Juno Beach Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 VIDEO The death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, who lost control of his sled, flew over the wall and slammed into a steel pole on a course that athletes had warned was dangerous has cast a shadow of grief over the start of an already troubled games. Sympathies, Sean 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunnergoz Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 A very sad fate for such a young man. RIP. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Why do I have the feeling that this man died unnecessarily? Unpadded steel poles? 140 km/h? Lawsuit? Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Unpadded steel poles? No amount of padding would have made it survivable at those speeds. Even without hitting anything or staying inside the half-pipe it is dangerous. The only way to guarantee safety would be to lower speeds, and presumably that is what will happen in future games. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Sergei, I disagree. I think Sorbothane padding or something similar may well have saved his life, especially since he hit the pole basically flat, providing maximum opportunities for impact energy dissipation. NBC's reporting the official explanation is the classic "blame the pilot," but the deadly part of the run is now completely walled in on the outside and starts will be done 200 meters lower from the Women's launch point, bringing the speeds down to what the lugers are used to--the high 80s expressed in mph. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I would still consider that kind of shock to the back lethal anyway. Imagine falling from a tall building so that your back hits first. A little padding on top of the concrete doesn't do much - even if you don't die you'll likely be crippled for life. Spine doesn't take such forces well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 With that speed you can run in to a pink fluffy cloud and it'll still mess you up. What was needed was higher boarding to prevent him leaving the track or failing that a clear stretch for him to decelerate, somewhat like a F1 gravel trap. It'd still be no laughing matter to overturn your luge. But iron poles directly behind the low boarding on the outside of the fastest corner? Now that's just damnably negligent. It's an Olympic venue, for goodness sake!!! The local skateboard park has better safety features. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Sergei, I said I thought he would've lived through it had that column been properly padded, but in no way was I implying he wasn't going to emerge other than severely injured. Maybe the IOC should start seriously looking into the kind of protective gear the snowboarders use, notably, spine guards! Also, I forgot to mention that the curve was reworked, too, as a corrective measure following the fatal crash. Regards, John Kettler 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Pity it so often takes a death for people to wake up. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoolaman Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 The Georgian president weighed in and made a good comment, something like, "I'm not qualified to say what happened, call it driver error maybe, but we expect that in sport accidents people don't die." Seeing what really happened this is just a crime, that doesn't seem like a freak unpredictable accident, the exit to any corner should keep the luger in the track, and fricken steel posts lining the track on a fast corner?! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomm Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Seeing what really happened this is just a crime, that doesn't seem like a freak unpredictable accident, the exit to any corner should keep the luger in the track, and fricken steel posts lining the track on a fast corner?! My thoughts, exactly. Best regards, Thomm 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugged Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 The Georgian president weighed in and made a good comment, something like, "I'm not qualified to say what happened, call it driver error maybe, but we expect that in sport accidents people don't die." His comment surprised me, actually. It isn't unheard of for someone to die as a result of a sporting accident. I live within an hour's drive of the Rocky Mountains and I've personally known two people who were seriously injured while skiing. It's a very dangerous sport in which crashes have sometimes resulted in death. Other sports that I consider dangerous would be car racing, cycling, boxing, cage fighting (ultimate fighting), motocross and the like. I wouldn't be surprised to learn of resulting deaths given the risk involved in these particular sports. Anything that combines high speeds and minimal protection - such as luge - is a recipe for disaster. I was disturbed by the video of the accident, and saddened by the news of Kumaritashvili's death but I am not surprised by it. The link to the wikipedia article in the original post shows that this is the fourth death of an athlete during Winter Olympics. To be honest, I'm quite surprised the death rate is that low. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitchen frizzy Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Prez says that an Olympian's death is unexpected, and that's a valid point. Sure, it happens occasionally, but it's always a suprise. Accidents at ski resorts are nothing unusual. Amongst the general public, skiing accidents are to be expected and are unsuprising. Those are amateurs with little practice compared to Olympic athletes, and they are very often vying for the Darwin Award when injured or killed. Doesn't really compare. In my part of the world it's boating accidents. Jet skis and speed boats + cluttered waterways + alcohol. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugged Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Doesn't really compare. I'm not drawing a comparison, per se. I'm saying that I don't agree with the Georgian president's remark, "...but we expect that in sport accidents people don't die." I do expect that people will die from sporting accidents. It happens often enough to sport enthusiasts and even to top athletes or experts in their sports. And yes, there are freak sporting accidents that take lives too - Natasha Richardson's bump on the head comes to mind. So, yep, I do expect that people will die in sporting accidents. "RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili," wrote American skeleton athlete Kyle Tress, who did not qualify for the Olympic team. "Let's never forget how dangerous these sports can be." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100212/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_lug_luger_dies 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Other Means Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 A guy works sister is doing the skeleton bob there. Must be playing on everyone's mind. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoAttacker Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 It was a sad day for sport. Like all deaths and athletes that get paralyzed in sport or any career ending injury. I am sure that the Olympics will change many rules after these games with the edge on safety as they should. The risk is always there in in Athletics and the athletes know of them. Sliding sports always try to push the envelope with design of sliding area and sleds they use. Hopefully this will be th last death in the sport. God nless his family and loved ones. Michael "Gonzo" Gonzalez 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugged Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 A guy works sister is doing the skeleton bob there. Must be playing on everyone's mind. She took the gold! Congrats to her. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.