This is currently on F-chat and represents a potentially disturbing trend in American society.
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jun2006/bw20060608_466074.htm
I thought I would repost my thoughts here...as the results of this lawsuit could affect our ability to enjoy our cars.
On October 17, 2000, my first wife was driving a 1999 Subaru Outback on I-40 between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC, when she lost control of her car...according to the state patrol, the driver's side tires went off the side of the road, she likely overcorrected bringing the car into a spin and was struck on the driver side by another car at full Xpressway speed. The other driver was driving with a revoked license. I never saw my wife alive again. She was 35 years old at the time; I was 36. We had been happily married for 6.5 years. It took me a long time and a lot of soul-searching to put my life back together....but suing someone or everyone is NOT the answer. Bad things happen...yes, people need to be held responsible, but suing Porsche is just plain stupid. Yes, my wife was hit by an unlicensed driver. No, the Subaru did not have side-impact airbags, and they were being introduced into new vehicles. But she was the one who lost control of her car initially. Is suing going to bring her back? Will it make me feel better to make others suffer?
I have recently become interested in tracking sportscars. I even recently participated in a High Performance Driving school to improve my skills or lack thereof. Yes, there are risks associated with this. But I am not convinced that they are greater than what all of us do every day. Some people are convinced that my adventure travel to places like Vietnam or Mongolia is very risky...I say that the people who were killed on 9/11 simply went to work that day. My first wife was on the way to a beauty salon. The truth is that most people die at or near their home doing for the most part their routine activities. Sometimes, disaster strikes...and it will strike all of us sooner or later. And nothing we do can bring back the lives of the deceased.
Anyway, I am sympathetic to the widow, and I know what it is like to experience tremendous sadness and loss...but I am NOT sympathetic over this attempt to blame everyone for a terrible tragedy. My 2 cents! :frown
http://www.businessweek.com/autos/content/jun2006/bw20060608_466074.htm
I thought I would repost my thoughts here...as the results of this lawsuit could affect our ability to enjoy our cars.
On October 17, 2000, my first wife was driving a 1999 Subaru Outback on I-40 between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, NC, when she lost control of her car...according to the state patrol, the driver's side tires went off the side of the road, she likely overcorrected bringing the car into a spin and was struck on the driver side by another car at full Xpressway speed. The other driver was driving with a revoked license. I never saw my wife alive again. She was 35 years old at the time; I was 36. We had been happily married for 6.5 years. It took me a long time and a lot of soul-searching to put my life back together....but suing someone or everyone is NOT the answer. Bad things happen...yes, people need to be held responsible, but suing Porsche is just plain stupid. Yes, my wife was hit by an unlicensed driver. No, the Subaru did not have side-impact airbags, and they were being introduced into new vehicles. But she was the one who lost control of her car initially. Is suing going to bring her back? Will it make me feel better to make others suffer?
I have recently become interested in tracking sportscars. I even recently participated in a High Performance Driving school to improve my skills or lack thereof. Yes, there are risks associated with this. But I am not convinced that they are greater than what all of us do every day. Some people are convinced that my adventure travel to places like Vietnam or Mongolia is very risky...I say that the people who were killed on 9/11 simply went to work that day. My first wife was on the way to a beauty salon. The truth is that most people die at or near their home doing for the most part their routine activities. Sometimes, disaster strikes...and it will strike all of us sooner or later. And nothing we do can bring back the lives of the deceased.
Anyway, I am sympathetic to the widow, and I know what it is like to experience tremendous sadness and loss...but I am NOT sympathetic over this attempt to blame everyone for a terrible tragedy. My 2 cents! :frown
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