If you take the TTC in Toronto, you have probably been caught in some sort of delay on the subway. You may have noticed those delays are frequently caused by what transit operators describe as "an injury on track-level."
This is a very tragic occurrence that unfortunately happens all too often on the transit system in Ontario’s largest city.
If you’ve ever wondered how many people do decide to end their lives by suicide on the subway tracks or at least attempt to, new data published today reveals just that.
@old_ttcIn 2017, a total of 19 people ended their lives by being hit by a TTC vehicle, according to TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.
There were also 26 known suicide attempts on TTC tracks last year.
Last year, 19 people died by suicide on the TTC and another 26 attempted to end their life. To date in 2018, 31 people people have either died by suicide or attempted to die by suicide on the TTC. There is help and hope: https://t.co/4BvMrRrGjH #WorldSuicidePreventionDay
That’s a total of 45 incidents for the whole year.
This year, the number remains somewhere around the same in terms of total incidents as it would have been at this time last year.
There have been 31 incidents this year where someone has either died by suicide or attempted suicide on the TTC.
Ross does not state in his tweet how many this year were fatal, and how many were survived.
@lozadamovesIf you’re wondering if there are ever people who die on the TTC without meaning to, it does happen, but very rarely.
The only widely reported incident this year was when one man allegedly shoved another into the path of an oncoming subway.
The man who allegedly did the shoving has been charged with murder.
@ttc.transitOverall, the TTC is pretty safe. Every station has a poster for Crisis Link and a phone that transit riders can use to make a call and for help if they are in fact considering suicide.
According to the TTC's website, the phones will connect, “callers with a trained counsellor at the Distress Centres of Toronto.”
The phone calls are free and confidential, according to the TTC.
@julianaaugustoSo if you're riding the TTC, you should feel safe. If you're contemplating suicide, the Crisis Link phones are available at all times.
You can also contact a local help line which is available 24 hours a day to talk. Or click here, for additional resources.