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Lawsuit in sledding tragedy
Ottawa Sun ^ | Wed, July 27, 2005 | Sean Meagher

Posted on 07/27/2005 11:42:57 AM PDT by Stevieboy

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You know, losing a son in a sledding accident is a horrendous thing: I can't even imagine what that would feel like. But we do have to be careful when assigning blame. Simon Lessard's safety was not and never was the responsibility of the City of Gatineau; it was his own and that of his parents. We can't ever make our society 100 percent safe, even if we banned rock-climbing, snowmobing, skiing, ice hockey, horseback riding, auto racing, go-carting, fishing and swimming, because accidents are just an unfortunate part of an active life. What we can do, however, is learn from these tragedies and impress upon other people what we have learned. To sue the government for negligence is tantamount to saying that we surrender as individuals.
1 posted on 07/27/2005 11:43:02 AM PDT by Stevieboy
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To: Stevieboy
You got that right. And if they REALLY aren't doing it for the money, then I'm sure they will be happy to donate any award they get from this lawsuit to an appropriate charity.

But for some strange reason I doubt that will happen.

2 posted on 07/27/2005 11:45:16 AM PDT by Rokke
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To: Stevieboy

We SHOULD ban snowmobing, I don't know anybody who has anything positive to say about it.


3 posted on 07/27/2005 11:47:20 AM PDT by biggerten
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To: Rokke

Great. Now we'll see kids wearing helmets as they sled. Fellas, how the hell did we make it this far in our lives without killing ourselves?


4 posted on 07/27/2005 11:47:57 AM PDT by goarmy
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To: Stevieboy

Clearly, we just need to cut down all the trees. They create a patently unsafe environment, no matter where they're growing. And if it'll save just one life, then it'll be worth it. It's for the children, after all.


5 posted on 07/27/2005 11:48:45 AM PDT by Slainte
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To: biggerten

Good eye. I think I'll go buy snowbobing.com right now. It has a ring!


6 posted on 07/27/2005 11:49:10 AM PDT by Stevieboy
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To: biggerten
We SHOULD ban snowmobing, I don't know anybody who has anything positive to say about it.

I don't know anybody who's ever said anything about "snowmobing," positive or negative...but I'll take your advice. Next time someone wants me to go out and snowmobe, I'll "just say NO."

Does that make me a snowmobaphobe?

7 posted on 07/27/2005 11:51:40 AM PDT by Oberon (What does it take to make government shrink?)
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To: Stevieboy

"We're not doing it for the money, we're doing it for our son," said Lessard.


{sigh}


8 posted on 07/27/2005 11:52:33 AM PDT by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: Stevieboy

I see their point. If that tree had been planted 3 feet in any direction instead of where it was, this tragedy would never have happened. (sarc)


9 posted on 07/27/2005 11:53:33 AM PDT by Spok
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To: Stevieboy

BAN SLEDDING! "If it saves just one child..."


10 posted on 07/27/2005 11:53:49 AM PDT by pabianice
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To: Stevieboy

Well this is going to confuse the George W. Bush haters.

He is supposedly trying to rid the world of trees so they can't pin this one on him!


11 posted on 07/27/2005 11:53:56 AM PDT by Gator101
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To: Stevieboy

Well, I went and read the whole article and I still don't quite follow what excatly they're suing for - $100,000 each for mother and father and $25,000 for their daughter, but for what?

In any case, their claim that the city is somehow at fault for having trees on this hill is ridiculous - if anything it is obviously the responsibility of those going sledding, or their parents in this case, to choose a venue for sledding without any solid ojbects in the way that they might run into. AND, the city had signs posted that the hill was not meant for tobogganing.


12 posted on 07/27/2005 11:54:55 AM PDT by -YYZ-
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To: -YYZ-

When I lived in the Ottawa area years ago, I always felt that sledding was a dangerous sport, having broken both my arms on two different occasions. For that reason, I stuck to the sport we called "bunking," which required slick streets, a pair of ice skates, and a tolerant motorist, to whose car we would hang on as we were dragged all over the neighborhood.
None of those pesky trees to get in the way.


13 posted on 07/27/2005 11:59:10 AM PDT by xroadie
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To: xroadie
For that reason, I stuck to the sport we called "bunking,"

Ah, but did you ever combine bunking with sledding. Now that was fun!
14 posted on 07/27/2005 12:01:40 PM PDT by Stevieboy
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To: Gator101

Don't forget that the global warming he is causing will prevent all such accidents.

No snow, no sledding accidents.


15 posted on 07/27/2005 12:02:11 PM PDT by Restorer (Liberalism: the auto-immune disease of societies.)
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To: Stevieboy

Isn't it about time that we all accepted resposibility for our own actions and not blame everyone else.


16 posted on 07/27/2005 12:04:11 PM PDT by concordKIWI
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To: Stevieboy

The only way to stop these lawsuits is for them to start turning around and counter-suing. It was up to the parents to make the initial determination of the safety of the area. If they had concerns, the son wouldn't have been there.


17 posted on 07/27/2005 12:05:55 PM PDT by sageb1 (This is the Final Crusade. There are only 2 sides. Pick one.)
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: xroadie
None of those pesky trees to get in the way.

My dad once offered to take me sledding behind his car at dusk because it took all day to find my sled and polish the runners. (I thought he was out of his mind and told him I could afford to wait until tomorrow. What was he thinking?)

19 posted on 07/27/2005 12:08:56 PM PDT by KC_for_Freedom (Sailing the highways of America, and loving it.)
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To: biggerten
We SHOULD ban snowmobing, I don't know anybody who has anything positive to say about it.

You're joking, right?

First, this was an article about sledding, not snomobiling. Second if you haven't found anybody with something positive to say about snowmobiling, you're not trying very hard.

20 posted on 07/27/2005 12:08:59 PM PDT by TChris ("You tweachewous miscweant!" - Elmer Fudd)
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