2 killed in handcart trek

[_Boaz & Lidia]

Is anyone asking why the driver was going so fast in hazzardous conditions? From the report Bond linked:

Just ten minutes after leaving their camp, a pickup truck struck them from behind. Trooper Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol said, "The 13-year-old female was behind the handcart walking and was struck by the vehicle. The vehicle then veered to the left where it struck a 74-year-old male who saw the vehicle coming and was trying to flag down the driver, to get his attention to stop, when he was struck and killed as well. Both died on scene."

The driver of a pickup truck, which was also headed up the canyon, was blinded by the sun and crashed into the back of the handcart.

This is a common driving hazzard, and there's a simple rule when you encounter it - slow down to a much safer speed. Unfortunately many people don't, and in effect drive blind, especially if they know the road, but can't see what other objects may be ahead. Another obvious safety measure is to wear sunglasses, which reduces this hazzard to a large extent. How fast was the driver going in these unsafe conditions?

I guess the police will determine that, and if found culpable manslaughter charges might not be off the cards:

The driver of the truck was not hurt. Prosecutors will review the accident investigation before determining if any charges will be filed against him.

Yeah, maybe the organisers should have been more prepared for this, sounds like it to me, but in most cases like this the driver is the one most responsible. Theoretically anyone could have been on the road, including a broken down car, which is why responsibility lies primarily with the driver.

[/former driving instructor]

Ray, we all experience this while driving. As the road causes the orientation of the vehicle to shift, the glare on the windshield comes and goes. At normal speeds this can be for only a brief moment. I think this is what happened here. The wrong place, at the precise wrong moment.

If anyone should be held responsible for this tragedy it should be the idiot adults who allowed the handcart train onto the paved highway.

And ferchissakes, why were they on paved roads in the first place? Where is the suffering in that? The original handcart fools did not have paved roads to pull their carts over ,

[_Ray A]

Ray, we all experience this while driving. As the road causes the orientation of the vehicle to shift, the glare on the windshield comes and goes. At normal speeds this can be for only a brief moment. I think this is what happened here. The wrong place, at the precise wrong moment.

Yes, Boaz, we all know that, yet people make these fundamental mistakes all the time, which is what's called "an accident" (wink).

If anyone should be held responsible for this tragedy it should be the idiot adults who allowed the handcart train onto the paved highway.

It was certainly not an insightful decision. I would place prime responsibility for this on the local law enforcement agencies, and government. The handcart train organisers would bear lesser responsibility, and they should have been given strict guidelines by the police, and even had a police escort, back and front. It seems to me that traffic could have been much more regulated during this re-enactment, but once on a public road, with the knowledge of the local authorities, the local authorities are responsible for the safety of the train. That's how it works with marathons too - runners are not responsible for their personal safety on a public road set aside for a marathon - the authorities are, working in co-ordination with organisers of any event.

And ferchissakes, why were they on paved roads in the first place? Where is the suffering in that? The original handcart fools did not have paved roads to pull their carts over

Well, I suppose the simple answer is that they wanted to avoid deaths over rough terrain (as actually happened in the original trek), or perhaps heat exhaustion? I suppose they were just trying to be responsible in that way?

[_harmony]

It was certainly not an insightful decision. I would place prime responsibility for this on the local law enforcement agencies, and government.

Did they know this event was going to happen? Was there a permit process? Were there any requirements for traffic control?

In other words: did the government even know the hand carts were going to be on that road?

I'm not sure we can blame the government or the police, if the hand cart re-enacters didn't inform them when and where the trek was going to take place.

[_Scottie]

It was certainly not an insightful decision. I would place prime responsibility for this on the local law enforcement agencies, and government.

Did they know this event was going to happen? Was there a permit process? Were there any requirements for traffic control?

In other words: did the government even know the hand carts were going to be on that road?

I'm not sure we can blame the government or the police, if the hand cart re-enacters didn't inform them when and where the trek was going to take place.

This is my guess too.

From the photos, it looked like a small ward outing or something. I'm betting the YM/YW advisors got together and planned this without any formal organization.