Storm chaser involved in fatal accident
- Thread starter John Farley
- Start date
ScottCurry
EF3
This whole situation sucks. So far everyone has said he'll probably serve jail time, and that may very well be the case. But this article could be the key that helps him avoid jail time, especially if he has a good attorney.
That said, this accident should serve as a wake up call to everyone who chases. We all make mistakes and miss stop signs and red lights. I've done it, and 2015 was my first chase season. But I've seen people post videos on Stormtrack showing them intentially running red lights and stop signs, and in some cases narrowly avoiding collisions. If we continue to disregard the rules of the road, then this fatality will not be the last. We are not emergency responders, we do not have the equipment to warn others of our intention to run red lights and stop signs (lights and sirens), and we do not have the authority to use them even if we do have them. We have to understand, no matter how excited or nervous we may be of our situation in a storm, that we have no more right to the roads than the locals driving along side of us. No photo or video is worth the life of another. Situational awareness applies not just to storms, but to other drivers and pedestrians on the road. If obeying the rules of the road means missing a great photo/video opportunity, then so be it. At least we are not putting lives in danger and risking jail time or worse.
Bob Hartig
EF5
On the Bowdle, SD, day back in 2010, a number of us encountered a sheriff in Ipswich who was down on chasers and out to throw his weight around with any of our ilk that he could get his hands on. Why? Partly because the guy was a king dork, but there was more to it than that alone, and one significant factor was a vehicle full of chasers that had blasted past him at high speed hours earlier while he had his hands full. When he engaged with our little clatch later that night at a gas station, he was still furious. The way he saw it, the problem wasn't one small carload of chasers: it was all chasers. We thought we owned the road. That was the opinion he'd formed, and he was out to give us all a lesson. The irresponsible behavior of a few rippled out and bit a whole bunch of us in the heinie.
As with so many here, my heart goes out to the family of that elderly couple. And I can only imagine how broken Matt must feel. This is not a time for second-guessing his actions, just showing support. Apparently that intersection was known to be a dangerous one with a blind rise, and that is a scenario I am all too familiar with. Whatever culpability he may bear, it's not all on him. But that's small comfort to a guy who will very likely be his own worst accuser for a long time to come. It could happen to any of us. The question is, once the dust has settled and this thread has become history, who here will do things differently? If just a few of us make adjustments, some good will have come out of this.
As with so many here, my heart goes out to the family of that elderly couple. And I can only imagine how broken Matt must feel. This is not a time for second-guessing his actions, just showing support. Apparently that intersection was known to be a dangerous one with a blind rise, and that is a scenario I am all too familiar with. Whatever culpability he may bear, it's not all on him. But that's small comfort to a guy who will very likely be his own worst accuser for a long time to come. It could happen to any of us. The question is, once the dust has settled and this thread has become history, who here will do things differently? If just a few of us make adjustments, some good will have come out of this.
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Lanny Dean
EF5
Excellent words @Bob Hartig . I saw the other article regarding the "blind rise" earlier and I think this will no doubt come into play, just as it should. I must say that I am very pleased with the responses and replies form most everyone on here....seems like everyone understands that this could have happened to anyone and no one is trying to hang Matt so to speak. I'll try to message him in just a bit to check in with him again, if for nothing else than to offer some kind of support. Again, great words Bob.
rdale
EF5
I'm going to have to disagree... I know of no "negative" attitude in the general public of storm chasers. I certainly don't know of any legal ramifications even if there was such an attitude. I cannot envision ANY way that this incident is going to cause a problem for any chaser.
Warren Faidley
Supporter
I have to disagree. Once this goes national, there are media outlets that will focus on the storm chasing element of this story, right or wrong. I don't know how that will be a positive thing for chasing?
Jason Boggs
EF5
rdale...you must have had your head in the sand the past few years. SMH.
rdale
EF5
Because a few small town papers have printed up stories that there are some sheriffs who don't like chasers? Because you can go to Facebook and see some people complaining that chasers plugged up their roads? Sorry Jason - come out from behind the keyboard and jump back into the real world... Chasing isn't front page material in the current news environment. To say that chasing is going to be harder because of this has no basis in reality.
And Warren - at no point did I say this would be a positive thing for chasing. The fact that you implied that from my post makes me wonder too -- maybe I wrote it in a strange way? What are some potential downsides of this for chasing that you see? I scrolled back and into the archives and see countless negative predictions that have yet to come true, so I'm just looking for actual negative impacts you see in 2016 because of this case.
I tend to agree with Rob. Minus the overzealous Kansas highway patrol, I haven't seen much, if any, negative press regarding storm chasing lately. It seems like some members of this forum are pretty quick to jump on this bandwagon of "this event is going to screw us all and make us all look like crazy a--holes." I don't really share that sentiment. Look at the actual text of the articles presented so far. I don't see any negative connotation implied nor made directly about storm chasing from it. In fact, from what I've read so far, the articles almost seem to avoid mentioning that storm chasing was a direct cause of the crash.
I do agree that, in the event that this gets picked up nationally and becomes a topic of discussion on Anderson Cooper 360 or something like that that it may lead to some negative consequences. However, I doubt that will happen. We're probably unlikely to see anything more than a 20 second blip on a morning show (read, at 6:15 AM) about it, and that's being generous in my estimation. Even if it does, so what? It's not like anything serious is going to come out of this. The topic of chaser legislation as been beaten, eaten, and pooped out on this forum already.
I do agree that, in the event that this gets picked up nationally and becomes a topic of discussion on Anderson Cooper 360 or something like that that it may lead to some negative consequences. However, I doubt that will happen. We're probably unlikely to see anything more than a 20 second blip on a morning show (read, at 6:15 AM) about it, and that's being generous in my estimation. Even if it does, so what? It's not like anything serious is going to come out of this. The topic of chaser legislation as been beaten, eaten, and pooped out on this forum already.
John Farley
Supporter
I would agree there has not been much negative press about storm chasing so far as a result of this incident. Even if that continues to be the case, though, I would not assume that there could not be negative consequences. If our reputation among law enforcement becomes bad (as seems already to be the case in much of Kansas, and not just with the Highway Patrol), that can have consequences even in the absence of any formal legislation. All they have to do is block a road, which they certainly can do and in some cases have done, and your chase day could end. So don't be so confident that there will be no consequences. But more important than that, let this tragic incident be a reminder to be attentive, cautious drivers, whether chasing or otherwise. Yes, we have all kept our eyes on the sky, a laptop, or a phone a little longer than we should or in a situation of traffic or approaching an intersection. But this event should serve as a reminder of the importance of paying attention to our driving, and not chasing in ways that endanger ourselves or others. And the more of us that remember this, the less law enforcement will feel a need to rein us in.
Michael Towers
Supporter
Very sad news, I feel for all affected by the tragedy.
I’ve always chased solo and even though my main safety concern has always been related to driving I’ve still had a few close calls due to distraction and/or my own inattentiveness. I’ve been fortunate to avoid any accidents and in one instance being fortunate was the only thing sparing me from changing my life forever, if not ending it altogether. It only takes one instance where a few factors can come together to create a life changing event and luckily for me I was able to avoid such an event by the slimmest of margins. It’s very unsettling to know how close I came to what very likely would have been a catastrophic event.
In the excitement in the wake of Rozel I was on my cell telling my brother all about it and failed to recognize that the intersection I was approaching was not a 4-way stop.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.189...2trDc7dodt-yuM78bhw!2e0!7i3328!8i1664!6m1!1e1
As you can see it was clearly marked and I had gone through that very intersection not even 15 minutes prior but in my excitement and distraction I failed to notice. Maybe the sign was obscured by other chasers, I don’t recall. When I had previously gone through the intersection I apparently didn’t have to stop but I had stopped anyway due to chaser traffic and maybe that led me to think it was a 4-way stop. So when I thought it was my turn to go I nearly pulled out directly into the path of a semi-truck until realizing in the nick of time that it wasn’t going to stop. The combination of excitement from just witnessing a tornado, the distraction of a phone call and the presence of a lot of chasers crowding the rural intersection nearly resulted in a terrible crash which likely would have killed me and very possibly could have caused grave injury or death to not only the trucker but also any number of people that would have been in the resultant path of the accident. I can’t imagine being responsible for something so tragic, but for the sake of realizing my error at the last split-second I too could have been not only the cause but also the victim to a very serious accident.
In my situation chasing definitely was a contributing cause to the close call. I’d normally remember the type of intersection I’d just gone through but having done so while witnessing a tornado and stopping for traffic when ordinarily not having to may have led to my future confusion. I rarely talk on the phone while driving but couldn’t resist a celebratory call to my brother. A sign normally visible may have been obscured by other chasers. A big rig bearing down on a position just a few feet in front of me would ordinarily be recognized. A drive which under normal circumstances would not be out of the ordinary became one which nearly ended in catastrophe. Add some more distractions such as an open laptop and a camera running video and driving while chasing can become much more dangerous than under normal circumstances. I’m not excusing Matt for what happened, only relating an experience that gives me empathy toward his situation. My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased and to Matt as well in what for all of them is a very difficult time.
I’ve always chased solo and even though my main safety concern has always been related to driving I’ve still had a few close calls due to distraction and/or my own inattentiveness. I’ve been fortunate to avoid any accidents and in one instance being fortunate was the only thing sparing me from changing my life forever, if not ending it altogether. It only takes one instance where a few factors can come together to create a life changing event and luckily for me I was able to avoid such an event by the slimmest of margins. It’s very unsettling to know how close I came to what very likely would have been a catastrophic event.
In the excitement in the wake of Rozel I was on my cell telling my brother all about it and failed to recognize that the intersection I was approaching was not a 4-way stop.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.189...2trDc7dodt-yuM78bhw!2e0!7i3328!8i1664!6m1!1e1
As you can see it was clearly marked and I had gone through that very intersection not even 15 minutes prior but in my excitement and distraction I failed to notice. Maybe the sign was obscured by other chasers, I don’t recall. When I had previously gone through the intersection I apparently didn’t have to stop but I had stopped anyway due to chaser traffic and maybe that led me to think it was a 4-way stop. So when I thought it was my turn to go I nearly pulled out directly into the path of a semi-truck until realizing in the nick of time that it wasn’t going to stop. The combination of excitement from just witnessing a tornado, the distraction of a phone call and the presence of a lot of chasers crowding the rural intersection nearly resulted in a terrible crash which likely would have killed me and very possibly could have caused grave injury or death to not only the trucker but also any number of people that would have been in the resultant path of the accident. I can’t imagine being responsible for something so tragic, but for the sake of realizing my error at the last split-second I too could have been not only the cause but also the victim to a very serious accident.
In my situation chasing definitely was a contributing cause to the close call. I’d normally remember the type of intersection I’d just gone through but having done so while witnessing a tornado and stopping for traffic when ordinarily not having to may have led to my future confusion. I rarely talk on the phone while driving but couldn’t resist a celebratory call to my brother. A sign normally visible may have been obscured by other chasers. A big rig bearing down on a position just a few feet in front of me would ordinarily be recognized. A drive which under normal circumstances would not be out of the ordinary became one which nearly ended in catastrophe. Add some more distractions such as an open laptop and a camera running video and driving while chasing can become much more dangerous than under normal circumstances. I’m not excusing Matt for what happened, only relating an experience that gives me empathy toward his situation. My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased and to Matt as well in what for all of them is a very difficult time.
These kind of things shed chasing in a negative kind of light. Just like Ray Rice blasting his girlfriend in the face, the NFL looks a little less shiny after that event. Are they going to legislate the NFL out of existence because of it? Of course not. What it does do is take a little shine off every time something bad happens whether it was careless, reckless,or just simply an accident.
Every time we are out there being good stewards by being polite, respectful and law abiding, we make chasing for everybody more respected. Especially helping out after an event. We just need to make sure we are giving the general public more reasons to like us than hate us.
You represent ALL chasers when you are out there.
Every time we are out there being good stewards by being polite, respectful and law abiding, we make chasing for everybody more respected. Especially helping out after an event. We just need to make sure we are giving the general public more reasons to like us than hate us.
You represent ALL chasers when you are out there.
Matt Salo
EF1
I agree 100% with Warren.
There is nothing the media likes more than a good controversy. Even if they have to exaggerate the facts to sell it. It happens constantly. Every time you turn on the news, there is some incident or event being blown way out of proportion just to create drama, entertain viewers, and increase ratings and ad revenue. It's the world we live in now unfortunately.
rdale
EF5
Well we're well into the event, and still not national news. But Matt my point is -- even if the media does "blow it out of proportion" how does that directly impact your chasing?
Warren Faidley
Supporter
I'll try to keep this brief... I'm not trying to boast that I have more assorted interests in storm chasing than anyone else, but I do have a lot. Lectures, consulting, media interviews, fielding email inquiries, tours, sponsors, advertisers, EMS operations, photography / journalism and more. I have mentioned before about some of the issues I've had over the course of the last eight years. I've been cursed out by EMS at disasters who mistook me for someone else, law enforcement is not as friendly as before, I've lost a mass of income because sponsors and commercial interests see through the bogus chaser(s) and don't want to take PR risks, I've had countless people talk to me about the issue at lectures, etc. In addition, we have all seen what happens now in the media whenever something chase-related goes wrong, from a photographer posting a picture of a dead child, TWC using a tragedy to promote themselves, chasers making all kinds of misleading claims, police issues with chasers and the list goes on. I've been around long enough to see the trends change. I prey this chaser is not put in jail, but the legal system will determine the outcome. Storm chasing is now under the microscope and the media attention is moving up the ladder into the main stream. Take cover now, a $hitnado is coming!
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