Olympics: too fast, too steep, too dangerous
The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” These Latin words mean “Swifter, Higher, Stronger.” But at this winter’s Games in Vancouver, perhaps the motto should be “too fast, too steep, too dangerous !”
I had previously noted the fatal crash that killed the Luger from Georgia. As pointed out by my new American Association for Justice friend and fellow New Jersey trial lawyer Anthony Sellitto, of Toms River, “the young luge athlete from Georgia loses control around a bend – hits the opposite wall and becomes airborne. The video link is graphic. The design problem is that right along the track they have a row of steel columns right next to the track that support the roof over it. Sort of like the columns in the tunnel that killed Princess D.” The Georgian Olympic athlete flew right into a column. Why would anyone build something like this without thinking of what would happen if someone left the track which is expected to happen on a luge course from time to time ? I wonder if they send down unmanned, but weighted luges to see what happens once the course construction is completed.
Slowing this course down isn’t the answer – because luge athletes can lose control at slower speeds and become airborne at this curve. They have to put up some type of protection in between or alongside the columns – sort of like a Jersey Barrier. That’s what these Jersey boys think. Engineering design requires that the greater the potential injury, the greater the care to prevent such harm that is required.