Some Thoughts On “Georgia, Austrian Racer Fault Luge Track”

So, you finally figured out what I was saying? That only an idiot would place steel girders next to an ice track where athletes are sliding at 90 mph?

The sand comment is baffling though. The speed is one issue, but mainly the guy’s death was attributable to the fact that he slammed into a steel girder head-first at 90MPH. If they had the wood barriers there then, between the track and the beams, as they do now, the guy might be alive. Who in their right mind wouldn’t have shielded the track from the steel supports? It’s true that mosty lugers don’t go off the track, and it’s true a luger could probably find a way to die that didn’t involve hitting a pillar, but aren’t engineers and planners supposed to try to mitigate any possible negative consequences?

Obviously none of you live in California, where buildings are routinely designed to withstand earthquake tremblors at the top of the Richter scale, which rarely happens, as well. So I guess you’re saying that reinforcement isn’t necessary? I’ll bet you wear a bike advice helmet, even if you seldom fall off the bike. Safety precautions are often about protecting against the unlikeliest of events.