Died today on practise run at Whistler.

[logicalview]

Accidents happen, crashes happen but this is at the very least an engineering screw up and could very well be corporate greed trying to save a few pennies.

Yup blame the other guy.

He was taking part in the highest level caliber sliding race in the world where risks are taken to win.

(He was never in a world cup event. That makes him pretty much an amateur on the course.) Retracted - this information was from a TV announcer and is false.

He was hurtling at 12 G's - that makes him feel like he weighs 500 lbs - and at 144 kph to boot.

At 12 G's your vision goes blurry, the vibration on the sled make the muscles go numb and the sled is almost impossible to steer.

It was a freak accident with some contributions that he made himself.

Sure, go ahead and live in the inert world of blaming corporate greed if it makes you feel better.

[flamingfingers]

I watched the vid and the supports for the roof is what he smacked into. NOt sure how this could be an engineering fault and for sure, "insulation" would be useless. I would submit that if you were thrown against a gazillion feather pillows at 140 kph you would still suffer the same fate as this poor young guy. Very unfortunate accident.

[steven lloyd]

Accidents happen, crashes happen but this is at the very least an engineering screw up and could very well be corporate greed trying to save a few pennies.

I'm sure there will be an investigation. But something tells me you're way out of line on this one.

Agreed. "Corporate greed" is a bit of a desperate stretch on this one. It's a tragedy. Very sad.

[fluffy]

"Corporate greed" is a bit of a desperate stretch on this one

Yep. Right out of the drama queen/king handbook.

[LoneWolf_53]

I watched the vid and the supports for the roof is what he smacked into. NOt sure how this could be an engineering fault and for sure, "insulation" would be useless. I would submit that if you were thrown against a gazillion feather pillows at 140 kph you would still suffer the same fate as this poor young guy. Very unfortunate accident.

As a rule I don't really pay much attention to Luge and Bobsledding but it was kind of hard to miss this story and I saw the video.

Now I'm no engineer but given the state of the art materials we have at our disposal in this day and age I believe engineering could be much better.

What killed the poor lad wasn't the speed so much as the sudden stop.

Much the same as the devastation caused by head on collisions due to two vehicles coming together at great speed trying to stop at once.

This gets addressed by removing the potential for that type of contact.

Now would you not think it possible that if the track were designed for example with some sort of plexiglass covering on the really dangerous fast corners that it would go a long way to containing the sled and driver thus carrying them forward together and eliminating the potential of contact with a stationary beam?

I'm assuming there being a need to view the athlete on the corners otherwise it could just as easily be a tube in those areas much like a waterslide which contains it's users.

The point of the exercise is to get through the course as fast as possible is it not or do they get marked on technique too?

[coffeeFreak]

I can't believe they just showed the scene of this poor young man's death right after the closing ceremonies with no viewer warning...

[LoneWolf_53]

I can't believe they just showed the scene of this poor young man's death right after the closing ceremonies with no viewer warning...

You must have been on a different channel because I heard a warning.

[hellomynameis]

I can't believe they just showed the scene of this poor young man's death right after the closing ceremonies with no viewer warning...

There was a warning

"What we're about to show you is extremely graphic but necessary in order to tell the whole story"

Or something very similar to that affect.

[Fancy]

I was told not to watch it - I did - I'm glad I did. Horrific, humbling how fragile we really are and what the athletes endure - so sorry and cried. He will not be forgotten.

[featfan]

Be very, very careful if you try to view the footage.
Hackers have attached viruses to the video from offshore websites.
Most legit sites have taken the video down.

[RR24K]

Be very, very careful if you try to view the footage.
Hackers have attached viruses to the video from offshore websites.
Most legit sites have taken the video down.

Seen it (wish I had not ), don't need to see it again.

[Advocate]

I think it's disgusting to see the footage of this young mans death all over the news. I think a press release would have sufficed.

I cannot get it out of my head.

The media's job is to report the news. This is news.

[Advocate]

What killed the poor lad wasn't the speed so much as the sudden stop.

People think this while driving their vehicles as well.
As if the speed has nothing to do with how hard and fast you stop.

Speed has everything to do with survival rates when crashing.
It changes the trajectory and the impact.

[RR24K]

I think it's disgusting to see the footage of this young mans death all over the news. I think a press release would have sufficed.

I cannot get it out of my head.

The media's job is to report the news. This is news.

I agree, but their is no need for the footage.

[Liberty and Truth]

What will people *bleep* about when the Olympics are over? Geez.

When you have something relevant to say pertaining to the death of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, then by all means go ahead, but right now you come across as pretty ignorant.

yet the nonsensical comment about the media and "corporate greed" was totally relevant of course.