[ConservaTexan]

You should have sympathy because paying for trespassing at an amusement park is a steep penalty. You should have sympathy because he has a deeply grieving family that has lost a beloved son in a tragic, awful accident. You should have sympathy because leaders of that church will probably second guess themselves for the rest of their lives about their supervision, despite the fact that they did nothing wrong. You should have sympathy because we all walk this earth together, my friend, and face its cruelties on a daily basis. Lastly, you should have sympathy because when your time comes, do you want to know that people thought of you with warmth and with affection, or that they laughed at your demise?

Sorry, I will not react in the typical "poor wittle boy" was killed manner so prevalent here. He was SEVENTEEN and tresspassing in a roller coaster operating area. This was foreseeable and avoidable where he is concerned. I do feel sympathy for the leaders of the church that will second guess their supervision practices. But as you said, they did nothing wrong. The young MAN (not boy as the title calls him) is totally responsible for this incident.

[TNdandelion]

I’m making up little certificates for all those who were “Good Carers” today.

[kenth]

No one is saying he wasn’t responsible for his death. People are expressing disdain for your, and others, boorish comments about the death of a young man and the devastation it brings to his family and friends.

Decency is sorely lacking in today’s society. Your zeal to prove your hindsight does nothing but take away from said decency.

[Clara Lou]

You keep saying that “he was seventeen.”
A) You must never have had a 17 year-old.
B) Many people do not lose that personal myth that they are invulnerable and that nothing bad can happen to them until they are in their 20’s. (Some never lose it.) It’s human psychology.