Man passed out in street gets run over
Well, those of you who know Japan know this story had to come from one of only two possible areas in Japan. This time it is not my home prefecture of Okinawa, but Saitama, near Tokyo. The story in full:
Man lying on Saitama street killed in hit-and-run
Thursday 15th May, 02:40 PM JST
SAITAMA — A man died after being hit by a car on a street in Saitama on Thursday morning, police said. According to a witness, the man, identified as Soichiro Utsunomiya, 30, was hit by a white van while he was lying on the street around 2:25 a.m. He was taken to hospital but died from head injuries about one hour later, police said.
According to police, a woman passer-by noticed Utsunomiya sleeping on the street, with his head on the pavement. As she was calling police at a convenience store nearby, she saw the van run over the man and stop. She told police that the driver got out of the van, but got back in again and drove off.
Police said the victim was seen shopping at a nearby supermarket and was drunk, according to witnesses.
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First of all, he wasn’t lying in the street. he was passed out paraletic in the street from alcohol. Whether it was alcohol purchased from the supermarket or at an izakaya (drinking establishment)/snack bar. First of all, not good at all that the guy drove away, especially as it seems he got out and realised what he had done.
I raise this story though as the same thing nearly happened to me a while back. It was when I had my old car and I was driving home to my village one night one the back roads. Turned round a blind corner and there, straddled across the centreline was a guy just lying there. I swerved and braked sharply and just managed to miss him. Stopped the car and got out to make sure he wasn’t injured. As I approached him slowly I could smell awamori (the local fire-water) on him and realised he was just completely hammered. He saw me and slurred a little (most likely something similar to, “Go home!”), and once I realised he wasn’t injured I got back into the car and drove away. Some may ask why I didn’t remove him from the road but to be honest that’s something I don’t want to get involved in. Another car goes by and sees a foreigner pulling an Okinawan guy to the side of the road; next thing you’ve got helicopters out, hundreds of police officers an you’re getting questioned like you’ve done something wrong.
All I’ll say is that I’m glad I didn’t come across him while taking that same corner in my Evo. My car’s low and he might have damaged the underside of it as I’d gone over him!
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