# Blood at the train station: what could have happened? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801 "2016-06-19T18:32:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/1 "2016-06-19T18:32:18Z")
Last Thursday morning when I was at the Norwalk Metrolink Station, waiting for my train, I saw something one doesn’t often see at train stations: There was a line of blood spots leading toward the ticket machine from some 30 feet away, and getting apparently fresher as they approached the machine. I just called Metrolink and the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station; neither knew anything about it. It’s mistifying to me.😕 ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/2 "2016-06-19T18:36:47Z")
I’m just speculating, but my guess would be that somebody who was bleeding wanted a ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/3 "2016-06-19T18:44:50Z")
Last-minute-shaving accident. (You know how you’re not supposed to run while carrying scissors? Well, the same is true of razors.) ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/4 "2016-06-19T18:50:30Z")
My brother once cut himself carrying a metal wood stove pipe and was bleeding pretty bad through the Boston subway system. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/5 "2016-06-19T18:52:04Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > My brother once cut himself carrying a metal wood stove pipe and was bleeding pretty bad through the Boston subway system. That must have scared quite a few passengers. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/6 "2016-06-19T18:52:06Z")
Someone had a nosebleed, most likely. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/7 "2016-06-19T19:38:50Z")
And the trail of blood just stopped at the ticket machine? That means the person used his ticket to stop the bleeding. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/8 "2016-06-19T20:15:18Z")
No, the reason the bleeding stopped is that the person was abducted by aliens at the ticket machine. Or he/she ascended directly to heaven from there. Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/9 "2016-06-19T20:24:18Z")
[Red dye #2,](https://www.google.com/search?output=search&tbm=shop&q=fake+blood&oq=fake+blood&gs_l=products-cc.3...2029.3323.0.3468.10.3.0.7.0.0.75.204.3.3.0....0...1ac.1.64.products-cc..0.2.140...0.abSNdnE0cdo#spd=471507380560655489) a sense of humor, and a gullible audience. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/10 "2016-06-19T21:46:09Z")
It’s possible someone was bleeding and didn’t realize it until he got to the station where the attendant pointed out “Hey, you’re bleeding” at which point the person applied pressure with a tissue or whatever and thus stopped leaving a trail. Had a customer at my store once who was on blood thinners and left a very impressive trail from the parking lot through a section of the store. Had acquired a small slash from some sharp bit while exiting a car which just kept on going, despite the minor nature of the wound, for an impressive amount of time. Could have been something like that. A lot of folks are on blood thinners these days. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/11 "2016-06-19T21:59:03Z")
My wife, her mother, and one of my sons all have been afflicted with spontaneous nosebleeds at various times throughout their lives. Some of them have been real gushers. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/12 "2016-06-19T22:42:23Z")
Note: No trace of blood on the ticket machine itself. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/13 "2016-06-19T23:25:14Z")
The transit authority is getting tough on fare jumpers? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/14 "2016-06-20T00:32:49Z")
Perhaps the contents of someone’s luggage dripped through the zipper while rolling across the station, until eventually those contents shifted in some way. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/15 "2016-06-20T02:22:48Z")
I also vote for a nosebleed. I used to get them all the time in the dry air of Arizona. The only time I noticed was when someone pointed it out, or when I looked down and noticed the blood. Getting my card out to use at a machine would have made me look down. Blood would have been noticed and tissues would have been pulled out of my purse. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/16 "2016-06-20T02:27:48Z")
The ticket machine sensed the blood, became hungry, and inhaled the person. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/17 "2016-06-20T02:30:20Z")
Pirates! ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/18 "2016-06-20T02:33:41Z")
Ninjas! ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/19 "2016-06-20T03:28:34Z")
I remember an episode of Emergency! in which the fire crew arrived at an accident scene. Two cars had collided; no people! The few onlookers they could find said they hadn’t seen anyone. Captain Stanley called dispatch to report on accident victim(s) having left the scene. Johnny and Roy followed a trail of blood spots which suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere. Chet later attributed it to a UFO abduction, which Johnny said was more logical than two injured accident victims wandering around! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801/20 "2016-06-20T05:11:22Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > I remember an episode of Emergency! in which the fire crew arrived at an accident scene. Two cars had collided; no people! The few onlookers they could find said they hadn’t seen anyone. Captain Stanley called dispatch to report on accident victim(s) having left the scene. Johnny and Roy followed a trail of blood spots which suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere. Chet later attributed it to a UFO abduction, which Johnny said was more logical than two injured accident victims wandering around! Not if they had stolen the cars and downed a few six-packs. Wandering around is _exactly_ what they would do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-at-the-train-station-what-could-have-happened/757801.md?page=2)