Woman Gives Her Life To Stop Elderly Man Being Hit By Train
by Beth on Thursday, October 3, 2013
by Beth on Thursday, October 3, 2013
The most shared story on Facebook today from Yahoo! Japan is the bittersweet story of a woman who gave her life to save an elderly man who had fallen on the train crossing.
The man was lying on the tracks after the automatic barriers at the train crossing had come down, and the woman, Murada Natsue, could not bear to see him hit by a train. She climbed onto the tracks in an attempt so save his life, but in doing so was killed by the train.
From Asahi Digital:
Woman Enters Train Crossing To Save Man ‘I Have To Save Him’, Father Says “It’s No Use” — JR Yokohama Line
Kanagawa Prefectural Police Midori Division have announced that in an accident on the train crossing just before noon on October first at the JR Yokohama Line in Nakayamamachi, Midori Ward, Yokohama, a woman who died after being hit by a train in an attempt to save a man (74), was Murada Natsue (40), of Daimuracho, also in Midori Ward. The man suffered serious injuries including a broken collarbone, but his life is not in danger.
According to police, the man was lying down on the outbound line when the automatic barriers on the crossing closed. Murata, who was at the front of a line of cars waiting at the crossing shouted “He’s going to get run over” and dashed inside the crossing.
Murata’s father, Murata Shigehiro (67) said that Natsue was in the passenger seat of the car her father was driving. When she saw the man inside the crossing, she said “I have to save him”, and got out of the car shaking off her Shigehiro’s plea that “Don’t do it, it’s not use”. She entered the crossing, and crouched around the man’s midriff as he lay on the tracks as she tried to move him aside.
Shigehiro said “She was the kind of girl who could never just leave someone in trouble. I want the man to go on living for a long time.
Natsue lived with both her parents. Since 4 or 5 years ago, she had been helping her father with his property business. On the day she died, the two had finished their outside work, and were on their way back to the company.
A male employee said of Natsue that “She was a warm and kind person”. In the past, Natsue had also looked after elderly people who had lost their way in town, and people who were drunk; she would ask their name and address and contact their family.
According to the JR East Japan Yokohama Branch, the driver had noticed Natsue and the man on the crossing about 200m ahead and had applied the emergency brake; however the train did not stop in time.
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