So I guess most of you guys have heard about the kid that nearly got decapitated from a waterpark slide. If not, there was a 10 year old whose raft went airborne in the slide and his head hit netting at the top of the slide.

The park owners/designers are being hit with some pretty hefty charges including second degree murder.

Quote :

"The indictment claims Schooley was responsible for doing "the math" that went into the slide's design and signed an operations manual claiming the ride met all American Society for Testing and Materials standards. But the indictment listed a dozen instances in which the design violated those standards and claimed Schooley lacked the technical expertise to properly design a complex amusement ride such as Verruckt. The indictment said Schooley admitted: "If we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldn't be that spectacular." "

My question is, where is the oversight here? Shouldn't there be state inspections? I mean this is an amusement park for Christ's sakes.

I feel like the charges are coming in part from the fact that the kid's father is in state politics. Perhaps that will cause him to pass some legislation for oversight. The guy is a Republican, and we know they enjoy less red tape. But sometimes that red tape is needed.

4/3/2018 9:46:21 AM

Quote :

"I feel like the charges are coming in part from the fact that the kid's father is in state politics. "

Second degree murder, so I think you're spot on. You would think that the design would have to be verified by a second party.

4/3/2018 9:53:04 AM

I mean holy crap - if I knew that I was going to some place that had any kind of rides, be they water or mechanical, and I knew they were not inspected by some official agency, I wouldn't be going.

4/3/2018 9:54:21 AM

they're charging the construction company under the second degree charge as well....

4/3/2018 9:55:26 AM

2nd degree murder seems like a bit of an over-reach.

Are they charging the bridge designer in florida with murder? What about the construction supv?

4/3/2018 9:57:47 AM

Well, the construction company, as far as I can tell, is also owned by the co-owner of the park.

4/3/2018 9:58:00 AM

http://www.wral.com/nc-zip-line-industry-lacks-state-inspections-regulations-despite-deaths-wral-investigates/17322959/

4/3/2018 10:00:00 AM

4/3/2018 10:03:20 AM

I thought we had decided, as a society, that we can't hold manufacturers responsible when their products kill people

4/3/2018 10:08:02 AM

zing. I see what you did there.

4/3/2018 10:19:12 AM

Wasn't there a show on Discovery Channel about the making and testing of that water slide? I seem to recall seeing something where they were sending weighted dummies down it as a test. Anyway, you'd think with all the coverage it got that there was some sort of official oversight.

4/3/2018 10:21:23 AM

Quote :

"I feel like the charges are coming in part from the fact that the kid's father is in state politics. Perhaps that will cause him to pass some legislation for oversight. The guy is a Republican, and we know they enjoy less red tape. But sometimes that red tape is needed."

example #2,659,227 of a Republican changing their mind on something only after it directly affects them

[Edited on April 3, 2018 at 10:37 AM. Reason : .]

4/3/2018 10:37:18 AM

^That's just human nature though. How many celebrities or even people you know jump on some kind of health bandwagon after some type of cancer or health issue affects them directly.

You didn't see Jenny McCarthy spouting her crazy autism views before her kid was diagnosed with autism.

4/3/2018 10:58:37 AM

celebrities aren’t elected officials...

4/3/2018 11:03:04 AM

Elected officials are still human.

Did Ted Kennedy give a shit about brain cancer before he got it? No. But hell, he probably didn't give one after either.

4/3/2018 11:10:32 AM

just a simple google search:

https://khn.org/news/kennedy-health-care-timeline/

elected officials shouldn’t have to be personally affected by something in order to vote a certain way. that’s an awful, dumb, and potentially dangerous way of running a country.

4/3/2018 11:18:21 AM

Quote :

"2nd degree murder seems like a bit of an over-reach"

IIRC, no only did they lie about their qualifications and completely fail at engineering, but they covered up a string of escalating injuries. They went to lifeguards' houses and got them to sign off on false injury reports. Moreover, they had third party testing which specifically stated that rafts over X weight would have this specific accident.

4/3/2018 11:24:01 AM

Who is saying that's how things should work? I certainly am not. Lung cancer killed my mom. Am I all of a sudden advocating for increased funding for lung cancer? No. I'm just saying that is how a lot of people react to a very shitty situation that they find themselves in.

Back on track. That zipline issue in NC is pretty bad as well. I think any kind of business involved in the public space like that needs oversight.

4/3/2018 11:25:13 AM

you shouldn’t be forced into empathy by circumstance. that’s the point.

4/3/2018 11:27:25 AM

Quote :

"example #2,659,227 of a Republican changing their mind on something only after it directly affects them"

lol. And Democrats NEVER change their mind on anything after it affects them personally. You are extremely naive.

4/3/2018 11:34:42 AM

^Cool strawman, Brah!

4/3/2018 11:44:22 AM

Wait what? This is how the free market works. In exchange for no regulation, businesses use the threat of lawsuit as the incentive to do this right.

Until they get tort reform too.

4/3/2018 12:07:25 PM

What about carnie rides? I feel like regulations on those are swept under the rug waaaay more. But the only one I can think of that resulted in major failure was that one last year.

4/3/2018 12:12:53 PM

i guess the kid was white


#blueslidesmatter

4/3/2018 12:20:35 PM

^^At least there is some semblance of regulation there.

4/3/2018 12:38:17 PM