obelixtim

Oh no, I'm doomed. DOOMED I tells ya.... I wouldn't have thought Homer would outlive Ned.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

If it was a case of loser pays all costs, the plaintiffs could well have pulled the pin early if it was obvious their chances of success were nil. The settlement might well have been in favour of the defendent, especiallly if he indicated he'd fight it tooth and nail. I hope that was the case. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Thats interesting....does that mean they withdrew their action, or did the DZ actually pay out some money.... It sounds to me that "settled" actually means they pulled out, "The details of the settlement were not released" implies a financial settlement in exchange for withdrawal of the lawsuit. What's not disclosed is the terms, e.g., amount, any other conditions, who will pay it, etc. Confidential settlements of civil lawsuits are fairly common these days, to avoid specific defendants, companies and/or their insurance carriers from being seen as ripe "target defendants" who will pay (rather than fight) if they (or their policy-holders) are sued. Sometimes plaintiffs' attorneys want it to be confidential too - not just to facilitate the settlement of a case; but if they're settling for a relatively modest sum, they don't want to get a reputation as a "lightweight". I get the feeling the DZO prolly came out on the right side of the ledger here, especially if the story was along the lines of what was reported . It didn't seem to me they had a strong case at all. I hope that was the case, although there are never any "winners" in a situation like this. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I'd spend most of it on booze and women, and I'd waste the rest. (Apologies to George Best). My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Devices designed to facilitate optimum performance for any specific device are carefully engineered that way for a reason. The manufacturer prolly spent quite a bit of time, energy and money getting it just right. But hey, it'll probably work fine.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Mixing and matching different components has never caused a problem in skydiving before....Or has it?. Full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes.... What could possibly go wrong???.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Who said anything about privacy. It's all about choosing your words wisely for an internet searching asshole, to be found or be ranked on page 25. Did you Google Ms. Gibbs? In that case I wanted posts found on page one for her and her buddies to see or anyone else when researching her bullshit. So I choose to not use the dropzone's name in this thread, so when people in that area are searching for a place to go skydive this thread or my post are not on page one in regards to that operation that might make it look bad to unknowing public.... that was the point, along with if your an instructor or staff on a dz that is involved in pending legal action, so your posts and video don't come back to bite you or your friends in the ass, kind of like posting IMC violation videos when a door flies off an airplane at a well known dz and AC. What I meant by privacy is that these days, almost anything can be accessed. As far as choosing your words carefully, while an admirable aim, you are still at the mercy of anyone who chooses to edit anything you post to make it into something completely different to what you intended. The news media have been doing this for years.... The only sure way to make sure that doesn't happen is to post or say nothing at all....ever. Whatever happened to free speech?. I'm very glad I don't live in a country where fear of frivolous litigation controls everyones life. Land of the free and home of the brave?. Yeah......right. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Thats interesting....does that mean they withdrew their action, or did the DZ actually pay out some money.... It sounds to me that "settled" actually means they pulled out, My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

In Reply To Agree with that 100% And the problem with that, is ???. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

In the past dz.com posts have been used in court. With that said, when I posted this link last night, I used a title for the post, however after about 3 minutes, I decided to edit it to the current title..... Why? For one thing I wanted to help the dz by keeping the Google ranking low via the keywords I used. I also choose my words very carefully when posting in some topics, such as this one, for that same reason as well as because we all know some scumbag dirt ball lawyer's flunky will be searching for any little bullshit they can find to drag into court. I would always advise other posters to think carefully about how and what they say, here, on facebook, posting videos on utube, and other places where ones words and video can be used by those forces who seek to harm our industry. For an example of what I mean, Google Kimberly Gibbs Citizens for Quiet Skies..... Page one #7 took less then a week to land there. Like I said, I word my posts very carefully for many reasons. Good words of advice, but sadly I think in todays world, the horse has pretty much bolted when it comes to information on the internet. Privacy these days, is almost a pipe dream.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

A big part of our Instructor rating involves accident investigation techniques and standard procedures. Every DZ has an ops manual that contains a checklist of the procedure to follow in the event of a serious accident or fatality. This can be handed straight to the cops on the scene, so it puts them completely in the picture as to what is going on. They seem very happy to let us do our job. If a cop was ever obstructive I would make sure the coroner knows about it, and would expect him to be severely censured.....never had that happen though. You can't bring a dead person back, so the priority is determining the cause as accurately as possible, because of the implications of equipment problems, especially for jumpers still jumping that gear., or procedural problems if it is a training issue. Of course in NZ we don't have the litigation culture, so the need to cover up isn't there, full stop. The one attempt to do so in the early 80's was almost immediately exposed, the culprits IMO should have done serious jail time for manslaughter, but the system wasn't in place back then. Funnily enough it was the police who led that investigation, and screwed it up completely because of their own ignorance. By the time an experienced investigator got to see the gear, most of the evidence that could have been used in a prosecution was contaminated or destroyed. The pricks involved got away scot free..... But it provoked a serious change to the way investigations were carried out. I've been called in to investigate several fatalities at other DZ's, and even though the senior personnel involved were close friends, it had to be approached with a completely impartial mindset. And that is understood and accepted by everyone as just the way it has to be, whatever the findings. IMO it has led to a cleaning up of shoddy practices, and skydiving is definitely safer as a result. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I meant any costs incurred in organising the event itself. The jumpers take the risk of losing things like airline and accomodation deposits when they decide to participate. One the event is actually about to start, then everyone loses if it is cancelled at the last minute.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I don't see a motive FOR depositing cheques in such a situation at all. Surely they should be returned or torn up. Any loss due to the cancellation should be borne by the organisers. Thats the risk you take if you are prepared to take profits from the event. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

As a cop, jumper and rigger, I feel at least a little qualified to comment. The first thing we need to remember is that officers will treat the area as a crime scene. I would personally question the motives of anyone trying to "get data" before the "damn cops" get close, it creates the appearance of impropriety even if none exists. Not dissimilar to the original idea that an ADD manufacturer might not report a fault in an ADD as it could be against their vested interest. It is difficult for anyone on a drop zone to be an impartial witness to a fatality, the decedent is our friend, husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter. The DZ operator has business concerns in addition to the personal concerns. The police, for good or ill, are neither emotionally nor fiscally involved in the situation. Therefore the odds that they will make impartial decisions, especially at the initial scene, are much greater than those who are directly and emotionally involved in a fatality. That includes properly recovering any and all evidence and maintaining the chain of custody for everything recovered. As for careful, timely inspection, I'm not going to let you "inspect" anything at a crime scene. I don't know you, I don't know your connection, I don't know your "expertise" , I don't know your self interests. My responsibility is not to the bystanders regardless of how vocal or upset they might become, it is to the victim and subsequently to their family. I would think the cops have also got a responsibility to other jumpers who jump the same system when they go full on and disturb an accident scene and possibly destroy evidence that may save lives in the future. There is no rush in these situations to get the job done. Most skydiving experts are in fact skydivers. Who do the cops expect to do a thorough investigation?. In NZ the investigation has to be done by a jumper with no connection to the DZ in question, but the initial investigation is usually initiated by the people on the spot, and that is usually only a visual and photographic recording of the scene... Why would the cops have a problem with that?, especially as they are there to supervise.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Opinions are not facts. Everybody has one, and they vary from the "almost correct", to the insane. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

You can have a dead chicken in your rig quite legally if you are so inclined..... Most times if one has an out of service AAD you would either not switch it on, or take it off your rig completely. AAD sevicing usually coincides with the reserve repack cycle, so really the "out of date AAD " scenario is a non issue. You are barking up the wrong tree here mate. Skydivers and DZO's are not stupid....AAD's historically have been treated with suspicion, even if they have been correctly serviced.....You risk not only yourself but every other jumper on the load if you jump an unserviceable AAD.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

OK, a lttle off toopic here.... In NZ, an accident investigator has precedence over the cops when it comes to a scene examination, for the simple reason the cops know jack about skydiving. The cops are used purely to protect the scene and are happy to do just that, even though in law, they have authority to do whatever they want. In practice, they defer to the experts. In the event a cop was being overly officious I would advise him firstly that he was at risk of destroying/ damaging evidence, and get his superior on the phone ASAP to set him straight. Only after the investigator gives the all clear can the body, and then gear, be removed from the scene. Thus the investigator has all the time he needs to do a thorough, detailed investigation. The investigator then secures the gear and hands it to the cops for safekeeping or further analysis.... At any point he can ask the cops to render assistance in the investigation. The cops, in NZ at least, are not a problem. I'm surprised they would be in the US. Would this be common?. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

I think you read too much into it; people here are just having fun with it. That's why it's in Bonfire, right next to the boobies. Ah, so the sky is falling brigade were only kidding. (I knew YOU were from post 1). How silly of me not to see that.....D'oh!. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

If it shows a real time view of the events, I can't see how he can NOT allow the video to be used. If he doesn't and the DZ loses the case, surely that would be grounds for an appeal... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Hmm....I think he read a bit much into it then. Diving of a high bridge like that with shoddy gear is most certainly dangerous, and I never said it wasn't. My comment was aimed at the tendency for people and the media, especially, to make a meal of it, in the light of the outcome.... As skydivers, this kind of overreaction, and sensationalising of any type of incident is all too common, and rather boring, to put it mildly..... Bungy jumping is actually pretty safe, and to see skydivers, of all people, knocking it because of one incident, from a position of ignorance, is rather ironic..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

My post was about who should be the investigator. That's it. I'd be surprised if an AAD that has been involved in a bounce can be accurately tested by anyone. I'd also be surprised if suitably qualified "3rd party" assessors are thick on the ground to oversee testing in a competant manner. Also I think if an AAD manufacturer states his product will cut the loop, and it actually does so, it would be very hard to prove at exactly which point it does so, considering the variables that could affect the thing operating. Considering that an AAD is a back up only, and not a primary component, I think it is reasonable for the manufacturer who has the expertise and technology to do the testing. If he finds a fault in a component that he prolly didn't build, then responsibility for that item rests back on the manufacturer of said component..., BTW i have seen an AAD turned on AFTER an incident, in an attempt to cover up the fact that it wasn't on in the first place. It didn't take much to figure out what had occurred.....This was an FXC 12000..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

+ 1. Anyone who voluntarily steps out of a plane, at any time, is responsible for saving their own life. Most times an AAD fires, its a bounce that didn't happen. Anyone who experiences an AAD fire through their own failure or fault, should seriously think about taking up bowling. End of story. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

The fact that the AFFI went below his hard deck till his own AAD fired should blow the argument they are making that the Instructor did nothing to save him. Or are they arguing that there was some negligence on the part of the Instructor somewhere earkier on the jump..... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Actually, the way they build bungy cords, makes even new ones look tatty anyway, with a tie every 6 inches or so, the whole length of the cord, with each tie having the loose ends hanging out an inch or two. I must say that one looked pretty tatty for sure. Having one snap like that should put that company out of business. My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

They are reacting to "what could have been". You're looking at "what actually happened"...no sweat on the put-downs from them, eh? How about shark infested waters? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-y4CqHpAL4 I get a bit of amusement out of "OMG!!! the sky is falling" brigade.... I'm only amazed I haven't seen the word "plummet" feature prominently. Although they usually save "plummet" for skydive related stories.... My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....