Woman's hand trapped in door of departing subway train

People need to get their priorities straight. Waiting 2 minutes for the next train should be considered wisdom. People can wait 2 hours for a bowl of greasy ramen but they can't wait 2 minutes for the next train. What's up with that?

She's damned lucky, but also damned stupid.

No, it's not the conductor's fault. When s/he blows the whistle and gives the all-clear, that's when the driver closes the doors and and the train departs. Obviously, this woman ran up to the train after that signal, with doors closing, and tried to hold the doors open with her hand, as if it were an elevator door. Conductors cannot be held accountable for every act of stupidity out there.

So was she running onto the train or did she get off to let others leave and couldn't get back on?

There are some sensible people who, while they could have made it to the train if they'd run, don't go for it because it's too close. Others are just plain rude for holding up the train.

Once, I was traveling from Tokyo station on the Chuo line. The doors were open on the left and some guy rushed in just as the doors were closing. He made it alright, but his sports bag was stuck outside! Very unfortunate, considering the doors opened on the right hand side at the next two stations. I could tell everyone wanted to burst out laughing. Can you imagine - you see a train go by, and a big bag is hanging outside! I had to get off at Ochanomizu and I could tell he wanted to get off there! I have no idea what side the doors open at the following stations but I hope he wasn't forced to go all the way to Takao!

I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often. People make a mad dash to get into the train before the doors close (I do it myself). Why don't WE just wait for the next train?

**Rushing to catch the train. Dangerous. This is still the conductor's fault though.

it's also the companies fault. They need sensors on the doors. However the out of court settlements are still cheaper than installing expensive high tech safety systems on all the trains.**

No it isn't. It is the dumb women's fault for putting her hand in between the doors when clearly the doors were closing. She's luck she's alive.

I just read the Japanese news reports and the translation is rather lacking in this article.

The woman (40's), was on the train, and got off to let others off, when she tried to get back on, her hand got trapped in the door. Apparently.

So, she wasn't a kakikomi-idiot.

Just too dim-witted to realise she couldn't get back on and didn't want to wait 5 minutes for the next train.

She'll scream foul, find a lawyer, the company WILL PAY to make this go away.

Actually who wants to bet a lawyer finds her? There is probably fault to go around on all sides. Call it even, and thank whatever Gods you choose to believe in that she still has her hand, arm, and her life.

Time for her to light some incense, drink a beer, and look back, laugh at herself and her own idiocy, and write it off to another one of life's little learning experiences.

Oh and the conductor? He should have a beer after work too, being thankful that it wasn't worse.

I always stick my head in the door first when I see it closing.

Yes, cactusjack, I was just thinking that if you want to make the doors on a train reopen, you need a large and hard object, and in the absence of a bowling ball your head is the next best thing.

If she hired a lawyer she probably would get money. Any recall all the moving doors taken out of pretty much all of Japan after some stupid parents let a kid run off and get his head caught in one and died? They got a pay out which they shouldn't have. Thank god Japan isn't like the US though with all the suing. With all the idiots here, would be a nightmare!!!

I hope that she gets fined for any damages her stupidity incurred.

I once saw a women do something similar with a baby carriage in tow, she ran into the train with her buggy, and the doors closed as the buggy was half way in, and her completely out. Luckily that conductor noticed, but people like this make me mad.

Naughty naughty. Are you going to not wait for the 20:02 and insert your right hand between the closing doors of the 19:56 train ever again? I don't think so too.

She's damn lucky.

She is indeed. If the conductor didn't notice the woman he was clearly not doing his job well.

Makes me wonder why she put her hand in in the first place.

Oh it had to be the conductor...lol...Not so much! Why isnt it possible the woman did it as the operator was entering the last car in the last possible split second...thus causing her injury...but hey, lets just assume the operators were at fault...Assume....(ASS-U-ME).

She inserted her right hand between the closing doors, and got stuck.

Serves her right. Waiting 5 minutes for the next train must have been so hard for her.

The train operator said that the conductor checked the platform before giving the train the OK to depart but did not notice the woman.

What they meant to say was:

The train operator said that the platform goblins did their silly little finger-pointy-Elivis-"thankyouverymuch" dance, the one where they don't really look at all, before giving the train the OK to depart and of course did not notice the woman.

I've seen train conductors purposely give the 'go ahead' sign when someone's had their arm/hand stuck in the door, at times when the platform was not crowded.

Makes me wonder why she put her hand in in the first place.

Because she's an idiot.

The conductor didn't do his job... that is not cool... they do say "don't rush to the train" but if you do rush to the train and the doors close the conductor sometimes opens the doors again for you.

" The INERTIA caused the woman to fall over..." ? Strange sentence. Anyway...

This woman has to take responsibility for her own actions. If the doors closed on just her hand she was way too late to be trying to get on the train anyway. You can't go through life blaming everyone but yourself.

gogogo.

That is he can see you on the monitor, crowded platform forget it. Recall many times when conductors closed doors in people faces due to time-restraints when train had to leave the station. Overseas many of those trains are computer controlled and the doors will break bones.

why rush? in japan theres a train every 5 minutes. but then again after 8pm it takes usually 10 to 15 minutes. But yeah youd think nowadays theyd have sensors for when something is between the doors. ....

Recall many times when conductors closed doors in people faces due to time-restraints when train had to leave the station

It's all fun and games until some dies... it's no excuse if you ask me, train safety is also the staff's job.

No ones fault but hers, she saw the doors closing but thought she is special so sticks her hand in the closing doors, (it is not an elevator lady), dumb as dumb does. It is not the conductors fault, it is her fault she's the one who did it the condutor just didnt see it, he can only look one way at a time for christ sake.

@tmarie ;-) I'm with you on this....okay. Dont' jump me. Let me expand a bit on what I said.

I agree with you and yes, it's her fault for being careless, not stupid, just careless. However, (Here comes gravity) I think this is going to play out to be the conductors fault. Especially, IF, the woman in question feels embarassed and too proud to admit she was careless and in a hurry. She'll scream foul, find a lawyer, the company WILL PAY to make this go away.

The conductor will be reprimanded and take the lion's share of the blame.

Is that not a realistic view of how it's going to go down?

Dangerous, dangerous behaviour. Every single Japanese person who has ever taken a train surely has been exposed to the myriad of posters and announcements warning people that "tobikomi" is DANGEROUS! And yet, so many continue to do it. Shame on her.

*kakekomi

Did anyone on the train in that particular carriage hit the emergency stop button I wonder? The report doesn't say. If not, why not? 13 metres is a fair distance for a train that's just pulling off... A good 5 seconds or more for someone to realise that she was stuck and needed instant help.

I always stick my head in the door first when I see it closing.

I've seen a lot of people get crunched by closing doors. They lose shoes, glasses ... but they must be happy because they made it. But surely they must hurt ... because getting caught between those doors just gotta put the hurts on even the toughest body ... like when both shoulders appear to touch each other during the squeeze. They try not to show the pain ... but ... For most of them, it serves them right.

Don't run for the train. duh.

No,the trains need to wait for passengers to alight,instead or waiting for a matter of seconds, Japan needs to s-l-o-w down

Moderator: Please calm down.

Seems like this is everyone's favorite story of the day, especially since it didn't end tragically.

She wasn't running for the bleeding train!

keep yr wig on miss marples. doesn't matter, she still tried to get between closing doors. idiotic.

keep yr wig on miss marples. doesn't matter, she still tried to get between closing doors. idiotic.

Yes it does matter. People are going on about people rushing to get on the train, when it wasn't the case here.

Yeah, she still is an idiot though.

Oh, and by the way, it's Miss Marple. No "s".

See the article about the train driver caught texting hundreds of times while driving trains. The conductor was probably checking his or her bldy mail. Someone I know just the other day had her foot caught in a train as she was trying to alight from it. She was just able to pry herself loose before the train departed. Passengers will become caught in the doors occasionally, that's what the bldy crew is there for. When I arrived in Japan 25 years ago there were usually more than two crew members on each train. One conductor stayed in the rear carriage and another walked through where possible and got on and off to watch the platform. More staff were on the platform than today, as well. They claim that automatic sensors can do the job, but many carriages don't yet have them and they don't always work where they have been installed.

Rushing to catch the train. Dangerous. This is still the conductor's fault though.

it's also the companies fault. They need sensors on the doors. However the out of court settlements are still cheaper than installing expensive high tech safety systems on all the trains.

When s/he blows the whistle and gives the all-clear, that's when the driver closes the doors and and the train departs

Is that really the case? If so, that practice is inherently dangerous, especially in rush-hour Tokyo.

My impression was that the doors close (with a verbal warning and an alarm) and THEN the conductor gives the all-clear for the train to depart.

Those conductors can be absolute a-holes though. I saw one once at Kamakura station watching an old old woman struggling up the steps to the platform. Just as she got to the train he signalled to shut the doors and she couldnt get on. It was disgusting behaviour and very obviously deliberate. Another one would not move out of my way and I had to push my pushchair perilously close to the platform edge because he wouldnt take one step back against the wall. So I wouldn`t be remotely surprised if the conductor had done it on purpose to teach her a lesson.

I hope everyone pointed and laughed at her.

Another one would not move out of my way and I had to push my pushchair perilously close to the platform edge because he wouldnt take one step back against the wall.

This. Some of these guys stand in the narrowest part of the platform and give you no space either side to get safely past.

However in this case the fault is first of all with the woman. We've seen it a thousand times where someone races to the door as it's closing and thinks that putting one part of their body in the way means the door will open and they'll get on. Even when the train is already packed. Even though their desperation to catch this train and not the one 3-4 minutes later means they're now delaying every other passenger as the guards have to come and help them out.

Before the financial crash impacted the passenger numbers, every morning at Naka-Meguro I'd see people delay the express train trying to cram into the front carriage even though the local train would come a minute later and it's only 2 stops to Shibuya. Often the time it would take to cram them was about the same as the time difference between waiting for the next train! Just selfish and stupid.

Maybe the funniest incident was where a woman tried to stop the doors with her bag, then had to watch as the train drove off with her bag half-in, half-out of the door. Made me laugh anyway.

yeah its her fault. and retard. would you put your hand on the closing door? or i guess there is a problem in the wordings here

No sympathy for her. As numerous others have pointed out, running onto trains here is warned against with big posters in the stations, stickers on the train doors, etc. She was simply foolish. But, unfortunately, thousands of other J-folks do the same thing everyday. This country needs to take a collective chill pilll and stop being so darn obsecessed with time. I mean at 8:00 at night she was not trying tro beat her bucho to work or anything.

Jesus Christ! Do any of you actually read other comments? Or bother to read the Japanese news??

She wasn't running for the bleeding train!

http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20110622k0000m040159000c.html

I stick my surf board in a closing train door and they always open it for me.

She'll scream foul, find a lawyer, the company WILL PAY to make this go away.

She won't sue anyone, and if she gets anything it will be minuscule.

She stuck here hand in to try and get on the train.

She's an idiot

The only country she'd win any money from this is in the U.S., where brainless imbeciles like her get damages for spilling coffee on themselves etc...

Actually, it's about time train companies started suing idiots like this for disruption of service.

I hope everyone pointed and laughed at her.

Probably stood gawping vacantly until she fell over.

Makes me wonder why she put her hand in in the first place.

Was groping someone's junk?

She's an idiot. Numerous posters, signs, announcements asking (telling) people NOT to do just that. 無理しないでね