Tragic accident in Vancouver - Olympic Luge Slider Dies

[Bfgrn]

Olympic Luge Slider Dies In Horrific Crash

Nodar Kumaritashvili, a Georgian luge slider competing at the Vancouver Olympics, died today after crashing during a training run and hitting a metal pole. He was 21.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Kumaritashvili was traveling at speeds greater than 90 miles per hour at the time of the crash.

The luge track had been called the fastest ever, and the AP notes that concerns were raised even before the fatal crash

 

[PixieStix]

How sad

 

[Luissa]

Very sad!

 

[Luissa]

Wow! I just watched the video.
I hope they do something before sending someone else down the run.

 

[goldcatt]

That's awful! His poor family.

 

[Xenophon]

Bad start for the games.

 

[JenyEliza]

So sad. I watched the video. That track needs to be shut down. It's design in and of itself is life-threatening to anyone who dares go down it. Those poles are WAY too close to the track and there is no protection for the Luger. They fly off that one, they're dead. End of story.

My condolences to this young man's family. I understand his father is the head of the the Georgian Luge Federation. This sport was obviously very important to this young man and his family. I'm sure he will be deeply missed by all who loved him, including his many fans.

 

[rightwinger]

Its a shame.
Watch how the Olympic organizers try to blame it on the victim. They created a track with little margin for error and no safety barriers in place if you made a mistake going 95 mph

 

[Paulie]

Some of you don't seem to understand that there's going to be risk involved when you're flying 95 mph down a slide of ice on just a skinny little sled.

There's only so much saftey measures that can be taken. There's still the opportunity for something to go wrong and someone to be hurt or killed.

People drive 95 mph on the highway everyday, and everyday someone is killed somewhere. Do we "shut down" driving?

 

[masquerade]

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of this young man.
What a tragedy and just so sad.

 

[Bfgrn]

'Dad, I'm scared...'


Luger who died told father he was terrified of Whistler track

By Chris Chase

The day before he died, luger Nodar Kumaritashvili spoke to his father by phone and said he was terrified of the track at the Whistler Sliding Center.

David Kumaritashvili gave an interview Sunday outside his house in the Georgian mountain town of Bakuriani, recounting one of the last conversations he had with his 21-year-old son. The Wall Street Journal reports:

"He called me before the Olympics, three days ago, and he said, 'Dad, I'm scared of one of the turns.'

"I said, 'Put your legs down on the ice to slow down,' but he said if he started the course he would finish it. ... He was brave."

Nodar Kumaritashvili also spoke with his parents minutes before his fateful slide, telling them he planned to make them proud, according to The Globe and Mail.

Since his death, many people have debated whether the track was too fast or the relatively inexperienced luger was out of his element. A number of Olympic lugers think the track was fine. They fault Kumaritashvili – a sentiment shared by luging officials who deemed the track safe (even while hypocritically lowering the starting location and adding pads to the metal beams that caused the death).

Germany's Natalie Geisenberger, who won a race at Whistler last year, said the women's event has turned into a kids race, a startlingly insensitive remark given the tragedy of Friday:

I'm not happy about the new start.

It’s not a woman’s start, it’s a kinder (German for children’s) start. The rest of the track is OK, but it's not as fast as from the proper start. It's the same for all the athletes, but I don't like it. I felt very good, but now because of the new start it's not fun.

Canadian Regan Lauscher complained that the lowered start means her nation's home-track advantage is "basically gone." Given that some have said Canada's resistance to allow other countries to train at the Whistler track played a role in Kumaritashvili's death, that comment beats out even Geisenberger's for insensitivity. Maybe Lauscher is taking cues from her coach, Wolfgang Staudinger, who said that "exotic sliders" are the reasons luge accidents happen.