Police said Monday that a man died after being run down by a snow plow in Aomori Prefecture. According to police, Ken Sato, 25, was crossing the street at a crosswalk in Kuroishi at around 4 a.m. Sunday morning when he was hit by a snow plow that was reversing.
TV Asahi quoted local residents as saying that they heard a voice crying out for 3 or 4 minutes at around the time the accident occurred. According to police, a driver and an assistant were riding in the snow plow when the accident occurred, but nobody was guiding the driver from outside the vehicle as he reversed.
© Japan Today
15 Comments
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TheDevilsAssistant
I feel sorry for the man that died. Sad way to go. If the driver had an assistant, the assistant should have guided him anytime a large vehicle like that backs up. But on the other hand, how do you not realize something that large/loud is reversing right next to you. At 4AM, there could't have been mauch traffic flow.
Wakarimasen
walkiing around at 4am? do we know if he was drunk? these plows make a big noise when turning left or right, so guess there must have been some warning of reversing....
Hellsvien
Very sad. I guess he just did not notice it.
LFRAgain
And it never occurred to any of them to go outside and see what why this young many was crying out, presumably in pain for at least three full minutes?
Had some found the intestinal fortitude to leave the house and investigate, this man might very well still be alive today, instead of being left to bleed out by people too whatever to get involved.
Can't help but shake my head at the cold indifference so many people have for fellow human beings, even when there is clear suffering.
gogogo
and no one did anything? sad....
slumdog
I too don't get how someone could listen to another person crying out for 3 to 4 minutes and not doing anything about it.
Nessie
My gf is an insurance adjuster, and accidents like these are not uncommon.
Trapped
^^^neither is the indifference.
nath
It seems the attitude of most humans is these days to simply look the other way when others are in danger. Its a sad truth.
Thunderbird2
Whether he was drunk or sober's hardly the point, the guys in the plough should have been taking care as they were reversing. Other than that, I thought Japanese lorries had a voice telling the world that they were reversing, or isn't that system on every lorry.
Nessie
Other than that, I thought Japanese lorries had a voice telling the world that they were reversing, or isn't that system on every lorry.
It's easy to see how someone could fall on ice and the driver could have trouble seeing in inclement weather. These plow drivers are well trained, but accidents are inevitable when you have bad weather, pedestrians on ice and limited sight visibility from snow mounds.
House Atreides
The assistant should have gotten out of the vehicle and checked to see if the area behind the snow plow was clear.
nath
I am sorry to say that Japanese people are afraid to go out and get involved. Remember there is a law in Japan that puts the helper at risk for being sued. There is NO good samaritan act in Japan.
I have heard people screaming outside my apartment but my Japanese husband has warned me not to look or to get involved. I once saw a boy riding a scooter crash out and skid literally 10 meters down the road. He laid on the road and then got up, his scooter was trashed but he picked it up and started wheeling it slowly down the road. He was covered in blood. I wanted to help him but my husband held me back and told me to not get involved.
What can I do?
nath
And I wasn't the only one who just stood and watched him. I could count another 30 people at least who watched it happen.
Maitake
4 a.m + Sunday + 25 y/o = definitely out drinking Saturday night = most likely his own fault for not being aware of his surroundings. RIP. Awful way to go.