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I had planned to write about the Dems' presidential hopefuls' family photo ops in Iowa, but then I stumbled on an odd article at The Chicago Tribune. It's about a 7-year-old boy's family being sued for $75,000 by a 60-year-old man because the boy collided with the man on a ski slope in Colorado last year. While the lawsuit may have intrigued me for a moment, it did not fascinate me.
I bring this story to your attention because the article's already received 484 comments at The Chicago Tribune; however, the intense interest in this story and impassioned responses baffle me. I read commentary on the skiing accident and lawsuit and wondered what might this public outcry signal about American culture?
The plaintiff, David J. Pfahler, and his wife left their home in Allentown, Pa., this holiday season because they were deluged with angry calls. "We've never seen this kind of attention to a case," said Pfahler's attorney, Jim Chalat. "If you're skiing as Pfahler was, slowly and in control on an intermediate slope, and a 7-, 8-, 9-year-old comes bombing down and crashes into you, the child has a technical responsibility to you."
The young skier's parents, Susan and Robb Swimm, are happy the public shares their outrage. "People are really angry about this, and they should be," she said. "What kind of a message are we sending to our children if we're just going to turn around and sue after an accident on a ski slope?"
The collision occurred the afternoon of Jan. 12, 2007, on a family-friendly slope at the Beaver Creek ski resort just west of Vail. (Tribune story)
And here are three reader comments from the story that show the difference in opinion:
Yesterday I went sledding with my children. A teenager kicked my girl in the face as she soared down the hill as his sled came to rest. Two other kids plowed into my son. That is the risk we took when we went out on the snow hill. Give me a break. That old man needs to stay away from skiing unless he wants to rent his own private ski time! (EmjayT, Elk Grove Village, IL )
As usual the parents of an out of control kid want to blame everybody but themselves for their kids acts. That is why people are forced sue. If the parents don't teach a young child about personal responsibility, then when wil these children ever learn about it? This kids parents are teaching a kid that the only time he has to look out for others is when it's convenient for them or when another person makes them take responsibility. We've allowed a generation of kids who were given last place trophies and told that just trying thier best is good enough, now come the hard lessons of life: there are consequences to your actions, you have to pay attention, and common sense should be all that is necessary to know when your at fault, not a lawsuit.
But the worst form of denial is on the parents part, starting a web campaingn to smear another person, just so you cannot be held accountable for your poor parenting, just sets another example of how not to grow up and own up to what is your fault and a problem you caused. (Bruce from flowerfield, Lake Zurich, IL)
The paradigm is altered because, unlike driving, skiing is recreation. You assume some chance of injury when participating. The management of the facilities where they skiied likely informed them they were doing so at their own risk. Based on this story, it's not clear to me that the child was reckless. That is being inferred by people who are fed up with the behavior of children in general. The 60-year-old man's insurance company started this mess when they suggested he contact the boy's family for compensation. It would defray their responsibility if the financial burden was placed elsewhere. (DMS, United States)
These three comments all come from the same page but represent the general opinions repeated throughout the story's comments section. Those that vary more discuss whether they believe the man's bill's really are $75,000, that the man was too old to be skiing, and that if you participate in a sport you know you risk injury. Most of the pro-lawsuit comments are about bad parenting and teaching children responsibility.
I lean toward the view that when you take up anything like skiing, football, or skateboarding, you know
