Mortality in the Metro

I’ve already told you about what a circus the metro is, but in a lot of ways, I love it. It’s crazy, sometimes crowded, sometimes WAY too hot, but it’s probably one of the most interesting places to observe French culture and people. It enthralls me.

However, today on my way to meet a friend after school, I saw a man try to kill himself by jumping onto the rails where the trains run. That experience was sobering and terrifying, and it took place literally RIGHT outside my window.

The train stopped at the Motte Piquet Grenelle metro station to let people off and pick up new passengers, as usual. But on the other side of the tracks, a man was dangling his legs over the edge. These areas are CLEARLY marked, and there are bumpy tiles on the ground that mark where people are not supposed to cross (about two feet from the edge). So this fella was obviously doing something wrong.

All of a sudden, we heard the sound of a train coming. My first thought was, “Oh My Lord, I’m about to see this man lose his legs,” but then, in a flash, he jumped into the pit.

HE JUMPED INTO THE PIT.

Miraculously, the sound we had all heard was simply that of a train passing overhead. The largest metro stations have multiple levels, and they echo.

Still, I felt like I was about to throw up. That was the most frightening thing! Security guards pulled him out, all trains on the line were stalled for about 20 minutes, and the man wet his pants and started crying.

The trains are… maybe 500 feet long each, and I was sitting at the window where all of the “action” was taking place. I hope that doesn’t sound crass. The woman sitting next to me remarked that I “had the best seat in the house.”

Lucky me?

Kate