outerlimits Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 opening ceremonies not even started and a luge racer has already died. violent collision. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micah Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 What a horrible start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 That is a huge shame. There are so many high risk activities in the Winter games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GmanCdp Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 hate to hear that....watched some of the preshow this morning..looked as if it was going to be a good one,till this happened.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Not a good omen. And they're short of snow, too... which is weird, given what's happening on the East Coast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Looks like there is an issue with the track design. Make the turns as hairy as you want but it looks like there would be some pretty simple solutions to keeping the athletes on the track and out of the support poles. Link to video of the crash http://www.totalprosports.com/2010/02/12/georgian-luger-dies-after-horrifying-crash-at-olympics-video/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Looks like there is an issue with the track design. Make the turns as hairy as you want but it looks like there would be some pretty simple solutions to keeping the athletes on the track and out of the support poles. Link to video of the crash http://www.totalprosports.com/2010/02/12/georgian-luger-dies-after-horrifying-crash-at-olympics-video/ That's the third accident on that stretch of track this week. One was the defending gold medal winner. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 That video is amazingly damning. That section of the track is obviously unsafe - all those hard columns in a row at arms reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Holly Cow!!!! It is insane to have a high speed corner exit portion of track like that right next to metal pillars. They could at least put up a wall along the pillars so they bounce off the wall instead of getting beat to death by the pillars. That guy didn’t stand a chance as soon as he exited the track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 What a tragedy. The designers of this should be criminally charged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSEMARTIN Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 I wonder if netting would have prevented his death? Does it bother anyone else that the video of the crash/death is shown on national television? Did my seven-year old really need to see that? Thanks NBC!! First-class all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchy Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 It's a horrible crash to watch. Reports are that several experienced lugers crashed in that vicinity. They are reaching speeds of 95 mph. I hope they can put up some shielding between the track and the support columns. Such a tragedy to lose such a skilled, young athlete. He was only 21. Seiichi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) IIRC they usually design these things so that these type of things are mitigated to the nth degree. I find this a bit damning of those that designed the course. It has been a long time since such a death has happened in world competition. Not that it doesn't happen at lower levels, but you would think that this was something that could have been avoided. What a strange and tragic thing that noone thought this a problem. Edited February 13, 2010 by JimmyZip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadeslade Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Lots of people thought it was a problem, including the International Luge organization. My thoughts are with this young man and his family. Not a good omen at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkatz44 Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) Lots of people thought it was a problem, including the International Luge organization. My thoughts are with this young man and his family. Not a good omen at all. The head organizations that investigated this fatality, have announced that this crash was human error. They also said they are going to build the wall up higher. http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/luge/news?slug=ap-lug-lugerdies&prov=ap&type=lgns My thoughts are with him and his family. Edited February 13, 2010 by jkatz44 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpeltier Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 It is a great loss, especially to the family of the young man. The only comfort I would find in this would be the fact that it happened while doing that which he loved so much. The luge is arguably the most dangerous winter olympic sport. This is not the first victim (or the last) of the luge. The Olympic organizers could never forsee a trajic freak accident like this and have done (and are doing more) everything they can to make it as safe as possible. This track has actually been used for a while now, and has a reputation for bieng very challenging and difficult, and its the first time I am aware of that an athlete has been thrown out of that track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 While feel for the family and friends, and I think the track design was insane (not even some padding on those pillars???) I'm also always surprised that ANYONE ever survives the luge. If this was a new sport it would never survive scrutiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 While feel for the family and friends, and I think the track design was insane (not even some padding on those pillars???) I'm also always surprised that ANYONE ever survives the luge. If this was a new sport it would never survive scrutiny. I'm pretty sure that at ~ 90 mph, padding would be merely a feel-good, look good device...... A safety net,or a higher wall, or anything that would keep a luger on the track might actually do something.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Simply having a sheet of plexiglass bolted down the length of the columns would have prevented this tragedy. Having immovable steel columns 3 feet off the edge of the course is insane. Still, I get that competitors are choosing to hurtle down a track at 95 mph on a sled. There is a certain assumption of risk in performing that act. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) The Olympic organizers could never forsee a trajic freak accident like this and have done (and are doing more) everything they can to make it as safe as possible. This track has actually been used for a while now, and has a reputation for bieng very challenging and difficult, and its the first time I am aware of that an athlete has been thrown out of that track. Mark, In actuality one of the big complaints about the track was that it was not completed on time to allow many of the competitors sufficient time to practice on it. Couple that with the fact that it is largely recognized as the fastest and most difficult track in existence and you have a recipe for a lot of crashes in training, which there have been. With respect to not being able to predict this tragedy, as I was watching the video the first time I could see exactly what was going to happen. Having been to the sled track in Park City UT it is apparent there that many design features were incorporated to keep the athletes "in" the track. From the conversations I have been privy to (my Battalion Chief's kid is competing in luge in Vancouver, and my current Paramedic student is a bobsled driver) there is absolutely no reason to not have either a higher wall or some design feature to eliminate the possibility of leaving the track while exiting the high wall corners. As a last note, having been involved in working for an Olympics, I can assure you, individual safety (be it for competitors, attendees, or employees) is very low on their list of priorities. Here is a link with quotes from the designer http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/13/olympics-luge-track-desig_n_461362.html The following quotes come from different individuals. I can't imagine they will not play well in the court case. You know what they say about "assumption being the mother of all f*&% ups". Hackl said luge specialists assume that the competitors who crash will remain on the track and not fly off. "In luge accidents are part of our daily routine. In the run before, Armin Zoeggeler, the world's best luger, had a spectacular crash. That's normal. You stand up, shake yourself and ride again. "We assume that those who crash will stay on the track and we don't pay too much attention to the structures outside the track." Edited February 13, 2010 by smokshwn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-Ho Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Crazy fast sliding down a half pipe covered in ice????? You cold weather folks are crazy. I'm surprised there are not more injuries and accidents in this sport. Prayers for his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin40 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Watched it tonight and they moved the start position down 600m from the original start. They said it would slow the guys down about 5mph. Of the ones I watched a guy hit 91mph on the shortened track. They did put up a wall where the accident happened. Flyin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 i saw the video of the accident...one of the worst things ive watched. such a dark mark on the Games. Hopefully the rest will flow smoothly. prayers to the family and friends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirveyr Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 (edited) I wonder if netting would have prevented his death? Does it bother anyone else that the video of the crash/death is shown on national television? Did my seven-year old really need to see that? Thanks NBC!! First-class all the way. It bothers me that the mainstream media won't show dead US soliders, but they are all over this shit. Indeed, thanks NBC. Edit to add: I also feel for his family, but he knew the risks of shooting down an ice covered tube on a piece of plastic at 90+MPH. It is not the designers fault. It is part of the game. Each competitor knows the risks involved. It is no different than someone shooting themselves in the leg while re-holstering. Is it the gun manufactures fault or the COF designers fault or the fault of (insert shooting sport here)? I'm not trying to be a cold-hearted ass, I'm merely expressing my thoughts. Edited February 14, 2010 by sirveyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokshwn Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 (edited) I wonder if netting would have prevented his death? Does it bother anyone else that the video of the crash/death is shown on national television? Did my seven-year old really need to see that? Thanks NBC!! First-class all the way. It bothers me that the mainstream media won't show dead US soliders, but they are all over this shit. Indeed, thanks NBC. Edit to add: I also feel for his family, but he knew the risks of shooting down an ice covered tube on a piece of plastic at 90+MPH. It is not the designers fault. It is part of the game. Each competitor knows the risks involved. It is no different than someone shooting themselves in the leg while re-holstering. Is it the gun manufactures fault or the COF designers fault or the fault of (insert shooting sport here)? I'm not trying to be a cold-hearted ass, I'm merely expressing my thoughts. I can agree with the view of personal responsibility and absolutely agree that when we engage in an activity we bear a much of that liability. But that does not dismiss any design liability on the part of the track/organization officials. Yes, there are risks in luging, but the video shows that a very simple design feature (one that exists on many other tracks) could have prevented him from leaving the track. Your example has some faults. Although each shooter is responsible for their own actions we have still deemed several actions by the shooter and design features of stages to be at an elevated risk level and therefor not allowed. This would seem to indicate that we know there is a line to be drawn at unacceptable risk on the part of the organization not just the competitor and spectator. If the shooting sport allowed spectators downrange during a course of fire, or did not mandate shots go into an acceptable backstop, do you honestly think they would not be found to have some liability. I can't think of a single automotive racetrack that I have worked that doesn't have safety fence, safer barriers, and catch fences for these very same reasons. I guess you could take a stance that someone who attended a race with their kids knew the risks of sitting close to the track, but I think it is still pretty stupid to kill a fan with the excuse that they knew there were risks. Edited February 14, 2010 by smokshwn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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