Storm chaser involved in fatal accident

[John Farley]

Very unfortunate news from Minnesota about a fatal accident that apparently occurred when a storm chaser ran a stop sign. I don't know anything more about the circumstances of the accident than what is in the newspaper article, so I will refrain from any judgment. In fact, it is not entirely clear whether he was chasing at the time, though as we all know storms were in the general area. All I will say is that this reinforces the importance of always driving in a safe and attentive manner, whether we are chasing or just driving.

http://www.startribune.com/authorit...n-kills-couple-in-van-near-willmar/314902301/

 

[Kevin Rimcoski]

Very unfortunate news from Minnesota about a fatal accident that apparently occurred when a storm chaser ran a stop sign. I don't know anything more about the circumstances of the accident than what is in the newspaper article, so I will refrain from any judgment. In fact, it is not entirely clear whether he was chasing at the time, though as we all know storms were in the general area. All I will say is that this reinforces the importance of always driving in a safe and attentive manner, whether we are chasing or just driving.

http://www.startribune.com/authorit...n-kills-couple-in-van-near-willmar/314902301/

Ohhhh is this what was being talked about on twitter?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

Sign says stop....unless there's a tornado literally up your ass, you stop. Period.

I always stop, no matter what time of day or night. This is a sad event.

 

[Marcus Diaz]

Article said accident happened shortly after 9pm. His FB profile has a video uploaded via his phone at 9:01 pm. Hopefully it wasn't a case of distracted driving but by 9pm there's still a decent amount of daylight left so he should have seen the sign. Regardless...this is a sad situation for all parties involved. There's not much Matt can do in terms of damage control, and he'll be at the mercy of the courts. I don't wish this on any person...

 

[Robert Forry]

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and Matt. This is so sad. The event brought me back to Nov 17th 2013 in rural NW Indiana when the same thing occurred to me, my four chase buddies, and another vehicle driven by a lady who had four kids in the vehicle with her. While I'm blessed to say we all walked away, and the physical injuries have healed, the horror of how things occurred still haunt my dreams as the driver. You can lose situational awareness and things can happen so fast out there. That's what happened to us though hydroplaning and speed also played a role in our wreck, but that's no excuse. You have to slow it the f%#k down, and be aware of what's around.

 

[david diehl]

while my thoughts go out to the family, This just confirms what I have feared for several years. I hope that chasers will sit back and think about how they are chasing and the effects it can have. before I start a rant, I again have my thoughts out the the family.

 

[Steve Miller]

It's interesting to consider that if one is chasing a storm, it can change the outcome of charges that might be filed in what would otherwise be considered an "accident".
Is chasing worth it? Can all laws be abided all the time? I like to think so but...

 

[Dan Robinson]

A Twitter search for NWS warnings at that time shows there were several severe storms (possibly supercells) just north of this location, moving southeast toward the Minneapolis area. So this was likely a chase-in-progress incident. Street View shows the east-west highway is a paved secondary road that has the stop sign, with the main highway the north-south road.

https://www.google.com/maps/@45.204...30OpmnxAarRCrmZgj_Q!2e0!7i3328!8i1664!6m1!1e1

I doubt that storm chasing would/could be implicated here, but using a laptop/cell phone/tablet would.

 

[Adam Lucio]

Sad story.

He is a seasoned chaser too, so this wasn't a case of careless noobs either. I'd be lying if I said I never once took my eyes off the road longer than I should have because I was looking at my laptop or something else...but seeing this is a reality slap to what can happen. I/we have got to work on that. There is so much multi tasking that goes on during chasing. Everyone please be careful.

I know when I have a partner chasing with me we always do the "clear" system, where my passenger will let me know the roads on their side are clear. We have to help each other out always.

 

[rdale]

It's interesting to consider that if one is chasing a storm, it can change the outcome of charges that might be filed in what would otherwise be considered an "accident".

How so? The only way I could see that is if this was somehow occupation related but even that is a stretch. If I'm late for my softball game and run the sign, or running behind to go see Jurassic World and run the sign, are those no longer accidents?

 

[Robert Forry]

How so? The only way I could see that is if this was somehow occupation related but even that is a stretch. If I'm late for my softball game and run the sign, or running behind to go see Jurassic World and run the sign, are those no longer accidents?

Totally agree with Rob on this. Where a person is going, or what they're doing (adjusting the radio or yelling at the kids in the back seat) shouldn't have any bearing on charges. Driving recklessly, or failing to yield, are just that and that can happen anytime, and I'm sure have on occasion unfortunately resulted in the loss of life.

 

[Mike Marz]

I chase solo almost 100% of the time and seeing this story really made me sick to my stomach... I would like to think that I would never look at radar or maps for navigation purposes while coming up to an intersection or in any type of busy area, but the truth is that sometimes things get pretty hectic out there and I am sure I have glanced away from the road a time or two in a not so safe area. I definitely do go out of my way to only navigate and watch radar when stopped or when I am completely away from any other traffic at all, but this is just a reminder to really pay attention to the road before anything else. It is also a good reminder that back roads and rural paved roads do not have the rumble strips warning you of an approaching intersection or stop sign. I have come across some dicy unpaved intersections before that have no stop sign in either direction.

 

[Steve Miller]

How so? The only way I could see that is if this was somehow occupation related but even that is a stretch. If I'm late for my softball game and run the sign, or running behind to go see Jurassic World and run the sign, are those no longer accidents?

Each story available on this subject mention he is a storm chaser and one goes as far as to say there was a storm within 50 miles:

Gingery is a storm chaser and onetime television meteorologist, who for many years has been tracking tornadoes and other violent weather from behind the wheel of his vehicle. His video recordings have appeared on the Weather Channel, CNN, CBS, NBC and FOX, according to his online professional bio.
It’s not known if he was on a storm-chasing trip at the time of the accident.
The weather in the immediate Willmar area was calm at the time of the crash Sunday night, but storms were brewing about 50 miles to the north. Numerous messages were left Tuesday with Gingery seeking information about his travels Sunday in Minnesota.

Now I'm pretty certain Rob, that you're not going to earn two paragraphs about the fact that you were on your way to a softball game, including your softball accomplishments. I also doubt you are on your way to a softball game with cameras stuck to the windshield, plenty of electronics within reach, and associated distractions. Lawyers would have a heyday with this, especially with the portrayal of storm chasers in the past several years. And holy hell if this were to happen in Kansas...

I have no idea if Matt was chasing or what equipment was in his car at the time but what I do know is if charges were filed and he was, these distractions would come into play - and they would for any of us with fully outfitted vehicles.

 

[rdale]

I'm not questioning what he was doing (still awaiting confirmation but I'm sure you are probably right.) But I think you're talking about a civil case brought on by family members (aka OJ) not criminal charges. I suppose that's possible, but it those distractions have no bearing on the police charges. The cops don't ask what you were doing when you ran the stop sign - you are ticketed for running the stop sign.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Distracted driving that causes a fatality is often prosecuted as negligent homicide/manslaughter. The driver usually sees severe consequences, often including some jail time. This is the kind of thing that could happen to anyone, but when it does, it does not turn out well for all parties involved..