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Society
Photo: DPA

Football fan killed by train while urinating on tracks

Published: 1 Oct 11 10:39 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20111001-37941.html

A German football fan died on Friday evening after urinating on a train track and being hit by a high-speed train.

The 43-year-old from Wiesbaden died on the way to hospital after the incident at Rüsselheim Opelwerke station where he and two friends had been waiting for a train home.

They had previously watched their second Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt beat Union Berlin by 3-1.

A police spokesman said the three men had taken a local train from the stadium – but had got off early at the Rüsselheim Opelwerke station because the 43-year-old desperately needed to relieve himself.

When they got to the station he had run to the end of the platform and jumped down into the train tracks to urinate. He was hit by the ICE as it drove through the station and was left seriously injured at the side of the tracks.

His friends called the emergency services immediately and the tracks were closed to trains for an hour to enable them to attend to him, but he died on the way to hospital.

The driver of the ICE suffered serious shock.

DAPD/hc

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

12:24 October 1, 2011 by Bigbobswinden
What a tragedy for the man and the driver. Few of us recognize just how fast and quiet modern trains are. Best to stay well away from the tracks. Obvious but true.
15:39 October 1, 2011 by jbaker
This is tragic, why would you allow yourself to get so drunk that you are not aware of your surroundings? This is not a twenty year old neophite, its a 43 year old who won't live to learn his lesson of common sense.

People stand in front of trains in the USA a a depressive sport, but we have too many drunks such as these also.
16:07 October 1, 2011 by Lisa Rusbridge
The article doesn't say if the man was drinking, but I'm assuming there's a good chance alcohol was involved. One thing most people don't realize is that if a train is moving with any speed, and perhaps this ICE train wasn't scheduled to stop at this station, that it can take up to a mile or more to stop after the emergency breaks are applied to come to a full and complete stop. A train can't swerve; the only thing the engineer can do is follow the tracks and hope for the best.

I feel sorry for the victim, but also for the engineer. It's hard to believe that a 43 year old man would be be urinating in a public railroad station. Also, it says he got off the train early because he needed to relieve himself. Aren't there public toilets available on the train?
16:25 October 1, 2011 by taiwanluthiers
If it's not a long distance train (RE/OE/etc.) then it doesn't have toilets on the train, and there usually isn't any toilets at the station that are free either.

But seriously he could have relieved himself anywhere else but the tracks... so yea, I think alcohol is involved.
16:57 October 1, 2011 by Englishted
When or if alcohol was the cause we will find out in due time,meanwhile stop guessing and in jbaker case slandering the man.

Hope the train driver gets over it ok .
23:48 October 1, 2011 by wxman
Urination is only brought on by consuming significant quantities of liquid. Doing so in public is brought on by lack of inhibition. Let's see, consuming what sort of liquid would remove our inhibitions to behave embarrassingly in public? Hmmm? Anyone who thinks alcohol was not involved is no Sherlock Holmes.
01:12 October 2, 2011 by mikel taylor
Urination is brought on by any consumption of liquid not limited to Alcohol, peeing on the tracks is brought on by stupidity, peeing in a public places can be brought on be a need to pee and no facilities nearby, lack of inhibition is brought on by any number of factors including exhibitionism, drunkenness, lack of common sence, blindness and the need for attention, amongst other things, and Sherlock Holmes liked his 7% solution which as anyone who has done cocaine knows would make Sherlock also no Sherlock Holmes except in name only.

Feel bad for the kid his friends and the driver of the ICE train.. sad day for all
02:26 October 2, 2011 by Frenemy
...social darwinism!
10:18 October 2, 2011 by Shirazz
Most, if not all Ree-geeo-naal trains have no toilets, and in the news, that was why the man got off early to pee.

This is a tragedy for his family, and unfair trauma to the train engineer and his family as well.

I watched a documentary that they have counseling for train drivers who face similar incidents. Some could not sit in the driver's seat again for a long time without shaking. And some could never return to their job at all.

I know this is an accident, but for other suicidal cases, I hope they would not just think about themselves, because so many people are affected, sometimes for life, by these selfish acts.
21:22 October 2, 2011 by wenddiver
I am sure all drunken football urinators killed by trains, planes and automobiles are a real loss to the Gene pool.
14:33 October 3, 2011 by mshameemahmed
Why did he got off the Local Train...There was no Toilet service inside the Local train? I also observe near many U bahn Stop, that the toilet service is not so good....Sometime, the door is lock...Nurnberg Nordostbahn....the toilets door are closed and not clean ..... without the toilet papers...
14:52 October 3, 2011 by Englishted
@wenddiver

Where does it say he was drunk ?,that is slander.

As for a person who urinates ,if you don't then see a doctor or sell your story to the bild.
16:18 October 3, 2011 by zeddriver
Note to self. Pee by a tree or shrubbery. After spending millions of euros on a government study by the ministry of urination. It was determined that where there are trees and plants. There are usually a lack of roadways or trains.

Darwinism at it's finest.
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