Snowboarder charged

[uphillklimber]

There needs to be accountability for your actions.

How many folks have driven drunk, knowing that they were going out drinking and did not arrange for a ride before hand when they were sober? They did not just happen to get drunk unexpectedly and decide to drive home in an impaired state.

The same can be said for handling firearms. You need to know where it is pointed (and where to point it), and know if it is loaded etc. You can't just recklessly pull the trigger in your home and say hey, it's my house.

And on the slopes, you can not be irresponsible about getting down the hill. You can walk down if it comes down to it. You can get a mountain ambassador to help you down. You can certainly learn to ski/board in control. Take responsibilty for your actions and ensure they do not harm others.

This kind of irresponsible actions stuff that ends a life or injures some one else just gets me all in a tizzy. People do not have a right to be irresponsible and endanger others.






Okay, I'll calm down now......

[dmc]

nice rant...

[Paul]

Originally Posted by dmc

nice rant...

Makes some damn good points, though.

[blacknblue]

Originally Posted by Big Game

(3)I wonder if the helmet the kid was wearing actually was another factor in causing the death. You know, NFL disallows helmet to helmet hits because of the damage they cause. So I wonder if the the kid wasn't wearing a helmet, would she have died? Something else to shift blame from kid --- is it fair to expect him to understand that if he travels at 35 -40 mph on a slope wiht a helmet on, would he will kill someone? And then to help his case we would argue that public policy wants to encourage people to wear helmets. Finding him guilty of neg homicide when he was wearing a helment, and when there is a least a substantial potential that if he was helmetless there would be no crime leads the criminal justice system to an absurd result. We want to punish those who do not take adequate precautions to protect themselves and others and we want to leave those who use common sense alone.

Yeah, but doesn't that reasoning absolve those who drive faster and more recklessly because they have a bigger car with more safety features? His safety precautions (ie. wearing a helmet) doesn't relieve him of guilt. Hands down, he was acting irresponsibly, and should be judged regardless of his headwear.

[uphillklimber]

Your opinion doesn't bely the facts. It isn't the drinking that increases the incidence of accidents, it's the speeding.

I think you are oversimplifying the situation. It isn't just the speeding. It is a number of factors, all contributing to the end result. There are a lot of speeders, who are not involved in accidents, or cause any, while there are certainly a number that do. The same could be said for reckless drivers. The same could be said for inexperienced drivers. The problem with drinking and driving, is that you end up with a driver who is all of these things, and has poorer judgement. Often a sense of bravado. And then to top it all off, if a serious accident were to occur, the drunken driver, in their relaxed bodily state, is more likely to survive when the accident is just about severe enough to cause death, while the innocent on the other side of the accident ain't quite so relaxed about things.

[JD]

I agree with taking accountability for your actions. One of the biggest problems with this country, and more and more the entire world, is that everyone is always looking to blame someone else for their misfortunes. IMO that includes being aware of the dangers that surround you and being prepared. I still think this situation is being mishandled and this kid should be free to go about his life. I imagine he has alot to deal with w/o facing homocide charges at 17.

Tough situation. But I think they should leave the kid alone. Accicdents happen.