Luge Accident

I HAD to find that video! Wish I never did. I saw some kid speeding down the track on his sled trying for Olympic gold. And a VERY narrow section of track and like a MILLION square concrete polls with NO protection for them people. Or even a wall to keep them "in the slot".

Of course I had to search and find the video after everyone told me about it. But I wish I never did. That was one of the most heart wrenching things I ever saw. And seeing everyone trying to save his life hurt me even more. GEEZ!

John

Yeah, i know.  not a good way to start of the olympics.  i'm just surprised they showed it multiple times on NBC, once before the opening ceremonies!

What were they thinking when they didn't put netting up, or padding on the posts? Did anyone involved in the track design do a simulation or have a basic sense of dynamics? And showing the video, that's in really poor taste.  The kid lost his life in a sporting event.  I bet he was ready for broken bones, pain, surgery, etc., but he never thought he'd die on a 105 million dollar track.  What did they spend that kind of money on? Cool logos?

HI,


  i wonder how much netting and padding would help at 90+ miles an hour? Probably a few sheets of plywood to raise the edge a bit would have sufficed . . .



  Makes me shudder . . . .



     ANdyP

What some may have found "in poor taste" on saturday night the BBC coverage they finished by saying what a tragic day it had been for the winter olympics with the death on the luge.
The program was swiftly followed by the movie cool runnings in which there is a video of bobsleigh accidents.
Make your own mind up on that one, but the BBC have been known to change schedule in light of current events for far lesser things.

It appears we have a conflict of interest between camera angles and absolute safety.  Hubris.  A different roof structure that would allow one to be thrown clear?  I suspect heavy padding in this case would still result in death at those speeds; simple G-force effect.