crime

Woman dies after jumping from moving car; driver arrested

18 Comments

Police in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, have arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in death after a 37-year-old woman jumped out of the front passenger seat of his car while he was driving on Thursday. The woman was taken to hospital where she died of her injuries.

According to police, the incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. along National Route 36, Kyodo News reported. Police said the driver, Naoto Sugita, told them he and the woman, Nobue Kawamura, were arguing when she demanded he stop the car and let her out.

However, Sugita kept driving without slowing down. He was quoted by police as saying Kawamura opened the door and jumped out onto the road. Sugita stopped and called 119. Kawamura was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead due to severe head injuries, police said.

Police said Sugita and Kawamura lived together in Sapporo.

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18 Comments
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So terrible for her family.

Whatever their “argument”, he never imagined she would actually jump out from the vehicle.

May she rest in peace and, may he find some way to come to terms with the terrible tragic turn of events.

10 ( +14 / -4 )

Significant additional research about that roadway @WilliamBjornson 4:52pm worth considering. - Perhaps the editor should consider clarifying some specifics of that stretch of roadway at that early hour, etc before people pass 100% judgement on the driver?

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Japan National Route 36 is listed in Wikipedia under "Expressways of Japan". So, driving along at expressway speed, arguing, she says "Pull over!" (on the expressway) and he refuses, and SHE decides to exit the vehicle? Have I got that straight? And the police ARRESTED him? Would they also have arrested him if he HAD stopped, let her get out to wander around on an expressway? At 2:30 a.m.? Um...? I hope someone is collecting these daily JT stories and will publish then in a book with a creative title...It's sad that the woman passed away but how can this man be held responsible, not to mention the shock he must be in having that happen to his lover...? [words just go away...]

9 ( +18 / -9 )

It's really quite difficult to jump from a moving car; it's not like in the movies. The air pressure against the door is significant. This took effort.

I suspect there may be something more to this story.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

It's tragic of course but each person is responsible for their own actions and if this happened the way he said then it's not his fault.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Dangerous and potentially fatal to jump from a moving vehicle at any speed. We have no information about her mental/emotional state prior to the drive together, what exactly transpired in the car or if she felt threatened nor of their relationship and other events prior to that fateful night.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Arrested does not mean charged, and charged does not mean convicted. How do we know that the woman wasn't slumped unconscious on the passenger seat and then the man shoved her out? Let the police do their job and maybe the facts will come out.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

 Don't most cars have doors that lock automatically over a certain speed?

Not usual in Japan market cars.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

William BjornsonMay 20  04:52 pm JST

Japan National Route 36 is listed in Wikipedia under "Expressways of Japan".

That road is a regular road with stoplights and intersections. The man could easily have pulled over.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

No, no, that’s of course all on her, the victim. The danger started when she continued arguing during the car’s moving at higher speed, which decreases the attentiveness of the driver and puts not only both into a dangerous situation but as well other cars and their passengers nearby. And then of course jumping out of the car was the next and decisive trigger , also done by herself. No behavior and also no simplest knowledge of physics, that combination often doesn’t end so well and in this case it didn’t end well too.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Should have listen to her and stopped, let her out, end of the story.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

That road is a regular road with stoplights and intersections. The man could easily have pulled over.

It depends exactly where. I just google street-viewed a few places. Two of the places I dropped the google man showed me two lanes in each direction with no shoulder or anywhere he could have stopped. One place was an intersection with traffic lights.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Mat

It's really quite difficult to jump from a moving car...

No. It isn't. Unless you mean safely. That is why she was so badly injured, if it happened the way the driver stated.

...it's not like in the movies. The air pressure against the door is significant. This took effort.

It's not an aircraft. It's a car, going perhaps 100kph/60mph. It wouldn't take much to unlock, pull the handle, and lean against the door.

Harry_Gatto

 "Don't most cars have doors that lock automatically over a certain speed?"

Not usual in Japan market cars.

The cheap ones, perhaps. But, higher-end models do. And, especially common with imports.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

No mention of the type of car and how old it was. Don't most cars have doors that lock automatically over a certain speed?

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

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