Several tragic deaths have occurred this past week. A firefighter died trying to catch a baseball thrown by a player into the stands at a Texas Ranger’s baseball game. He was sitting in the stadium's second level and leaned over the rail to catch the ball. His young son witnessed the whole thing.
An Iraqi war veteran who was a double leg amputee was thrown from a roller coaster in Buffalo, New York, falling two hundred feet to his death while his college aged nephew riding next to him looked on in horror. In June, an eleven year old girl fell 150 feet to her death out of a ferris wheel gondola. She was alone in the car and investigators still can’t figure out how she got out of the cage. Why was she alone in the gondola car?
Deaths like this are senseless and my heart goes out to these devastated families. But my sympathy level is fairly low, especially when news commentators are looking for someone to blame and SUE. The family of the war veteran said that the decedent was so happy when he got onto the roller coaster, but not one person from the park challenged him…not one (family’s emphasis). Really? He wasn’t wearing his prosthetics, and the restraint system was a bar across the legs. What am I missing from this story? He needed to be told that’s not a good idea? In addition, what would have happened if the attendant actually challenged the guy and told him he couldn’t ride. I can see the headlines now…War Veteran Denied Ride on Roller Coaster. Can you spell the Americans with Disabilities Act?
At some point in time people need to take responsibility for their actions. If you are going hiking in the backwoods of a national park, you may get accosted by a wild animal such as the bear that just mauled a man to death in Yellowstone. If you are going yachting off the coast of Somalia, don’t be surprised if pirates board your boat and kill you. If you are going to climb a mountain because it is there, watch out for avalanches or crevices or snow storms or any other myriad of events that can leave you stranded and/or dead.
Risk has always been America’s strong suit. Our country was built on risk. On the other hand, there is risk, and there is recklessness. And it even becomes more of an issue when the dire consequence of one’s reckless behavior is foisted on to someone else, be it through liability or the cost of an associated rescue mission. What has happened to common sense?
Was the baseball worth the fall over the rail? Was “being normal” worth being thrown from a roller coaster car? How’d that walk in the woods work out for you? And if you want to go boating, here’s a thought. How about doing it off the coast of the United States? And here is another good idea, don’t go on a lake bordering Mexico when those bonfires you see on the other side belong to the Mexican drug cartels.
We are all human, and none of us are made alike. If there was a god, I would have a 32 inch waist and be able to run marathons. I know my physical limitations because I am overweight, and try to act accordingly. We all need to realize our limitations, and learn to live within our physical capabilities.
Forest Gump said "stupid is as stupid does." I think right now there's a whole lot of people with a whole lot of stupid. Where does America get some common sense? There are those of you who will think I am terrible for writing this essay. But if it makes someone think just once about doing something dangerous in pursuit of God knows what, then it was worth it.
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