It appears it's a little worse than "seriously injured":

What a shame, these Olympics aren't starting out too well. I wonder if it has anything to do with the lack of snow?

What did you expect with Canada hosting. What a bunch of dud's. How would the idiots that designed and built the track not see the exposed steel poles?

Canadians were sick and tired of being the world's biggest pussies, so they killed this guy straight up.

#4 you can't blame all Canadians, only the French-Canadians.

If they could steer those stupid sleds like my old "flexible flyer" he could have missed the pole. I steered around many a tree and steel pole as a child.

Wasn't the luge credited with originating the term "going out feet first"?

What did you expect with Canada hosting. What a bunch of dud's. How would the idiots that designed and built the track not see the exposed steel poles?

#3 | Posted by midtowncowboy

Rumored that deadpotato was in charge of the luge run.

Deadpotato loves steel poles to place GW monitoring devices

He knows snow and poles

Deadpotato loves the olympians

He is ohso sorreee

//obligatory

Be well

Deadpotato.

That track was designed by an idiot I guess... To have exposed steel beams at the bottom of that turn like that is nuts... There should have been protection.. There was nothing...

What did you expect with Canada hosting.

The Montreal and Calgary Olympics were a success by any measure.

I saw the video online. In today's era of "cover your butt" regarding safety/liability I'm surprised those metal posts weren't heavily padded.

See #12 (or any other Finish Line at an Olympic Luge event).

Bet they'll be padded from now on though ...

Canadians were sick and tired of being the world's biggest pussies, so they killed this guy straight up.

#4 | POSTED BY 101CHAIRBORNE AT 2010-02-12 04:30 PM

I agree!

Chan Gailey

NBC said he hit the pole at 88mph... a shame he hadn't installed the flux capacitor yet on his sled.

I don't think padding would help. I don't know anything about the Luge but the beam placement does seem very dumb. What solution is there? If there was no beam he just wouldve flown far and would be seriously hurt or dead as well. Some sort of net maybe?

What a sad video, too. My thoughts to the family.

I don't think padding would help.

Even with padding I can't imagine you're likely to survive flying off the track at around 90 miles an hour with nothing but a helmet to protect you. Hell even if he didn't hit the beam he was probably gonna be in pretty bad shape...

Helluva way to go. Looks like they shoulda extented the high portion of the wall another 30/40 ft.

I wonder if it has anything to do with the lack of snow?

#2 | POSTED BY DANNI

Plenty of snow where the alpine events are going to take place... the stuff in Vancouver is going to be indoors. Vancouver's average Feb temps are around 45 degrees, so I hope people weren't expecting snow in the city.

#18 | Posted by Rob_The_A_Hole at 2010-02-12 08:02 PM | Reply | Flag

The objective would be to keep someone from exiting the track at 88 mph.

After watching this slide over the top of a corner into a steel column, I can say, a few sheets of plywood above the ice track across those steel columns would have saved this guys life. Here's hoping they fix that oversight immediately.

After watching this slide over the top of a corner into a steel column, I can say, a few sheets of plywood above the ice track across those steel columns would have saved this guys life. Here's hoping they fix that oversight immediately.

What is awful is that the unpadded poles are so obvious to be dangerous--there just isn't one pole--it's the entire line...

Very sad.

Dont think padding would have helped any.. dude went from 89+mph to 0 so fast that padding wouldn't have helped much unless it was absurdly excessive...

For me, a much better question is how anyone could think that along the final curve of a fast track was the best place to put those poles.

And not only that, spaced at intervals and angles that made the likely-hood of hitting one more likely than missing any.

I'm surprised that it got past the planning stage to be honest (canadian or not).

Loh

"For me, a much better question is how anyone could think that along the final curve of a fast track was the best place to put those poles."

Looks to me like those beams are part of the track structure? Should be an interesting report some day.

Some people just get missed sled.

If the Chinese were hosting the games, he would've died from lead poisoning.

I just heard on the news that the sled was made by Toyota.

I just heard on the news that the sled was made by Toyota.

#29 | Posted by mysterytoy

Throttle stick?