Reed Timmer unsafe acts

[Jason Boggs]

So, the other day I was watching Reed's stream, and I was very disappointed in his behavior. I was hoping he would grow up at some point and learn to do the right thing, especially with as many followers as he has. Chasers, especially the young one's will copy what he does thinking it's ok, but it is far from ok. To get to the meat of this post, he ran several stop signs and was speeding on wet roads. Bob Menery is actually heard in the backseat telling him to slow down. When are we going to learn?

3:52:00 is only one example of a blown stop sign

 

[rdale]

We have learned that extreme chasing pays well. That's the lesson from all of this.

This should not be a surprise to those who know Reed's true intentions.

 

[Jason Boggs]

We have learned that extreme chasing pays well. That's the lesson from all of this.

This should not be a surprise to those who know Reed's true intentions.

I have to agree with you Rob! It's out of control!

 

[JamesCaruso]

Sorry @Jason Boggs , I can’t bear to watch any Reed Timmer videos anymore, I just can’t take him screaming like an adolescent girl at a Harry Styles concert.

 

[James K]

I watched part of that stream live as well..
I have no idea who that Bob guy is .lol. it seems most of the comments were related to him.
To me there was nothing scary about that storm, what was scary was all those blown stop signs.
I was sitting there thinking "you just blew another stop sign"
Honestly that's the worst I've seen, Reed has generally been better about following traffic rules in other streams I've watched.

Oh and how old is 'drone boy' anyway? . . Should he even be out in such dangerous weather, especially with someone who purposely gets so close?

-----
Actually its not just Reed, but what has gotten into chasers (in general)? - particularly in the last 6 months or so? Getting too close, maniac driving, etc...

 

[Andy Wehrle]

I watched part of that stream live as well..
I have no idea who that Bob guy is .lol. it seems most of the comments were related to him.
To me there was nothing scary about that storm, what was scary was all those blown stop signs.
I was sitting there thinking "you just blew another stop sign"
Honestly that's the worst I've seen, Reed has generally been better about following traffic rules in other streams I've watched.

Oh and how old is 'drone boy' anyway? . . Should he even be out in such dangerous weather, especially with someone who purposely gets so close?

-----
Actually its not just Reed, but what has gotten into chasers (in general)? - particularly in the last 6 months or so? Getting too close, maniac driving, etc...

Perhaps @Warren Faidley was right with his "Reloading of Aggressive Chasing Era Begins" thread. I feel lucky I didn't encounter any egregious bad driving or "conga lines" at Keota a week ago yesterday (perhaps the few cars in front of and behind me on Highway 1 were also chasers, but nothing like at Mangum, OK on 5/20/2019). I was essentially alone at my main observation spot on Highway 92.

 

[Stan Rose]

I don't condone blowing stop signs, but in partial defense to Reed from what I saw they were signs at a wide open intersection in the middle of nowhere...and I doubt one chaser in a 1000 would have come to a full stop for those signs while in a crucial part of the chase. I watched three of his live streams in a row, all essentially busts, which may be a byproduct of what happens when you are too distracted by trying to make a boring chase seems interesting. The really dangerous thing I saw was the white subaru blowing by Reed's stopped vehicle at aa high rate of speed on the side of the road--they joked about that nearly killing them, but it was no joke. That made Reed's behavior seem like someone who was taking their first road test.

 

[rdale]

There is never an excuse for completely blowing a stop sign.

Ever.

Never.

Does that mean come to a 100% stop and wait 3 seconds? No.

But there was absolutely no way of guaranteeing a 100% clear intersection in heavy rain while pursuing a storm, so justifying it because there was a car behind him makes no sense.

 

[Jeff Lieberman]

I don't condone blowing stop signs, but in partial defense to Reed from what I saw they were signs at a wide open intersection in the middle of nowhere...and I doubt one chaser in a 1000 would have come to a full stop for those signs while in a crucial part of the chase.

In 2017, a storm chaser blew through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere and killed himself, his passenger and a 25-year-old storm spotter driving through the intersection. The last thing we should do is look for ways to justify or minimize reckless behavior that jeopardizes the lives of others, especially when so many chasers try to emulate Reed Timmer. (Good luck in court with the "I was in a crucial part of the chase" and "everyone does it" defense.)

 

[Jason Boggs]

I don't condone blowing stop signs, but in partial defense to Reed from what I saw they were signs at a wide open intersection in the middle of nowhere...and I doubt one chaser in a 1000 would have come to a full stop for those signs while in a crucial part of the chase. I watched three of his live streams in a row, all essentially busts, which may be a byproduct of what happens when you are too distracted by trying to make a boring chase seems interesting. The really dangerous thing I saw was the white subaru blowing by Reed's stopped vehicle at aa high rate of speed on the side of the road--they joked about that nearly killing them, but it was no joke. That made Reed's behavior seem like someone who was taking their first road test.

I diasgree. The weather channel incident was a blown stop sign in the middle of nowhere in good conditions. Remember how that turned out???

 

[Jason Boggs]

In 2017, a storm chaser blew through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere and killed himself, his passenger and a 25-year-old storm spotter driving through the intersection. The last thing we should do is look for ways to justify or minimize reckless behavior that jeopardizes the lives of others, especially when so many chasers try to emulate Reed Timmer. (Good luck in court with the "I was in a crucial part of the chase" and "everyone does it" defense.)

Exactly!

 

[Warren Faidley]

I have to admit I'm rather disappointed with Reed. I thought maybe he had changed his ways. I was impressed with him after he assisted people to the hospital after the Rolling Fork, MS tornado.

There is no doubt that he is the luckiest chaser alive. When I think back at all the close calls he's had, it's a miracle he has not been seriously injured or killed, (or killed someone else). I'm even more shocked that sponsors like Flex Seal and Accu-WX continue to support him. He's a massive corporate liability. I lost sponsors when I was a distant 5 miles from a tornado....lol.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands to be made via live YouTube broadcasts. The competition is ramping up as more and more chasers jump on the gravy train. As experienced chasers, we might be disgusted with crazy chasing antics, but the public demands insanity and zero-metering.

Death, injury and massive legal issues are coming, it's only a matter of time.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Reed is facing a career evolution crisis. Similar to what I faced about 15 years ago, although he has a lot of chase-related options to support him. For over 20 years, I "dominated" the storm photography market. When cell phone cameras and the digital age came along, mixed with an influx of hundreds of new photographers, the market collapsed. Reed was "dominating" the close-up chaser action until recently. Every time he busts a forecast (like last week), there are plenty of zero-metering experts to fill the void.

YouTube is the King now days, not Facebook or Twitter clips. Gone are Discovery-type shows, as such productions have moved behind paywalls and no one watches because they want live, zero-metering. Today, there are at least 10 skilled chasers who aggressively pursue severe weather like he does, all with live feeds. Guys like Ryan Hall are dominating YouTube. He had over 150k live viewers at one point last week while Reed had less than 12k. All good things come to an end. The secret is not to become so aggressive in an effort to stay relevant that it kills you.

 

[Stan Rose]

I diasgree. The weather channel incident was a blown stop sign in the middle of nowhere in good conditions. Remember how that turned out???

Yeah, I sure do--I knew one of the people killed!
Again, I am *not* condoning the behavior. I didn't like seeing it either. I am merely pointing out that people in glass houses should not throw stones. And you never saw the video from the 'weather channel' incident so it is a false dichotomy to compare to this situation, which I did see. Maybe I missed some of the worst of it. I do agree that someone in his position (influencing other chasers and having a big audience) should go out of his way to be a safer driver, even though I guarantee you the majority of chasers have blown stop signs in similar conditions--again not an excuse, simply a fact.

 

[Stan Rose]

In 2017, a storm chaser blew through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere and killed himself, his passenger and a 25-year-old storm spotter driving through the intersection. The last thing we should do is look for ways to justify or minimize reckless behavior that jeopardizes the lives of others, especially when so many chasers try to emulate Reed Timmer. (Good luck in court with the "I was in a crucial part of the chase" and "everyone does it" defense.)

As I just pointed out, that is why it is a "partial" defense, cause he is still guilty of bad behavior, but to condemn someone completely because he is doing something countless other chasers are doing on every chase is just being oblivious to reality. I get that he is a 'role model' and therefore should be above trivializing traffic violations for the sake of getting a good chase video. But taking a 'holier than thou' attitude and telling adults to 'grow up' is not helpful IMHO.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Yeah, I sure do--I knew one of the people killed!
Again, I am *not* condoning the behavior. I didn't like seeing it either. I am merely pointing out that people in glass houses should not throw stones. And you never saw the video from the 'weather channel' incident so it is a false dichotomy to compare to this situation, which I did see. Maybe I missed some of the worst of it. I do agree that someone in his position (influencing other chasers and having a big audience) should go out of his way to be a safer driver, even though I guarantee you the majority of chasers have blown stop signs in similar conditions--again not an excuse, simply a fact.

I did see the weather channel incident. The guy that blew the stop sign was live streaming.

 

[James K]

The really dangerous thing I saw was the white subaru blowing by Reed's stopped vehicle at aa high rate of speed on the side of the road

Yep. I saw that part too, and all I can say is...
Maniac. That guy is a danger to everyone both on and off(but near) the road.

In 2017, a storm chaser blew through a stop sign in the middle of nowhere and killed himself, his passenger and a 25-year-old storm spotter driving through the intersection

The thought of that exact incident came to mind when I saw all those stopsigns being blown. (never saw the vid of it happen..& wouldn't want to, I just read about it)

but the public demands insanity and zero-metering.

Death, injury and massive legal issues are coming, it's only a matter of time.

Therein lies the problem .. its crazyness, and getting as close as possible, that "sells" (ie: gets you the most views/likes)
And I agree completely on the last part. Not an *if* but a *when* - just a matter of time, its going to happen (and hate to say it, but at the rate things are going it very well may be this year).

 

[Warren Faidley]

It's important to remember that people like Reed and Ryan Hall are only supplying the public with what they want. Let's be honest here. There are indeed some people in the line of these storms who are concerned, but the majority are looking for insane behavior. If you watch the live feeds, you can see the viewing audiences quickly shift from one chaser to another depending on the intensity, closeness and danger involved.

Outlets like YouTube and clueless sponsors are more to blame than anyone. They have given chasers an outlet and motivation for dangerous behavior. With each passing storm, it's getting more and more ludicrous. I just ordered some spike strips and an EMP vehicle killer on Amazon. That should help.

 

[Stan Rose]

I did see the weather channel incident. The guy that blew the stop sign was live streaming.

You didn't see the crash cause it was not streamed. For better or worse, since both his estate and the wxchannel settled the lawsuit, there are few public details of how the crash occurred.

 

[Stan Rose]

It's important to remember that people like Reed and Ryan Hall are only supplying the public with what they want. Let's be honest here. There are indeed some people in the line of these storms who are concerned, but the majority are looking for insane behavior. If you watch the live feeds, you can see the viewing audiences quickly shift from one chaser to another depending on the intensity, closeness and danger involved.

Outlets like YouTube and clueless sponsors are more to blame than anyone. They have given chasers an outlet and motivation for dangerous behavior. With each passing storm, it's getting more and more ludicrous. I just ordered some spike strips and an EMP vehicle killer on Amazon. That should help.

Absolutely--that is kind of my point, same point I coincidentally made in my post that I just put out about another chaser doing reckless things. I'm trying to get at the root of the problem, as opposed to singling out one guy for 'reckless' behavior while other chasers are cutting him off and doing truly insane things in the very same video.

 

[Warren Faidley]

I may have a rather callous opinion.... but if people want to kill themselves during chasing stunts, they have no resistance from me. I'm not a member of the chase police, but I do have concerns for public safety.

I draw the line when the public, EMS personnel or my chaser friends are put in danger. During my work as a newspaper journalist and volunteer EMT, I've seen multiple people die from doing very stupid things. I feel for their family, friends and EMS personel who cannot unsee the horrors, but I don't lose sleep over stupidity or casting my vote for the Darwin Awards.

Chasers often argue that chasers are free to do what they want, but this is a flawed argument. Chasing is conducted on public roads, shared by everyone. Chasing is not executed on closed / controlled courses like race tracks and ski slopes. People expect a certain level of safety when traveling home with the kids or fleeing from a storm.

 

[Jason Boggs]

You didn't see the crash cause it was not streamed. For better or worse, since both his estate and the wxchannel settled the lawsuit, there are few public details of how the crash occurred.

The weather channel crew blew a stop sign and killed an innocent person. That's how it occurred.

 

[Jeff Lieberman]

The weather channel crew blew a stop sign and killed an innocent person. That's how it occurred.

Correct. Their failure to stop was never in dispute. Footage posted from their live stream, which ends just before the crash, shows them about to enter the intersection at a high rate of speed.

 

[Mike Potts]

I guess the real questions are what can we who are not as extreme do. #1- Is there anything that can be done to discourage such behavior, especially in newer/impressionable chasers? In my view, probably not, since it is a supply/demand issue. Although, maybe forming some sort of chasing certification body that emphasizes safe chasing might help?
#2- For those who are not participating in the zero meter/extreme intecept game, what actions can we take to make ourselves safer? For example, I always relied upon my 4 way flashers when parked and not in the mass chase parking lot, should I consider adding additional emergency lights? This is just one example of what to do increase safety.

 

[Drew Terril]

As I just pointed out, that is why it is a "partial" defense, cause he is still guilty of bad behavior, but to condemn someone completely because he is doing something countless other chasers are doing on every chase is just being oblivious to reality. I get that he is a 'role model' and therefore should be above trivializing traffic violations for the sake of getting a good chase video. But taking a 'holier than thou' attitude and telling adults to 'grow up' is not helpful IMHO.

I would like to ask you to take a step back and think if this had happened with someone else not associated with chasing. For example, a truck driver, or maybe some old rancher in an F-250. Would you be defending them in the same manner that you're defending Reed? I'm a professional driver with over a million miles in a CMV under my belt at this point, with no moving violations and no at-fault accidents. That's not counting the countless miles in military vehicles or the miles I've racked up in my personal vehicles over the years. I've been the first on the scene for countless accidents, and have been hit more than once by people falling asleep at the wheel (another issue I see becoming an issue within chasing), distracted driving, or ignoring traffic control signs/signals.

If we as a community are going to hold some of these people up on a pedestal, we need to be willing to call a spade a spade and not let them slide on the "little things" just because they're famous. Everyone needs to be held to the same standard.