Friday, January 1, 2010

Like 2009, he went out with a "bang"

From the Daily News:

An elderly man died Thursday after he jumped off a Queens snow bank and stood in front of an oncoming Long Island Rail Road train, investigators and witnesses said.

The victim was struck at 11:20 a.m. by a Penn Station-bound train on a desolate stretch of track running through Elmhurst, investigators said.

"I saw somebody leap," says Michael Mertyris, 42, a snow shoveller from Maspeth.

"I heard the train coming down the tracks, and then all I heard was 'Ahhh!' and then I heard 'Bang!'"

The victim, whose identity was not immediately known, died instantly. He was wearing a heavy winter jacket but did not have any pants on, witnesses said.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

The horrible economy takes another life. Rest in peace.

georgetheatheist said...

Jerk. What does this have to do with the economy?

Le Gross Foo Chat said...

Maybe nothing, George, but the economic woes are not helping a lot of us who are already standing at that same line this person jumped from. I generally respect your posts, but I think we could do without the "Jerk."

Queens Crapper said...

I think he was just nuts.

georgetheatheist said...

No one ever drank the Kool Aid in boom times? Have any of you seen his 1040? Jerks.

Anonymous said...

By definition, suicide is irrational, but there is usually something behind it too.

Anonymous said...

When being pressured by aggressive debt collection tactics, it could make people act irrationally and cause them to act in unexpected ways. It is something to consider when reading about this horrible tragedy.

Georges said...

To reach this stage is to be totally despondent, hopelessness etc. You just need to be aware that any number or combination of things and situations one faces or doesn't, causes this behavior.

It's tragic and I am sure others close to him somewhere are affected big time. Turn the page to the year 2010 please.

georgetheatheist said...

"By definition, suicide is irrational..." Really? What dictionary do you read? Are you calling Socrates irrational for drinking the hemlock? Was Jesus going to his death a form of irrationality? The psychological pressures built up over the course of one year irrational for Young Werther to put a bullet in his head?

georgetheatheist said...

To be or not to be. That is the question. - Shakespeare, Hamlet

Anonymous said...

I fell sorry for the LIRR train engineer. Why should the train driver have to live with the guilt of that dead screwball. Why don't these 'end it all' types just take the subway to Rockaway Beech and try to swim to Bermuda.

Anonymous said...

Both Socrates and Jesus were murdered. As for Young Werther, alas, I have not read that particular piece of literature, but I have had to deal personally with the effects of suicide and yes, it is irrational and vicious as well, leaving many victims behind.

CJ said...

Returning home from work in June of 2008 some poor soul decided that life was no longer worth living and stepped in front of my train. I was in the first car and heard him roll under the wheels of the train, and it is a sound I will never forget.
The engineer was less than three days away from retirement, and ended his career of 30 plus years that day with the vision of the man charging in front of his train and his helplessness to do anything about it.
Since then I found this article, one of may on the subject, that sheds light on what a pervasive problem it is throughout the world. The effect on train personal is devastating.

http://www.trainnet.org/dcforum/DCForumID24/66.html

With regards to those that decide to take their life, yes, it does take some courage. But it also takes courage to hang in there to the very end and accept the cards that life has dealt you. Suicide has a permanent ripple effect which changes the lives of family friends and even strangers.

Anonymous said...

Him maybe just mad that him couldn't find him pants.....

Anonymous said...

No pants on hmmmm
Maybe he was raped by Bloomberg.

Lino said...

"Suicide has a permanent ripple effect which changes the lives of family friends and even strangers."

Nothing has a worse effect on the memory of a loved one than watching them decline in agony and debilitation.

We all die. There is nothing after this life. All the superstitions aka religions, are meaningless fantasies due to a fear of death.

It is an act of compassion to both the living and the terminal to assist to sanction and assist their humane end.

Those are my beliefs on this matter.

Anonymous said...

I don't know about the rest of yous but my heart goes out to that guy no matter what he may have been going through.... In my mind, someone took their life and they wont be comming back. His death has affected alot of people. Especially the train driver and not to mention his family. Have some respect for a life. If you can't do that then celebrate your own. No matter what your beleif is, or lack of beleif, we all are just passing through. Everyday is a gift, not a given right! PEACE.

Anonymous said...

It's a quick step from helping someone out of their misery to helping yourself to their funds, their home. Maybe heirs who have something to gain are not the ones to make that decision.

Furthermore, the elderly have been assaulted by cost of living freezes in their social security.

Pensions dependent on stock markets have been reduced.

Interest on savings accounts is down to nothing and then some foolish person thinks I am a "jerk" to point out the obvious.

Gee, I don't know why incipient poverty might push someone over the edge.

When you have entered a room splattered with someone's brains so that their mother and brother don't have to, tell me about the glories of suicide.

Anonymous said...

Maspeth Mom says....
The article says he was elderly maybe he had alzheimers or dementia thought he was a kid and just jumped off the snowbank, and,didnt realize what he was doing.

To GEORGE the ATHEIST - Whats with the nasty post? Must be the HOLY SEASON getting under your skin. Dont worry it will be all over soon.

georgetheatheist said...

Consider the nature of this post.

The headline reads: "...he went out with a 'bang' ". A bang? What is this a vaudeville review?

Then, the first commentator inanenly attributes the death to economic woes without knowing any of the facts.

BTW, I love this "holy" season. It's commercialistic aspect sends a thrill up my leg.

georgetheatheist said...

"...it will be all over soon."

No it won't. In 2 weeks the King 3-day weekend.

Doesn't anybody do any work around here?

Anonymous said...

"Was Jesus going to his death a form of irrationality?"

This from George the Atheist?

Please tell me this is not an acknowledgment of a deity George.

Klink Cannoli said...

"Doesn't anybody do any work around here?"
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Crahahaha! Oh man, that's one for the one liner books here