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Old forge snowmobile fatal accident

9K views 23 replies 16 participants last post by  dave_dj1 
#1 · (Edited)
#3 ·
Lot's of fatalities and injuries so far this winter in comparison with the amount of snow. Sad. Very sad and really casts a shadow on our sport.
 
#4 ·
It is sad to hear stories like this but there are too many people out there that feel invincible and they have the "that won't happen to me, I'm smarter than that" type attitude and they make bad decisions that cost lives and in my profession, I see it alot more than most people do. My thoughts go out the the family and friends of the downed rider but on the flip side, people need to wake up and realize there is a time and place for certain things and excessive speed in the middle of the night with limited experience is not a wise decision. When the reports come back we shouldn't be surprised if alchohol and/or drugs played a factor. Too many people ignore the little voice in their head that alerts them that it doesn't feel quite right to continue on their current heading and that's what gets alot of people in trouble. So on one hand I feel bad and it's a shame that someone had to perrish doing something they loved but on the other, we are all adults and need to stop being ignorant when operating these machines. I watched my good friend die years ago in a head on crash because a drunk inexperienced rider thought he was big shit riding a borrowed machine from his buddy riding at a high rate of speed and crossed over the centerline and plugged him in the middle of a corner in daylight so my buddy never saw it coming. I have witnessed several t-bones and various other accidents and multi-sled pile ups from people making bad choices. Not trying to be a jerk about this as it is serious and I do feel bad for the family but way too many accidents happen in the short period of time we have to operate this things yearly and most of them could be avoided. Noone or nothing is perfect so accidents will happen and thats understandable but most of us already know that most accidents are self inflicted and alot of the time, an innocent person riding within their limits and/or bystanders end up paying the price for other peoples ignorance and that makes most angry.
 
#7 ·
Jetpilot785 I hesitated to say what you mention about waiting to see or hear if he had been drinking. At 3:30 am some do ride safitly and do so because there is less traffic on the trails. With that said there are also some who are coming from bars and over the limit.
2X to your post.
RIP and for his family prayers.
 
#10 ·
Jetpilot785 I hesitated to say what you mention about waiting to see or hear if he had been drinking. At 3:30 am some do ride safitly and do so because there is less traffic on the trails. With that said there are also some who are coming from bars and over the limit.
2X to your post.
RIP and for his family prayers.
You are absolutely right brother. I personally know of people and I myself have ridden at all hours of the night and early morning due to rotating shifts. I have a few guys I work with that I ride with from time to time and we all work the 3-11PM shift so we don't start rides until after midnight when we do ride so I would agree with you that there are people that work odd hours that have to ride at odd hours to get it in but unforunately there are alot more riders out there at those late hours that are riding after they have been drinking whether it was 1 or 20 and the statistics have shown that over the years. Our arrest records over the past 5 years have shown that the average rider pulled over after 7PM on friday, saturday and sunday evenings have averaged a .12 on the breathalizer.
 
#8 ·
I saw the Ambulance past me going south ..lights on..going slow..not a good sign.

The (iced) turns around Rondaxe/Tr.5 are(were) absolutely a bad day waiting to happen.

I think Smith Marine - had in possession about 5 sleds in various states of crash/totaled, from the weekend.
 
#9 ·
Rode from Thurs. morning till this morning and saw quite a few places on the trails with sled pieces laying on the ground. Lots of idiots out racing the trails Sat. big time ! Came back from a early ride to sabbatis Sat. and pulled off Raquette lake @ the tap room n saw a group fly in and then the dad ream out his kid for smashing the rental sled. Guess his inexperience trying to keep up got the best of him. Then Sat. night was out on the deck at Daikers and saw a group race down from Inlet past Daikers n kept on going down into the channel. Guess they got damn lucky n didnt go in the drink!
 
#11 ·
Almost got clipped a few times myself while leading this past Sunday. A bunch of morons with no common sense or respect thats for sure. Coming up Camp 4 on the Hill towards Sportsman I had a few people riding WAY over their head coming towards me on blind turns in my lane and nose to tail like they were on a snocross track. All you need is some common sense and it seems like it disappears when the helmets go on with a lot of these guys.
 
#12 ·
I don't know if alcohol was a factor with this fatality, but maybe a Town of Webb permit or NYS Registration should come with a punch card.

You must present your dated punch card in order to buy a drink; more than 2 or 3 punches and establishments will no longer sell you beverages that contain alcohol.

This would not solve all problems but I think it will help.
 
#14 ·
That will "NEVER" happen. They are there to make money selling their products. Now maybe they, the business, should be cited if the LEO can prove they were served while intoxicated.
 
#15 ·
Sorry to see this happen, but regarding alcohol consumption, I think it,s high time the drinkers start taking responsibility for themselves. Until that happens, you can have all the laws you want, but I don,t think it will work. Lawyers love ambiguity, but if nobody but the drinker was to blame, and penalized heavily when caught, maybe the blame somebody else mentality might change. What is wrong with each person being totally responsible for themselves ?
 
#16 ·
What is wrong with each person being totally responsible for themselves ?
Exactly... but in this case (or so I hear) the rider was inexperienced (drinking or not no matter) and his friends left him and he was trying to catch up.
If this is true the so called "friends" should have nightmares about this for the rest of their lives.

We pulled a rider out of the ravine in front of my camp a few years ago. We were having dinner and I noticed a light up in the trees where lights normally don't shine. My friends went out to have a smoke and came right back in saying someone was hollering for help.
We went out there and here is a guy crawling up the ravine and his sled is at the bottom... how he missed the trees I don't know. He is riding an F7 and says his friends left him and he was trying to catch them and this was HIS FIRST TIME RIDING (yeah on an F7). We made sure he was OK and asked if he had been drinking and he says no. We asked if he has insurance, etc and he says yes so I suggest he call the sheriff to make a report and he agrees. Meantime my buddy's wife goes down to the Quick & Easy where they started from and tells his buds (who were in the lot laughing it up) that their friend has crashed. By time they get back up there the sheriff has arrived and the only thing his buds are worried about is being pissed that the sheriff was called.

WTF is wrong with people... bringing a new rider up and not watching out for them?
 
#18 · (Edited)
About 8 years ago, my brother and I were riding down Number 9 Rd. and we noticed a weird track in the snow. We stopped and talked about it and decided someone had a broken A-arm or something and was limping it back to the truck. We went a few miles more and came up on a Doo in the ditch. The sled was wrecked and the guy that was trying to limp it back was bleeding from a rip in the shoulder of his jacket. He told us he hit a street sign back near Talbolt Rd. We offered him help (of course) and he told us that we needed to go to Highmarket Inn and let his friends know where he was and to come back. So that was what we did. When we got to Highmarket Inn we went to the only guys in the bar and told them where their buddy was and he needed help. We sat down to eat and watched his "buddies" casually finish their beers and after 20 minutes go get on their sleds and rescue their friend. I ended up being the guy to clean up the 4"X1" gash he had in his upper arm in the bathroom. So nothing surprises me.
 
#20 ·
That is the way we have always ridden... When I first started riding I was told to ride my own pace and someone will wait if they were turning... "if you get to an intersection and no one is there go straight"
General rule is you are responsible for the person behind you so that a large group does not have to wait at every turn.
 
#21 ·
Our rule is that the most experienced rider always brings up the rear of the group to be there for the less experienced riders. We still stop at road crossings and will stop along the trail if you don't see a headlight in your mirrors. Have travelled this way for years with our kids in the middle. Great way to control speed of inexperienced riders and assist when issues arise (belts, etc.). Experienced rider at the back can also better control those who want to rocket by.
 
#22 ·
Quote :"Exactly... but in this case (or so I hear) the rider was inexperienced (drinking or not no matter) and his friends left him and he was trying to catch up.
If this is true the so called "friends" should have nightmares about this for the rest of their lives."
Again, sorry to read about the accident, and I,m not trying to beat a dead horse here, but what is wrong with riders riding within their limits. I,m sure the guys out front would eventually wait for the slower ones.
In our group, we all ride the same. If someone else wants to tag along, we tell them to ride within their means, and we will wait at the next intersection. WHY IS IT THAT EVERYONE ALWAYS TRIES TO BLAME SOMEONE ELSE FOR THEIR MISFORTUNES ? About time everyone takes care of themselves, wouldn,t that make for a better world ? I think way too many people have played video games for so long, they think they are invinsible.
 
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