Idiot!

[TomJoe]

Read about it here.

This part in particular:

At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured after the train headed from Moorpark to Los Angeles struck an SUV parked on the track. The train derailed and sideswiped another Metrolink train. The SUV's driver -- a man authorities said was suicidal -- survived.

Fool. Selfish fool. Selfish, murdering fool.

Because of your stupidity, you have killed 10 people who wanted nothing more than to simply get to work on time.



You know, two winters ago, I took the train (Amtrak... hell on rails) home, and about 3 hours from home, we hit a truck parked on the tracks because that person too was suicidal. Now, thankfully no one on the train was hurt (the guy in the truck was pancaked) and all it was was a huge inconvenience (instead of taking 3 hours to get home, it took an additional 12), but suicides really upset me. I know people are not in a very mentally stable frame of mind when they do stuff like this, but it is really the ultimate act in selfishness. While you take the easy way out (though it's probably more painful then they expect when it finally happens) you leave countless family, innocent by-standers and sometimes (like in the case above) victims in your wake, to pick up the pieces because the suicidal person didn't think they could hack it.

And now, in the ultimate act of irony, this fool who wanted to die, lives... while 10 innocent people who didn't plan on dying today... are dead.

Hey fool... next time you want to kill yourself, just lay on the tracks... trains have no problem running over flesh and bone... it's just the heavy vehicles which screw everything up.

Oh well... rant over.

[seebs]

Damn.

If only he'd driven a compact, fewer people might have died. I wonder whether this will be taken into account for the safety statistics for the vehicle...

[TomJoe]

Oh, it gets better.

According to FoxNews, Juan Manuel Alvarez (the fool has a name), drove his Jeep Cherokee onto the tracks, planned on killing himself but then... changed his mind, got out of his SUV, and then just watched the train hit his parked SUV.

If you have time to get out of your SUV, walk away and then watch the whole episode unfold you moron, you have time to start it up and drive off the tracks.

Only "good" part* of this is... they've charged him with 10 counts of murder.

*There is no good part to any of this.

[viscousmemories]

It's a sad story but an interesting case. Either the guys intentions were malicious or he was (and probably is) severely mentally incompetent. If its the former then the 10 counts of murder make sense, but if the latter not so much. In any case you're absolutely right, I don't know why anyone would choose to kill themselves by parking on tracks. It's not a very surefire way to go about it.

[Soubrette]

Not wanting to go into the specifics of this case but one point that I want to pick up on from TomJoe's OP - the few people I've spoken to who have been through serious depression and have considered suicide actually believe they are doing everyone else a favour.

They are so caught up in their own problems and the way that these (and indeed themselves) impinge on the people they love that they feel that to commit suicide is the best for everyone.

Sou

[Godless Dave]

This is America. If you're dead set on committing suicide, just buy a gun. No need for elaborate schemes that endanger others.

[lady cop]

i heard this guy will be charged with first degree murder...the elements of premeditation and intent are not there , it would be an overcharge, mistake by DA. however, 10 counts of manslaughter or vehicular homicide is good for ten consecutive life sentences with the right judge. i am so sorry for the families of these innocent people.

[Shaguar]

We had one here about two monthas ago, the gut derailed a London bound express and 4 were killed. In this case the suicide was successful, as GD says there has to be an easier way to go than this

[lady cop]

well i heard the DA in that jurisdiction speak today...it seems in CA they CAN charge first-degree , they deem leaving the car on tracks to prove intent. they have not, however, decided whether to seek death, it's too early, they need to be on solid ground.

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by lady cop

they have not, however, decided whether to seek death, it's too early, they need to be on solid ground.

Hell no! Let him rot in jail.

Oh the irony...

Guy wants to commit suicide...
... backs out ...
... but kills 11 others ...
... gets arrested ...
... probably wants to die again ...
... state comes in ...
... puts him to death ...

Makes no sense.

Aside from the fact that I think the death penalty is 99% of the time, a crock of steaming cow poop.

[Ronin]

Originally Posted by TomJoe

Hell no! Let him rot in jail.

Oh the irony...

Guy wants to commit suicide...
... backs out ...
... but kills 11 others ...
... gets arrested ...
... probably wants to die again ...
... state comes in ...
... puts him to death ...

Makes no sense.

Aside from the fact that I think the death penalty is 99% of the time, a crock of steaming cow poop.

Reminds me a bit of Gary Gilmore.

"Gilmore was shot by a firing squad after angrily telling his lawyers to drop the appeals they had filed in defiance of his wishes. Gilmore had spent 18 of his last 21 years in jail and prison; he wanted the justice process hurried along. During his wait, Gilmore attempted suicide twice while in prison. The execution was stayed three times. Gilmore's last words were "let's do it".

I did a book report on him when I was a kid (13 iirc) and remember the photos of the medics rushing him to medical treatment while incarcerated after he tried to OD on pills he got from his GF who snuck them into jail via her...oh, nevermind, not really relevant. Anywho...they pumped him out, fixed him up all good as new and then..."Fire!" they shot him dead.



That wasn't even my first experience with a system gone haywire...stories for a different day perhaps.

As for Alverez, well, he has quite a bit to account for and I just don't know how anything will be fixed by the State executing him.

Frustratingly tragic.

[TomJoe]

Originally Posted by Ronin

Reminds me a bit of Gary Gilmore.

"Gilmore was shot by a firing squad after angrily telling his lawyers to drop the appeals they had filed in defiance of his wishes. Gilmore had spent 18 of his last 21 years in jail and prison; he wanted the justice process hurried along. During his wait, Gilmore attempted suicide twice while in prison. The execution was stayed three times. Gilmore's last words were "let's do it".

I did a book report on him when I was a kid (13 iirc) and remember the photos of the medics rushing him to medical treatment while incarcerated after he tried to OD on pills he got from his GF who snuck them into jail via her...oh, nevermind, not really relevant. Anywho...they pumped him out, fixed him up all good as new and then..."Fire!" they shot him dead.



That wasn't even my first experience with a system gone haywire...stories for a different day perhaps.

I agree. It's baffling to me. Who was it that was saying that in one state (heck, maybe it's all states) people cannot be executed if they're in failing health?

So does it really make sense for a state to take someone rapidly dying of coronary disease, spend a few 100K on them for bypass surgery, physical therapy and things of that sort, wait for them to recover and then send them off for lethal injection?



Of course... to let them die of "natural causes" (I think a heart attack is more natural than an injection of a drug that suffocates you) would be deemed "cruel and unusal" but it's ok to get them treatment and then off them?

The other thing that amazes me is... at least in Oklahoma, when they execute someone, the "Cause of Death" is listed as "Homicide". Amazing... simply amazing.

[lady cop]

homicide is the killing of a human being...in can be "lawful" or not.

[Shake]

Originally Posted by TomJoe

Hell no! Let him rot in jail.

Oh the irony...

Guy wants to commit suicide...
... backs out ...
... but kills 11 others ...
... gets arrested ...
... probably wants to die again ...
... state comes in ...
... puts him to death ...

Makes no sense.

Aside from the fact that I think the death penalty is 99% of the time, a crock of steaming cow poop.

Exactly what I was thinking. What better punishment for someone who was planning on committing suicide anyway than to keep him alive?

Otherwise, I might support the DP for someone who kills 10 innocent people.