• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Horific Accident at the Olympic

Page 8 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Modelworks said:
They really should. It was proposed at the last olympics to enclose the track in a tube of plexiglass where the top would be transparent but safer. It was tossed out as being nontraditional and too expensive. And they said the creators of the track have been working on making the track faster this year.
Click to expand...

Wonder what he thinks about his life right now. I wonder if they're thinking about it.

Any person who thought that is complicit in his death.
 
silverpig said:
I stand corrected on the fastest track comment. I read an article previously that said that another track had recorded a higher speed, but it was changed.

The track has been approved by not only the engineers, but also by the IOC and the luge federation.
Click to expand...

Countries have previously complained about the lack of training on the course as Canada limited access to it so that their competitors would have a home town advantage.

Joseph Fendt, president of the World Luge Federation, told London’s Daily Telegraph: ‘’The track is too fast. We had planned it to be a maximum of 137 km/h but it is about 20km/h faster. We think this is a planning mistake.’’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...maritashvili-killed-in-training-accident.html

RIP to Nodar-Kumaritashvili. Is it too early to blame Canada?
 
LegendKiller said:
If you hit your head in an odd way and die in a crash, that's one thing. However, having a completely open bank with metal beams right outside a turn is just incompetence and gross negligence.
Click to expand...

He didn't fly out of the track on the turn. It's not like he overshot the corner and kept going. He hit the INSIDE rail and that impact propelled him back outside along the straight.
 
chowderhead said:
Countries have previously complained about the lack of training on the course as Canada limited access to it so that their competitors would have a home town advantage.

Joseph Fendt, president of the World Luge Federation, told London’s Daily Telegraph: ‘’The track is too fast. We had planned it to be a maximum of 137 km/h but it is about 20km/h faster. We think this is a planning mistake.’’

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...maritashvili-killed-in-training-accident.html

RIP to Nodar-Kumaritashvili. Is it too early to blame Canada?
Click to expand...

Everyone blames the track, but what about the sleds? I bet they'd have a hard time getting to 137 km/h if they made the rails out of wood.
 
Sad - but that's the risk of flying down a sheet of ice at a high rate of speed. At least it didn't happen on live tv. 🙁
 
The Paramedics had stabilized a pulse but the internal bleeding got him. He died on the way to the hospital in the ambulance.
 
Queasy said:
Dear NBC, F U.

Really no need to show that just hours after the accident.
Click to expand...

The question of whether they showed it during the telecast has been answered. They showed the whole thing, full impact, in super slow-mo in the first half hour of coverage tonight.
 
spidey07 said:
The question of whether they showed it during the telecast has been answered. They showed the whole thing, full impact, in super slow-mo in the first half hour of coverage tonight.
Click to expand...

I know. I was watching with the kids and had to change channels real quick as soon as I heard, "These images may be disturbing."

I knew what was coming and I can't believe NBC freaking showed it.
 
spidey07 said:
The question of whether they showed it during the telecast has been answered. They showed the whole thing, full impact, in super slow-mo in the first half hour of coverage tonight.
Click to expand...

Horrible.

Well John Furlong said that there will be a moment of silence during his speech for the luger's memory.
 
Last edited:
LegendKiller said:
If you hit your head in an odd way and die in a crash, that's one thing. However, having a completely open bank with metal beams right outside a turn is just incompetence and gross negligence.
Click to expand...
I think I'll wait and see what the IOC's investigation of the incident says before jumping to conclusions. I'm sure the designers of these tracks tend to know what they're doing. My understanding is that it's basically unheard of for lugers to be catapulted out of the track like this, so up until now, there probably wasn't much concern about exposed beams. I'm sure that will change now, though, and somebody will take the fall for this because people just can't help but point fingers when something tragic like this happens.
 
IOC is horrible. They wouldn't approve of female aerial jumpers for some reason. Vanoc themselves said that they would include the sport however they could into these games, but the IOC threw a blunt "No".
 
Wow, just saw the video.

Terrible.

Pretty obvious safety isn't the primary concern on that track...
 
frostedflakes said:
I think I'll wait and see what the IOC's investigation of the incident says before jumping to conclusions. I'm sure the designers of these tracks tend to know what they're doing. My understanding is that it's basically unheard of for lugers to be catapulted out of the track like this, so up until now, there probably wasn't much concern about exposed beams. I'm sure that will change now, though, and somebody will take the fall for this because people just can't help but point fingers when something tragic like this happens.
Click to expand...

ugh you have too much blind faith. somehow i doubt support columns HAD to be there. its for nothing more than an awning, and put so close simply for construction convenience sake.
 
Perhaps. I just don't know why people are so quick to call foul on the track design. I thought I read on another site that the company who designed this track had done six others before. Like I said, I don't think nearby columns had been a concern until now, which is why tracks were built like this. Not being able to anticipate every freak accident that can occur doesn't correspond to negligence IMO.
 
frostedflakes said:
I think I'll wait and see what the IOC's investigation of the incident says before jumping to conclusions. I'm sure the designers of these tracks tend to know what they're doing. My understanding is that it's basically unheard of for lugers to be catapulted out of the track like this, so up until now, there probably wasn't much concern about exposed beams. I'm sure that will change now, though, and somebody will take the fall for this because people just can't help but point fingers when something tragic like this happens.
Click to expand...


Yeah, very true. This is the very first time engineers have ever fucked up.

My bad.
 
frostedflakes said:
Perhaps. I just don't know why people are so quick to call foul on the track design. I thought I read on another site that the company who designed this track had done six others before. Like I said, I don't think nearby columns had been a concern until now, which is why tracks were built like this. Not being able to anticipate every freak accident that can occur doesn't correspond to negligence IMO.
Click to expand...

Watching the video he was out of control pre-apex. Some other pictures show he was still clutching the handle in his left hand as he flew out of the track. He was clearly struggling with the sled and the wall as he went down. Keep in mind that left runner/side would be under the most stress and he was in deep trouble on the final camera angle.

2valh7q.jpg&
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top