BrianKeithSmith

http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/05/...rera-gt-crash/

Nobody stands up for their own actions anymore. Nobody forced this guy into the car against his will. He made a choice to get in the car, which he knew was going onto the racetrack.

Why is it that nowadays when someone makes a decision, and it the results of that decision go bad, that automatically they have the "I'm gonna sue somebody for this..." attitude?

What will this accomplish, nothing more than more intense scrutiny and pressure on our hobby...


Brian

sjanes

It's been discussed on the C-GT list for a while: https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-supercars-carrera-gt-918-960/253838-cgt-lawsuit-filed.html.

BrianKeithSmith

Sorry, didn't know that.

Brian

Phokaioglaukos

Brian, reading the 'ring list?

MHC2S

Unreal!! Welcome to the USA. If this were Germany that case never would have made it near the court system. Thank you God for Germany, its Autobahn and Nurburgring, oh yeh and it's beer

Bill L Seifert

Is it against the law in Germany to make a lawsuit like this? I doubt it. It is just that here the companies that are sued think it is more economical to settle, so it makes lawyers want to sue to get a piece of the pie.

Like you, it galls me to no end. I have never been a fan of David Donahue (Brumos Porsche driver) because his mother sued Goodyear when Mark (his father) was killed in a Grand Prix, in Austria (I think) and won about 8 million dollars in the suit. It is not right for me to blame David, but it's hard for me not to.

I guess Porsche was lucky it did not happen in Italy, because they would probably have been arrested, like the Italian Govt tried to do to Jim Clark and Frank Williams for the deaths of Wolfgang von Tripps and Senna respectively.

The whole world is wierd, just in different ways.


Bill Seifert

1983 944 Race Car

BrianKeithSmith

I can't wait to see the lawsuit that occurs when Barry Bond's (or whatever his name is) homerun baseball goes into the stands, hits someone in the head and either kills or impairs them in some way...

Good lord...

Maybe the mexicans do deserve our country more than we do, obviously there's more people without common sense than with common sense living here...

Brian

chrisp

None of us have all of the details but there are issues:

Was it smart to move the wall closer to the fastest part of the track and pit lane bend area to make room for a playscape?

Why was there an non-instructor passenger?

Was the driver driving with reckless abandon?

Should cars not be allowed on track without certain safety modifications...especially high hp cars like that one?

I agree that Porsche should not be held liable (people kill...guns don't) but I also think for another few $1000 per customer they could have sent everyone to a CGT specific driving school.

The case is being brought by the passenger's family, not the driver.

mein51

Even if Porsche did host such a school, most owners probably wouldnt go. The majority of people who can even afford a CGT just want it for its popularity. Racing/DE is an inherintly dangerous enterprise and if people can't realize that or come to terms with it, they should try golfing.

bobt993

This lawyer bantering based on Porsche's prior settlement over the 930 that women crashed years ago while under the influence. The suite cost them millions and changed how they sold cars in the US. It took this long for them to get back to selling true performance cars for the street/track ie; GT3, CGT, and hopefully the Cayman club sport. One thought, why are they not suing the driver as he was a very successful bussiness man? Deeper pockets I guess along with precedence.

Flying Finn

I agree, this sucks big time!

And as in Germany, would never "fly" in Finland either.

If you trip, fall down, chrash or whatever, unless there is a malufunction, it's YOUR fault, not company's who's sneakers you are wearing, car you are driving.

That 930 case is also so god damn ridiculous, I mean how can these kind lf law suits can be allowed here? And even more so, how can they win or settle?!

MHC2S

Bill,

I lived in Germany back in '98. Of course one could bring a law suit such as this to court, but they would look at it and throw it out the door since it happend on a race track and each guy knew where they were, and what they were doing. Thats just the way it is in Germany.

Bill L Seifert

MHC2S That's the way it should be everywhere, but I sure don't want our Congress to try and change it. I sometimes think jurors think if they give a pot of money to these looters, they think that sometime in the future, somone will give them a pot of money. I don't know about elsewhere in the U.S., but in Tennessee, there is a sizable portion of our residents that think that their retirement is going to be the Lottery.

I don't think we should blame the Government, because we is the Government, we get what and who we vote for. It's sad but true, IMHO.

Bill

Dan in Florida

Bill, Interesting parallel. A society becomes litigious just as a loser's game like the lottery becomes endemic. Have another drink waiting for the big payoff.

Nordschleife

Germany is very litigious. However, whenever you go to a closed track event, you sign a release form. This basically means that in return for not suing anybody, you get some life cover in the event of your death.
Most of the driving on the Nürburgring is what is described as Tourist Trips. That is a scenic drive on a toll road, that coincidentally ends where it starts. Normal traffic rules apply. Normal insurance applies, nobody sues.
R+C