saw the cars slowing down and thought, oh there must be something in the road OH GOD IT'S A PERSON. Fortunately he died on impact and people stopped before they ran over him. There were numerous people stopped and let just say none of them could help. I later read that he had tried to get ran over on the overpass and everyone kept swerving to miss him. When someone tried to help him, he ran up the fence and jumped on to the freeway. Yes, this guy was sick and needed help, yes he inconvenienced a lot of people, yes I feel sorry for his family.
  • freqk, on 07/20/2008, -3/+33Wow. This is deeply deeply moving.
    • rationalbeats, on 07/20/2008, -2/+8I agree this is some real journalism.

      I wish American journalism would be so real, less people would die if it was.

      ***** I felt like I just drank a pint with this guy at the local pub.

      Great journalism here.
      • freqk, on 07/20/2008, -0/+6I would call this great story-telling, not journalism.
        But yeah, I cried a river.
  • theodorex, on 07/20/2008, -7/+1Amazing.
  • dudio, on 07/20/2008, -4/+9What a tragic tale. Whether true or not, it certainly shared
    an indepth reflection of how lives can touch so many in just
    a second.
  • crackerjack20, on 07/20/2008, -22/+10He cried in the arms of his partner. So he's gay, right?
    • CryTekEmployee, on 07/20/2008, -2/+8definitely gay
    • contradictator, on 07/20/2008, -4/+8Good call, because deducing the sexual orientation of the storyteller is TOTALLY the point of this article.

      Do I really need to put "/sarcasm" here?
    • mynameistux, on 07/20/2008, -1/+3just ***** off.
    • votingprawn, on 07/20/2008, -0/+3How do you jump to that conclusion?
      Partner doesn't mean they're the same sex as you, at least, it doesn't in the UK.
  • DeskFlyer, on 07/20/2008, -2/+35Think of it this way - who had to suffer and live with the psychological effects of knowing they were directly involved with ending a person's life - the train driver or the guy who jumped on the tracks? Yeah the dude needed help but you are going to off yourself, leave other people's lives out of it.
    • gnotDigger, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11I fully agree, but... When people kill themselves they aren't generally thinking about other people. Even if they are, I doubt they very much care... I mean.. You're just going to cease to exist... So it all stops mattering at that point.
    • Planets, on 07/20/2008, -0/+11If he was still "with it" enough to consider the consequences on other people, he would still have enough sense to keep himself from committing suicide. That's the point, however: when you are desperate enough to commit suicide, the only thing you can think about is ending your own pain.
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