What to Expect When Your Train Hits a Person

I hope no one has to experience this because it’s sad and not fun, but in Japan, there are lots of accidents involving people and trains…most of them not accidents honestly. I think jumping in front of a train is one of the most popular ways to commit suicide in Japan, and in Japanese society and culture, suicide is a pretty common thing. If you are triggered by this sort of talk, I encourage you to stop reading now.

Since I’ve moved to Japan, there have been countless times I’ve experienced trains being delayed due to a 人身事故 (jinshin jiko) or accident involving a person. Sometimes they really are accidents such as a person falling off the platform onto the tracks because they were drunk or for whatever reason, but in most cases, it’s usually just assumed that someone intentionally jumped. I’m not going to go in to all the details about why Japan is a suicide prone country or the consequences of using the railways to kill yourself. That’s not my intention with this post, and it’s something you can easily research on your own.

Today I want to tell you what to expect when the train you are riding hits a person. I unfortunately had this experience recently. Whether it’s intentional or not and whether the person survives or not doesn’t make much of a difference in the procedures I believe. So here we go. I hope this can be somewhat useful or keep you from panicking should you encounter this situation.

When a train hits a person, it’s going to come to a quick stop suddenly. The jerk will be stronger if you are riding towards the front and less so in the cars further back. This is why you should always be prepared by either sitting or holding on to something to prevent injury to you or others. The police and medical staff will already have enough to deal with without having to worry about the well being of the passengers inside the train.

Next, the shocked and distressed train driver will announce over the speakers that the train has collided with a person and that everyone should remain calm and orderly while the police come. They will not give you any details about the accident. Don’t try to stick you head or body out the window to look. Again, the train staff have enough to deal with already without you trying to be a nosy a**hole. Just wait calmly for the next announcement.

Once the police come, the driver will be ordered to turn off the lights/electricity in the train. I don’t know why. Probably for safety of the police and medical staff who must stand on the tracks to recover the body.  The driver will warn you before doing so in order to not cause panic. Don’t worry, the trains have emergency lights, so it won’t be completely black. The way the train powers down is very strange. The lights flicker a lot as it’s powering down. It looks like something out of a horror movie, but it’s not cause for concern. Here’s a video of what it looks like.

Here is my major warning and advice to you. This process is going to take a least an hour. There is no getting off the train. The police/firemen are going to make one round up and down the train to check if there are any people injured or unwell. They will ask if you are ok. If you are feeling unwell, this is your one chance to speak up. If you don’t think you can hold your bladder or whatever for an hour or more, then you need to say something. I don’t necessarily think this is the right thing to do, but after not being able to make my train home and spending a lot of money on a taxi, if I’m ever in this situation again at night where the possibility of me getting home is slim or I can’t afford a taxi, I might tell them I need to get off the train. If you can tolerate waiting, I recommend doing so though because lying to get off the train is quite a selfish thing to do. Also, I don’t actually know what happens if you say you aren’t ok. Maybe they just let you go, but maybe they make you wait somewhere.

As time passes, the driver will come on the speaker a few times to let you know what step of the process they’re on and what all they still have left to do. It’s quite sad really because you can hear in the driver’s voice how upset they are, not only for hitting someone, but for making everyone wait. Obviously the situation was out to the driver’s control, but it’s a very Japanese thing to blame yourself instead of others.

So the scariest part of the whole incident, if you can see, is when they bring the body to the ambulance. I was sitting in a seat with a clear view. I almost wish I wasn’t. Don’t go out of your way to get up and look, but if you can see what is going on, this is what it’ll look like. The medical staff will be holding a blue tarp to block passengers from seeing them bringing the body to the ambulance. This is to protect the privacy of the victim but probably also for your own good. I happened to be sitting at an angle where I could see, though. The body was in a black bag. I assume this means the person was dead. If they were alive, I’m quite sure they wouldn’t be wrapped up. Once the ambulance leaves, there is still quite a bit of waiting and inspections to be done.

Finally, once the train starts moving again, the next stop the driver will be relieved and replaced with a new driver or you will all have to get off and get on a different train. Wait for instructions.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me about Japan is how calm everyone is. I was feeling pretty horrified and sad, but most people were just casually talking with their neighbor as if nothing bad had happened. No one was interested in getting up to see what was going on outside. No one complained about the waiting.

I hope you never have to go through this, but if you do, now you know what to expect. I can feel a little bitter about not being able to make my train home and having to spend 7000 yen ($70) on a taxi, but at the end of the day, I couldn’t help but think about how well off I am compared to the victim. It can always be worse…just think, maybe you aren’t riding the train when some jumps but standing on the platform next to them…now THAT is something I never want to experience, but sadly enough, many people have here. Take care, everyone.