A teenager killed by a train in 2008 can be held responsible for the injuries his body parts caused a woman, an American court has ruled.

Hiroyuki Joho, 18, was hurrying to catch a train in the pouring rain with an umbrella over his head when he was struck by a train travelling at more than 70mph (112kmh). Witnesses said he was smiling as the train hit him.

However, the Los Angeles Times reported a large portion of his body flew about 30 metres on to the southbound platform, striking Gayane Zokhrabov, then 58.

She was knocked to the ground, breaking her leg and wrist and injuring her shoulder.

A Cook Country judge dismissed Zokhrabov's lawsuit on the grounds Joho could not have anticipated the injuries his flying body parts would have caused. But, the appeal court disagreed.

While the court noted case law involving "flying bodies" was sparse, it said "it was reasonably foreseeable" the train would kill the teen and fling his body in the direction of the platform and waiting passengers.

Leslie Rosen handled Zokhrabov's appeal and said while the case was "very peculiar and gory and creepy" it was straightforward negligence.

"If you do something as stupid as this guy did you have to be responsible for what comes from it."