Toytown Germany

You thought travelling to and from work on the Munich U-Bahn everyday was safe? Think again! There are no less than two U/S-Bahn suicides in Munich every month. On top of that there are many fatal accidents and near misses. Yet only rarely do you hear about all this carnage in the press. Why? Because of a "gentleman's agreement" between the MVG and the local media. Apparently if someone decides to pop their clogs on the U2 (for example) and it is reported in the press, then there is nearly always a "copy-cat" suicide within the following week. Or that's how it used to be. Since the voluntarily enforced ban on reporting, the number of squishy deaths has fallen by a quarter.

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/ubahn-train.jpg[/img]

Scientists at the University of Vienna have named it the Werther-Effekt. They say that U-Bahn suicides are usually spontaneous decisions and reports in the media play a large role in causing people to make that fatal jump. It was this science research that led Munich's public transport service (the MVG) to instigate Germany's first U-Bahn suicide prevention programme. Whenever there are delays or diversions caused by a suicide, the public announcement is made that there has been a "Notarzteinsatz" (Paramedic emergency). And that's it. No further information is ever given. And the programme seems to have worked. For the year from September 2000 til September 2001 the suicide rate on the Munich U-Bahns fell by 25%.

Of course this will never prevent suicides completely. According to the Munich Statistics Office there are between 20 and 30 U-Bahn suicides every year. Actually, the statistics don't specifically say "suicide by U-Bahn". They are rather more general and say, "suicide by throwing, or laying oneself in front of a moving object". I guess they're including trucks and buses under this classification. Perhaps interestingly, the death by moving object victims are 70% male. The women seem to prefer to use the bungie jumping method (without a bungie). With this technique the women outnumber the men by 55%. The total number of suicides in Munich each year is around 230. Other documented methods include hanging (the most popular method), poisoning, drowning, and shooting.

Although press reporting of deliberate U-Bahn suicides is banned, there seems to be no such agreement regarding accidental deaths and non-fatal injury. Indeed, a particularly gory U-Bahn accident is guaranteed to make the front pages of the local tabloid press. Many of the following bulletins come from the Munich Fire Service website.

Implerstrasse, U3 South
0.17 am, Monday 19th January 2004

After an evening of booze cruising, two Iraqis Raad A. (39) and Salah A. (37) found themselves on the U-Bahn platform at Implerstrasse. Under the influence of alcohol they somehow managed to accidently fall on to the tracks. When they realised that an U-Bahn was pulling into the station Salah was able to hide himself in the "safety tunnel" underneath the platform. He was still badly injured (two broken legs), but survived. Raad, however, made a strategical error and was not so lucky. He attempted to climb out from the track but ended up getting pinned between the platform and the train. One leg was torn clean off. The fire service arrived with their pneumatic pumps and were able to prise the carriage away from the platform and free the victim. He was taken to a Munich hospital but died a short time later.

Rosenheimer Platz - S-Bahn "Stammstrecke"
5.15pm, Monday 12th January 2004

Both tracks were closed whilst an "emergency program" was put into action. There were no more details given - but this is the crucial information in itself. The simple word "Noteinsatz" with no further explanation can only mean one thing.

[img]http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/ubahn-accident.jpg[/img]

Mangfallplatz, U1 South
7.32 am, Sunday 21st December 2003

As he drove into the station, the driver of the U-Bahn saw a 50-something man fumbling around on the tracks. Apparently the man on the tracks dropped a packet of cigarettes and had climbed down to retrieve them. He was already trying to climb back onto the platform when the driver slammed on the emergency brakes. Unfortunately it was too late and the victim was trapped 'tween train and platform. He was quickly freed by the fire service but was dead before even making it into the ambulance. The driver was treated for shock.

Herrsching - S5 South
Tuesday 18th November 2003

This incident happened on the S-Bahn, not on the U-Bahn, but interesting none-the-less. A Spanish painter called Victor Mira(54 years old) threw himself under the S-Bahn at Herrsching, South of Munich. Victor was a well known artist with works on show in famous galleries in New York, and throughout Europe. Only a few hours prior to his death, his house on the Ammersee had burnt down in an accidental fire and much of his work was destroyed. One can only assume that it was this misfortune which triggered him to take his own life. It has to be said though, for an artist this was a very primitive suicide technique. There are many other possibilities which are not only more glamorous but also don't cause hours of disruption for the travelling public.

Kieferngarten - U6 North
6.54am, Friday 19th September 2003

A 24 year old blind man failed to observe the end of a platform and fell onto the rails. He heard the U-Bahn approaching so he rolled underneath the platform. After waiting in this position until the U-Bahn came to a standstil, he then climbed up onto the platform without injury. This time no splat. A lucky escape!

Untersbergstraße - U2 South
6.19pm, Thursday, 18th September 2003

Another 24 year old blind person, this time a lady, fell between two carriages of the U2. Several passers-by saw the accident and raised the alarm by both pulling on the emergency brake handle inside the train and pressing the emergency buttons on the platform. The young lady who fell suffered only minor abrasions and burns. Thanks to the quick wits of other passengers she was saved from being rolled over and squished.

Friday 6th February 2004, 17:05 hrs. Not a suicide, but a drunk. The 38 year old wandered onto the S-Bahn tracks at Ostbahnhof. Was hit by an S-Bahn train as it emerged from the tunnel. Not a direct hit. Only the shoulder was seriously wounded. The train came off better - was undamaged. Ostbahnhof S-Bahns brought to a standstill for one hour.

Last Sunday morning (22nd March 2004) a 26yr old fell in front of the S7 at Marienplatz. The train rolled over him for 30 meters before stopping. Amazingly he sufferend only scratches and was able to climb off the track unaided. The train driver had to be treated for shock and the S-Bahn "Stammstecke" was closed for 45 minutes. Read it in today's AZ.

I know that I once had to try to get a drunk off the tracks at Gern Haltestelle (U1). He was just lying on the tracks and wouldn't move - thankfully there's an emergency telephone to get the trains stopped, and a couple of guys from the MVG came and carried him away (there was no way I was going down there - I didn't know where the power line was or anything) but I was unaware how often it happened.

Another one bites the dust. Early yesterday morning a twenty-something year old threw themself in front of the ICE from Munich to Lochhausen. Apparently the train driver didn't even notice. He just felt a small bump and carried on driving. The victim has not yet been identified. Presumably they're still scraping the bits off the track. Not sure what became of this "gentleman's agreement" not to report suicides. They seem to be appearing in the AZ on a daily basis recently.

Today's German word of the day: Notbremse. Take note! It means "Emergency Brake". Every carriage of the U-Bahn has an emergency brake next to every door. If you see someone trapped in a door as the train leaves the station, for God's sake pull the fricking brake!

Last night a passenger got trapped in the door of the U2 as it left Innsbrucker Ring. The other passengers tried to pull the doors open. None of them applied the emergency brake. The guy was splatted at 40KmH against the wall at the end of the platform. Needless to say, he died instantly from severe head and upper-body trauma. Full story from the tz online and an English language version here.



Notbremse = Emergency brake. Use it!

Rob Fortuna, a 23 year old student from Atlanta, was killed by an U-Bahn at Odeonsplatz on the night to Friday 10.Jun.2005. Apparently he fell between two carriages while trying to board an U-Bahn. The train dragged him and ran over his body. His body was found lying on the tracks by other passengers.

I guess Mr. Fortuna is now Mr. Unfortuna.

News story here: Atlanta Student Dies in Train Accident in Germany