The culture of CELEBRITY status fuelled by “LIKES” may be
responsible for pushing natural resistance of risk into unknown and
unpredictable territory.
Websites like Liveleak that feature extreme stunts, companies
that sponsor “successful” stunts and watchers who click LIKE all play a part in
promoting the incidence of stunt accidents. It would seem unfair to use the
term “accident” as these activities give “accidents” a bad name.
Wingsuit flyer Victor Kovats, Roof Topper Wu Yongning and
Base Jumper Robert Haggarty all died knowing that error and death are identical
twins. Roof topping and the death of Wu Yongning in a 62 storey fall make for
sickening viewing branded with a sponsor logo!
There have been over 90 wingsuit deaths recorded since the
turn of the century and possibly as many unrecorded. In Russia Rooftoppers die
DAILY.
In many competitive sports, catastrophic life changing
injuries and death have been recorded; thankfully they are rare. Gymnasts in
general do understand the risks of over or under rotation, their long and well
managed training regimes give them an acute awareness of risk and consequence
and management of risk and error.
In leisure activities there is an increasing proportion of
incidents with dreadful consequences. But participants are held in check, in
the main, by good facility and participant management.
Where those individuals are running free in parks and urban
landscapes, building sites or deserted buildings there are no controls and the default
safety net is the individual’s instinct to avoid pain and injury.
In a life or death escape, with time running out and
outcomes predictably terminal the human mind is capable of powering the body to
amazing feats of physical achievement. Is this also the case where the
adulation of “likes” or peer encouragement are fed with a like click or an
emoji?
Where activity companies do make valid and meaningful risk
assessments based on knowledge, experience, advice and common sense they should
have the credit for that work. But there will always be individuals who literally
“fall short” of correctly deciding or accepting that their physical ability is
not up to the challenge.
Why the participant failed to understand the consequence of
failure should be considered in the light of a reasonable expectation of
thinking and common sense. Where delivery has been well thought out with great
efforts made to reveal and mitigate the consequences of failure or error, then
factors that drive a participant into unrealistic ambitions should be accounted
for. Expert Witness evidence can be vital in helping to determine where and how
the line of personal responsibility was crossed.
If you have any questions regarding understanding the risk in sports or if you need expert witness
advice on a case, please do not hesitate to contact our Expert Witnesses on
0117 986 2194 or at enquiries@iew.org.uk.