A 78-year-old woman who suffered from dementia was hit and killed by an express train in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, on Sunday night.
According to police, the woman, who lived in nearby Tokoname City, walked onto the tracks and was hit by the train on the Tokoname Line at around 9 p.m., Sankei Shimbun reported. Nobody on the train was injured, police said.
The driver told police he saw a person on the tracks and applied the emergency brake but couldn’t stop in time.
Police said that about 30 minutes after the accident, the woman’s daughter had reported her missing after leaving their home without her noticing.
The accident occurred about 300 meters from Shinmaiko Station.
© Japan Today
9 Comments
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jojo_in_japan
Tragic, condolences to the fam. I hope the driver is ok, gets counseling.
spektral
Shinmaiko! I know that place well and I've crossed the tracks many many times there...I will never see this place in the same way again...definitely tragic not only for the family but also for the driver.
Sven Asai
What I don’t get is the connection to dementia. Do those people really forget or don’t know what railway tracks are during that period? I just can’t imagine that such a disease deletes such basic knowledge and then , half an hour later, the patient remembers everything again for a random time span, not in this case though...
thepersoniamnow
Is suicide not a possibility? With or without dementia?
The poor daughter who cared for her must be feeling so awful. I hope her and the family can find their peace.
kaimycahl
So sad, to lose a life in such a way. The poor lady had no idea of direction and what she was possibly doing. All I can think of is confusion at least and trying to find her way back home. So sad. may she rest in peace.
kaimycahl
@Sven Asai "What I don’t get is the connection to dementia. Do those people really forget or don’t know what railway tracks are during that period? I just can’t imagine that such a disease deletes such basic knowledge and then , half an hour later, the patient remembers everything again for a random time span, not in this case though..." Have you ever had a moment of thought and totally lost it only to remember in a short span of time? Well think of a person with dementia they DON'T GET THAT SHORT SPAN OF TIME it is constant, totally confused of which way is up or down!! Dementia affects people memory, and their social abilities and interfere with their daily life. Please don't think because you are not an old person that you can't be affect dementia affects older people and is not part of the aging process.
Strangerland
Well try imagining it, because that’s the what happens.
It’s extremely hard to deal with, particularly at the start when they know it’s happening, and haven’t got too far into it.
sir_bentley28
I hope the police DON'T go after the driver for hitting and killing the woman like they do with unexpected car accidents (a kid runs out in the road, giving the driver nano-seconds to react)
I hope JR DOESN'T go after the woman's daughter and sue her for holding up the trains like they did with a similar case where an old woman was taking care of her old husband with dementia as she fell asleep and he snuck out and got hit by a train.