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Standard_Gauge t1_itxvqmr wrote

Reply to comment by mtarascio in NYC Subway Drags Man to Death in Manhattan by pishposhpoppycock

What an odd thing to argue. If some item that is attached to a person (like clothes or a metal handle of some kind) gets stuck on any external part of a train and the train starts moving, the person is dragged. If they are unable to detach themselves from the object that is stuck to the train, the dragging will become fatal when the train reaches the end of the station and the person attached to it slams into the end wall. It's happened many times and is very tragic.

What other meaning would you ascribe to the word "dragged"??

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mtarascio t1_itxw6p2 wrote

It removes the culpability of the person hit and infers the trains fault. Which is unlikely.

Words matter.

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Standard_Gauge t1_itxxj5u wrote

> infers the trains fault

It does nothing of the kind. What a loony thing to argue. I recall a tragedy a number of years ago on an escalator where someone's shoe got caught on the edge of one of the steps as it started folding in, and the person lost most of his foot. It was hardly his fault, unless you would claim he shouldn't have been wearing shoes or should have worn protective thick workboots. And it wasn't the escalator's "fault" in the sense of any consciousness of right and wrong. But there was clearly a design flaw in the escalator. Most of us would call it a freak accident, but would still want the escalator's safety stop to be revamped. Same with train draggings. No one deliberately attaches themself to a moving train. And it's beyond cruel to the loved ones of the deceased to blather about the "culpability" of the victim.

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mtarascio t1_itxy54p wrote

A train doesn't catch clothing.

There also isn't an emergency stop button that works as quickly or in range of danger as an escalator.

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Standard_Gauge t1_itxz2ek wrote

You are seriously claiming it's impossible for hair, clothing, other items to become unintentionally ensnared in the moving parts (doors) of a train car?? I know someone it happened to. He was not attempting suicide. The man died. It can definitely happen.

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mtarascio t1_itxz898 wrote

Not without the person doing something wrong or someone doing wrong by him which leads back to my original point.

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