pcar964

Sad as the story is, I still got a laugh out of your post... more sad because a CHP was killed? Is their life more valuable than a normal citizen's? And "knowledge and experience?" Since when do cops have any knowledge of performance driving?

Back to the point, what a shame... I wonder what brought on the accident. My pure speculation, as someone above mentioned, is the "get out of jail free" of the cop passenger combined with an over-zealous driver in a GT Ferrari he probably thought was a racecar. Drive carefully guys!

Mark in Baltimore

Sooooo, is there hard evidence that the police officer was driving or is this pure speculation/internet diarrhea?

As Richard and other have pointed out, comments like this are thoughtless, tasteless and written without a true understanding of the circumstances.

Bull

It must ber nice to be able to know what someone else was thinking by simply ready some reporter's version of an event that hasn't been investigated yet.

Mark in Baltimore

As Richard and other have pointed out, comments like this are thoughtless, tasteless and written without a true understanding of the circumstances.

motion

I've spent some time over at dropzone.com, since until recently, I was very involved with skydiving. Our community lost brothers and sisters on a regular basis, unfortunately. The purpose of the "Incidents" forum was to discuss the fatalities and try to learn from them, so we could survive our next jump. Any type of conjecture or condemnation, without facts, was met with instant outrage. This is a group of people that many would consider to be "on the edge", yet they display respect and restraint at a much higher level than what I've seen on this thread.

tj90

I have a friend who base jumps and sky dives - he was just part of the world record formation last year. He has base jumped off of structures that are legal (LA buildings for movies) and illegal - Half Dome in Yosemite. I have talked to him about fatalities associated with your sport. One in particular was that lady who jumped off of El Cap a few years back as a sign of protest for the park service not opening Yosemite to base jumping. Her parachute never opened and she died in front of everybody. That sealed the deal for the sport. I asked him about this incident and he personally knew the people involved. The documentary I saw glossed over all the details of her jump and why her chute did not deploy. My friend explained the details to me and what it came down to was her negligence that killed her. He does not have much sympathy for negligence. I was suprised because he did not have a nice thing to say about "one of his sisters falling". The bottom line is that its a risky sport and everyone accepts the risk. Every sport also has the jackass that makes it even more dangerous for themselves and everyone around them. Should we all rally behind every tom, dick and harry making it dangerous for us and our families?

Based on the carnage of the not-even-recognizable ferrari, the snapped telephone pole, the off duty CHP being a passenger, I believe there is serious negligence involved here. If there was anyone else hurt in this accident, I would love to be the attorney representing the injured on this one. Easy case to prove negligence - might even try going after the CHP.

fbfisher

This is why lawyers have the reputation they do and are the brunt of so many jokes and are driving up the cost of just about everything for the rest of us who don't bill out at $500/hr.

tj90

You would probably feel differently if you, God forbid, were permanently injured - like a life in a wheelchair - from these guys. A lawsuit like this might shine the light on the unwritten rule of "professional courtesy".

fbfisher

Going after the CHP for an off-duty officer being a passenger in a car that was being driven illegally, and suggesting that the CHP has responsibility for this is absurd - unless there is some suggestion based on evidence (like the widow saying "he told him to drive as fast as he wanted because he won't get a ticket with an off duty CHP in the car", not assumption, that the off-duty officer encouraged the driver to act irresponsibly by offering a "get out of jail free card." Anyway, you can't legislate good behavior and punishing corporations for not controlling what their employees do when 'off-duty' has ugly consequences. I'm not sure I want my employer judging my off-duty behavior, what if they don't like Porsches and fire me because of the potential hazard and the risk of my being injured or killed driving my car as intended and the resulting loss to the company and expense of replacing me?

Why not sue Cal-trans for poor road engineering, and the DWP for putting the pole near the apex of the curve, and the tire manufacturer for the loss of grip, and the car maker for not installing a restricter plate in a street car, and the homeowner for not clearing that boulder out of the way...you tell me where this ends.

Robin 993DX

Well, when I saw the news on TV about this deadly crash the first thing that came into my mind was that I hope the passengers is not one of our Rennlisters, as there are several of them that lives in that area who would be wealthy enough to own a Ferrari.

Michael_Philippi

Hey FBFisher:

I don't know any litigation lawyers that bill out their time at $500/hr. You seem to be thinking of those corporate types that think up those wonderful clauses limiting liability for negligent acts! Most personal injury lawyers take their cases on a contingency fee, risking zero payment if a jury decidies no liability. Remember juries, those folks that are supposed to use their common sense to decidie what is what? That's where this ends.

If the officer involved has a history of riding with his friend while the friend endangered others on the road, and he used his employment as a CHP officer as a means to avoid criminal prosecution, then there might be an argument that the CHP bears some responsibility for this accident. You just don't have enough facts to know this. And, by the time the facts are determined, this will no longer be considered news enough to make the papers or TV.

Right now, the only thing we know from this article, is that two people died, a nice car was wrecked and the road the accident happened on. For all we know, there could have been a mechanical malfunction (it was a Ferrari right ) that caused this accident.

Michael
Today 09:37 AM

Edward

The bottom line is that two people, not a cop and some guy, but two human beings died ...this is sad and unfortunate.

Blame? Sure, somewhere, possibly even at the hands of the two in the car. I guess that will come out later. But should it turn out that they are to blame makes it no less sad, or no less tragic for the families and friends involved. We can, of course, "reason" our way here and there with logic, ethics, and even utilize words like "responsibility" and "civic duty" to explain who is to blame, but at the end of the day, it is the families and friends belonging to these two that pay, and pay with a life sentence of sorts with memories and loss. So in deference to them, perhaps we can make this discussion a bit more, oh, understanding. Frankly, I was hoping this thread would fade quietly, but since it has continued, in some unfavorable ways, I thought I'd just chime in with my two cents worth. No disparagement to any individuals posting here, mind you. Just trying to offer (and suggest ...forgive me if that is pretentious) some compassion for the loss of life that has occured.

Regards,
Edward

JM993

Well put.

My best to all.

tj90

I'm ready to get back to wrenching. A new fuel filter arrived today!!

993polarsilver

This thread has become absurd. Lets keep this in perspective: There are coalition troops dying every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as untold civilians on the ground. To pontificate about the horrible loss of two lives due to a high speed, solo crash of a Ferrari driven at high speed with a CHP officer involved is ridiculous. With only knowing what has been reported, these were two people in a high performance vehicle, breaking the posted speed limit, and at least one should have known better. A tragic loss of life, no doubt, but at least they were in control of their destiny, which cannot be said for the 2,400+ American troops who have given their lives so we have the freedom to consume cheap gas and drive fast cars. Not to mention the over 18,000 combat wounded, many of who have lost limbs and suffered unspeakable injuries.

I know that there are many people on this board who have served, and I have the utmost respect and gratitude for their service. This incident in LA will be determined by LE and no doubt the fine members of the bar who choose to profit from this sort of tragedy. In the meantime, lets keep this terrible incident in perspective.

Flame if you must, and I am sure that many will...