Jason Boggs
EF5
I did see the weather channel incident. The guy that blew the stop sign was live streaming.
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After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.
I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.
For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.
From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.
Sincerely, Jeff D.
Reed Timmer unsafe acts
- Thread starter Jason Boggs
- Start date
- Status
Yep. I saw that part too, and all I can say is...Stan Rose said:
Maniac. That guy is a danger to everyone both on and off(but near) the road.
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)Jeff Lieberman said:
Therein lies the problem .. its crazyness, and getting as close as possible, that "sells" (ie: gets you the most views/likes)Warren Faidley said:
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
Supporter
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.
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
EF5
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
EF5
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
Supporter
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.
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
EF5
The weather channel crew blew a stop sign and killed an innocent person. That's how it occurred.
Jeff Lieberman
EF0
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
Enthusiast
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.
#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
Staff member
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.
Stan Rose
EF5
Well, obviously the blown stop sign was a significant factor. But you have no idea how fast the "innocent person" was driving. He could have been totally distracted and went through a 4 way intersection speeding in the rain. According to your own statement above, then he would not be "innocent" In fact, under the "last clear chance rule" if he had the last chance to avoid the accident, *he* is at fault. I know cause when I was 17 I accidentally ran a red light and a lady hit me. When my insurance company sued, *I* won, because she hit me. I never paid a cent more in insurance cause she was held at fault. Same thing could be true here, since it appears from the damage the jeep hit in the front, not the side. It looked about simultaneous. Point being, you can't compare apples to oranges.
Stan Rose
EF5
It's interesting that he didn't even slow down (it seems from the footage) when earlier in the same stream--he did significantly slow down (though not a complete stop) at the same sign. I wonder whether this was intentional or he was just so distracted he didnt see the sign. Hard to say really. See my response to Jason.
Stan Rose
EF5
I totally agree! My point is simply how we single them out. IMHO, calling out probably the best known chaser in our community and telling him to "grow up" on a public forum when he is not here to defend himself is counterproductive. I am not close friends with Reed, but I know him well enough to know he is not the villain some would like to make him out to be. So yeah, I would defend the truck driver the same way, if you could send a message to him and ask him what the heck he was doing broadcasting his traffic infractions live to an audience of impressionable people. Then maybe if he doesn't respond or responds like a jerk, then it would be ok to call him out. I think that is the right way to go about things if we wan't behavior to change.,
Warren Faidley
Supporter
The "ultra-super" insanity behavior involved with storm chasing is still in its infancy. We have always had people doing crazy things. Even when I started back in the late 80's there were a few screwballs who drove like imbeciles.
Now we've entered a new era. Never before has a chase-related financial bonanza fused with something as risky as zero-metering. It's going to be an interesting year.
Now we've entered a new era. Never before has a chase-related financial bonanza fused with something as risky as zero-metering. It's going to be an interesting year.
Stan Rose
EF5
The difference from the 80s of course is that now everyone has the technology that gives them a false sense of security and makes them feel invincible to a rapidly developing tornado. In the 80s, or even 90s when I started you had to actually pay attention to the sky.
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