Woman standing on platform dies after being hit by passing train in Fukuoka

Wednesday 24th December, 01:25 AM JST

KITAKYUSHU —

A woman standing on the platform at JR Jinnoharu station was hit by a passing freight train at around 11.55 p.m. on Monday night, and died about an hour later in hospital, police said Tuesday. The train driver told police he saw the woman leaning over the edge of the platform and sounded the horn and applied the brakes, but the train hit the woman and she suffered serious head injuries.

The woman, identified as Kyoko Kudo, a 51-year-old elementary school teacher, was taken to hospital but died about an hour later, police said. Police also said the woman was on her way home from an end-of-year party.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 28 Total Comments Show All

ichinensei at 02:59 AM JST - 24th December

I wonder if they came on the PA and yell at her to stand behind the yellow line. Sometimes when I am in the shinkansen station, they yell at me - and I'm not even talking about those yellow lines parallel to the track. Talking about those at the very front - sometimes i want to take a pic of the train (front view) - one time, I didnt move, so they spoke to me in English over the PA. (I'm Asian so they thought I was Japanese) haha. I wonder if I dont move, they will speak to me in Chinese... I should try that.. :)
ca1ic0cat at 04:56 AM JST - 24th December

you should watch out for fast moving trains, especially shinkansen, at the stations. The bow wave of air from a moving train can pull you into the side of the train as it passes. You'll bounce and tumble along the side of the train until a particularly hard impact throws you clear. The end result will be looking like something from a meat grinder.

They were right to speak to you in multiple languages to get the blazes out of the way!

Too bad they didn't get to this woman in time. Sad accident.
sensei258 at 07:40 AM JST - 24th December

jacqueshellacque-they constantly warn people to stand behind the yellow line with each train that arrives/passes. And, the trains will sound their horn if somebody is too close to the track. But it doesn't work if somebody is drunk and leaning over the edge to vomit.
HaroldSteptoe at 07:40 AM JST - 24th December

She was most proobably Brahms and List. Oh yes, terrible things happen when one has drunken too heavily.

Myself,i drink socially to savour the moment and my surroundings.

i expect this poor woman was rather too drunk, gawd, it is a terrible shame.
pizzaboy at 08:56 AM JST - 24th December

jacqueshellacque: no one listens

the article says ONE person died, not the whole nation. Most listen, relax and pay attention.
wanderlust at 09:37 AM JST - 24th December

All the Shinkansen stations that have trains passing through non-stop are equipped with guard rails and sliding gates that do not open until the train is virtually at a stop. To get close to the yellow line, you'd have to climb over the rails.
whitepocky at 11:39 AM JST - 24th December

This should be a lesson to all really about the demons of drinking. It seems that, as is given here in Japan, such problems are brushed under the carpet rather than hitting them head on. Pardon the Pun. I really have to ask though, where are the graphic commercials that will be hitting UK TV screens, and other nations most likely, at this time of year warning us about the evil drink. I guess this would go against Japan's corporate policy of protectionism. If only the Japanese knew what the rest of the world does, there would be a riot I feel!!
badge123 at 11:58 AM JST - 24th December

Newer lines have them because they can be built during construction.

In regards to the hundreds of already existing lines, the problem would be in retrofitting every single rail station platform in a metropolitan area with these gates, talk about disruption?
Notwithstanding on heavily used lines you have trains with different door numberings, one train set might have four doors, another has 6 and another has 8, so alignment would also have to be taken into consideration.

Taking into consideration the number of millions of passengers traveling each day without incident (and I mean accident and not suicide) the system as is is still pretty safe.

Now as regards to some of the barriers, you have two types, some that are there to prevent accident, usually waste high, and others built to the very top ceiling (found in some subways), the waste high ones are good in preventing accident, but anyone wanting to commit suicide can easily jump over one.
badge123 at 11:59 AM JST - 24th December

Gar, I meant waist not waste.
helloklitty at 03:45 PM JST - 24th December

I have a fence around my house. Why can't JR put up fences with gates on their platforms? The gates would only open when a train stops. Problem solved.
Rickyrab at 04:58 PM JST - 24th December

Moral of the story: If you lean over the edge of the platform and a train's coming, move back!
Latenights at 08:56 PM JST - 26th December

Since no part of the train or station malfunctioned in any way I see no reason to spend a billion yen putting up barriers and gates. This is entirely the fault of the lady who drank to the point of being unable to take care of herself. This story is spreading rapidly around Fukuoka and lots of people will remember it when standing close to the yellow line on the platform. Awareness and thoughtfulness are more effective than any physical barrier (because they extend beyond the train station into every area of life) and they cost nothing.

Keep the stories circulating and make sure your kids hear them!
likeitis at 09:12 PM JST - 26th December

Since no part of the train or station malfunctioned in any way I see no reason to spend a billion yen putting up barriers and gates. This is entirely the fault of the lady who drank to the point of being unable to take care of herself.

Wow! You need to learn to some more value on human life my friend. Saving people from their own stupidity is usually worth it. As if you yourself have never been saved from injury or death by a safety feature of something.

Even if it is only the money you are worried about, people die on the tracks all the time, and it not only costs a lot of money to sort out the mess, but people also lose time as they are stuck in trains and stranded at stations.
Latenights at 09:41 PM JST - 26th December

likeitis -

No, it's not just the money I'm worried about: my point is that spending the money won't solve the problem of people not paying attention to the hazards around them. If money was all it took we could put up barriers by the roadside with gates that only open when the traffic has come to a stop, but many people might feel that paying attention in the street is easier and less obtrusive.

Of course I value this lady's life, her entire family is about to embark on probably the worst New Year they could ever have imagined, and I'm sorry that they have to go through that. But I stand by my original comment that awareness and thoughtfulness prevent more accidents throughout a person's life than a barrier at their local station.
helloklitty at 07:44 PM JST - 27th December

Moral of the story: If you lean over the edge of the platform and a train's coming, move back!

That's definitely one moral. I suppose as an elementary school teacher, she didn't want her barf to land somewhere visible to passersby.

Another moral would be: alcohol is the root of all evil.