Luger's Death Caused By "Human Error"
Friday's accidental death of Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was not caused by the track, according to Olympic officials.
The International Luge Federation and Olympic officials have stated the deadly accident was a result of "human error" because the Georgian luger, traveling almost 90 mph, was late coming out of the second to last turn and overcompensated for the timing error.
"This resulted in a late entrance into curve 16 and although the athlete worked to correct the problem, he eventually lost control of the sled, resulting in the tragic accident," reads the statement.
The officials have agreed to make a "change in the ice profile" and raise the wall that Kumaritashvili was catapulted over, but only "to avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again."
[Photo via Getty Images.]
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R.I.P its hard to know that his dreams are over in a matter of seconds just before the opening ceremony starts.
So sad and hard to think about condolences to his dear family.
:( crying, crying, crying
Regards to the family.
I guess all the other accidents on the same course were all human error too, and all of the complaints and worries of the other olympians before this fatal accident!?!? I'm sure the family appreciates that. So sad for the family.
why is it in air quotes, stupid ass.
it was caused by human error.
what a bunch of crap… this was obviously THEIR fault and now they're trying to cover it up… but they DO go and fix the problem, dont they..
"only to avoid that such an extremely exceptional accident could occur again" my ass… that same day, there was another athlete -a woman- training, and she had an accident too, she was hurt but not badly… you barely hear anything about that, because they know their asses would be majorly on fire.. this is schandolous, this year's Olympic's organisation is a disgrace
I think that it is disgusting that they are blaming the Luger for his own death… he had to compensate because that turn is a mess… he came up to high because of poor engineering and slammed into the bottom of the curve because of poor engineering… I think that the Olympic organization should be ashamed of themselves and not have luging at all in this year's Olympics. That poor guys family should find a good lawyer, because that was NOT his fault. RIP.
This whole sport is disgusting. What is so atheltic about racing down an icy toboggan run? It's beyond stupid and shouldn't even be a sport, let alone an olympic one. Terrible tragedy.
The design of the track did not protect the athlete. I grade the architect an F for Fail. If this accident happened in the USA, I would give it a B+
yes, it was his fault, as with other accidents in skiing and everything else in sports. But the thing is, are we pushing athletes too far? 90mph for a human to travel… on a little sled…. Look at all the safety stuff you need for a car for an accident, air bags, padding and the framing of the car, etc. NOTHING on this luge…. and just a split milla second error…. and his body went crashing into the metal pole that had no padding. Every sport is getting like this, look at the snowboarders doing tricks. One last month during the x games came done on his head and yes, he had his helmet on. He is alive, but it is going to take a LONG time for him to walk and talk, just to live a normal life. Last week, during practice, Shaun White came down and hit his chin, and walked away. If his chin was further in when hit…… it could have been the end of his career. When is it too much?
Nice. The people who built and own the track were in charge of 'investigating' the accident and determining they are not at fault. So all the complaints from other luge teams BEFORE the fatal accident were nothing?
No shit. There is always a risk you take doing an extreme sport. Of course the family will try to sue the ioc and shake them down for a settlement.
law suit!
My most sincere condolences to his family … RIP
…. why is the Olympics Committee claiming copyright infringement and deleting all videos of the accident from the websites (eg. youtube)? what do they have to hide?
RIP Nodar. His death was so depressing, a big downer on the ceremony for me. the pictures were horrible.
If the course was not at fault, where are they CHANGING IT. I smell a humongous lawsuit. My sympathies for the family. This man did not have to die.
Awww
Shame. But, Seriously it isnt like it is a shock ! They all take a risk when they lay on that tiny sled and FLY down a huge ramp of ice going 100+ Hours WOW! Crazy if you ask me !
What an investigation, all 27 seconds of it - blame the athlete. Who knew a slight 'over compensation' would result in DEATH!?!
Re: luvstotango – If this accident happened in the USA, I would give it a B+
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHY IS THIS EVEN ON A CELEBRITY GOSSIP SITE????????????
if it was only a human error why is it necessary to raise the wall …. and put pads on the walls now …
So sad, I can only imagine what his family going thru…
that course is f*cked up - there were several other "accidents" on the track even earlier that day - they just lucky that it wasn't the exact portion of track that he was on. those steel beams were too close to the track - any one who "mis" compensates for a timing error is going to be SH*T out of luck if they go over the side & hit one of those beams. damn. I hate to say it - but I doubt that he will be the only causulty of the dangerous LUGE track this year….
It was only the track builders that led the investigation. The tracks over the years have got increasingly more difficult. It's a shame it happened and they track has since reopened….we live 2 mins away from an olympic track and crashes happen all the time. It is driver error. Unfortunately tragic accidents happen in sports that are just stupid.
I like how we are all expert engineers and architects now… honestly no one said shit when other events were held here over the last year… a competitor who faired fine with even less practice on his first through 25 runs he had previously taken prior to his fateful run. It is terrible, and a great sadness… and is the track pushing it… for sure… but the sport is pushing the limits of safety… don't blame the track that has been used for previous events… events that, I bet no one commenting watched… or really knows shit about.. If this happened when the americans hosted the olympics I am sure all the comments on here would be very different. The focus should be on this great tragedy its not time to assign blame… that can come later when this great athlete has first been mourned.
well said momo fan… I think anyone who knows the sport…knows that to be true
I can't believe how young he was and that he died, i believe that everything happes for a reason. BUt why would someone/something like'GOD' do this to a youngman who was just starting his career
Umm, IOC, isn't it quick for you to have completed an investigation? Something is fishy here, I hope no one else dies on this!
Re: EllsMenells24 – 'God' didn't force him to race down some track at 90 mph. Shut up please.
there has been over 5000 runs on this track and he is the only one who died. of course it's a horrible tragedy, but it was a freak accident by a inexperienced athlete. it wasn't the fault of the track or the athlete, it was just an accident.
Such a shame. BUT, the wall he flipped over obviously was too low. Can you image the fallout if spectators where along the wall on top of crash.
Re: Mellow456 –
This isn't competitive knitting, these people ALL know the risks of the speed and the resulting G-forces, up to 5 at 88 mph. So while it is horrific, all accept the risk.
R.I.P.
Allow for errors you wankers. A 21 year old shouldn't loose his life because he made a mistake in timing. Are you kidding? Raise the wall, pad the damn pillars and stop blaming the young man. And while your at it, go f*** yourself Canada.
Re: billyk –
Its tragic that the guy lost his life. It's all very upsetting. But if you're going to tell someone to go f*** themselves it should be the Olympic committee not Canada!!!!!!
It's both the people who build the track and the guys fault. Normally, the sled goes over not the human. Many people have gone down that track. The guy wasn't very experienced. It's all awful that this had to happen but its not all of the Olympics fault and it's definitely not CANADA'S fault. If you're going to sue someone … sue the Olympics.
Regards to his family. It's awful to hear this.
@ billyk you really think hitting something like a wall… even closer at 90mph he would have been fine… think again… hitting anything… even water at the speed and force could kill you… it is a great tragedy that would only have been avoidable if luge didn't exist.
R.I.P dude he looked good, but how hard can luging (lugging?) b??
No offense, but you Americans are f*cking idiots. The guy was going 140km. It doesn't matter if there's padding, a wall or a safety net. Shear logic says, if you are going that fast and hit something…you will most likely die. The walls aren't too short, they are within guidelines. This track has been used well before the Olympics, and the precise reason why it's being used is because it is the hardest. Make sense? Law suit? Are you for real? You don't think that athletes have to sign waivers acknowledging the risks involved in said sport?
This is tragic, but no more tragic than a football player dying after a rough tackle. All safety measures were taken under the assumption that the athlete is coached and trained properly. No one should be blamed. Especially by you ignorant f*cks.
Don't expect a lawsuit, the victim is Georgian, not American.
So an error has to cost him his life? BS. Anyone in the NFL that fumbles a ball, should be shot in the head for committing an error.
I think the "human error" was of the engineers who built the track. It was poorly constructed. If you notice the walls are increibly low, they should have been built higher. Besides, no human no matter how high class athlete he is cannot race at 95 miles per hr, it was built to race way to fast even for the best of athletes.
In another article I read that "at least a dozen athletes got injured in that track" so knowing that the committee/officials should have done something to improve the track immediately instead of waiting for someone to die to start doing something about it.
This is ridiculous and many of you are incredibly misinformed. The police and the FIL (the international luge sports federation) as well as course officials and IOC officials completed the investigation….not just the people who built the course, so please stop claiming that it's some sort of coverup. It's horrible and tragic that this young man died, but it was a freak accident and if you speak to anyone involved with the sport (as has happened in the day since the accident) most will agree that it's a freak accident, but still an accident, and laying blame isn't appropriate. Was the athlete inexperienced? Yes. Is the course fast? Yes. But as others have said thousands of runs have taken place successfully. And they made track changes to ensure a freak accident doesn't happen again, not because they feel that the course caused the accident. Was it part of it? Sure, he was luging down it at 150 mph afterall. But he was an athlete and he knew the risks. I'm so sad for his friends, family and country-mates but what does finger pointing do? Nothing. Get over it.
Re: Chibey – Hey there. I appreciate you trashing Americans while using an avatar of one of the most "American" tv shows since the 90s, the Simpsons. Good call!
Re: Spindiva – well said well said~~it has nothing to do with canada, the host country~~
@quemical… not you don't get shot in the head for fumbling…you are talking foolishly and not even making sense… no one intentionally killed him for his error… its kinda like in football a bad tackle, or not running the pattern and getting hit in a way that paralyzes you, or kills you… or tears your acl…. its a freak accident that is common in all sports… more so in dangerous sports… but a common comment from 5 of the top lugers…not all canadian (even an american shocking) said that were disapointed about the changes and wanted to still go form the top…
Re: billyk – canada just offers the places and money to build those things, the standards and regulations are from the IOC, those architects who built it are not even canadian they're german, so you should go fuck urself
He made a mistake but there should be safety protocols in place to make sure that when people make mistakes, they are protected.
All of the negative comments towards Canada are what makes people see Americans as "unfriendly"
Please stop giving the States a bad name.
We should all use this comment section to give our condolences instead of being negative.
RIP Nodar. May all the Olympians fight as hard as you would.
Re: maikito11 – because, if a human makes an ERROR again, and hits that turn too high and can't recoup then he will hit the pads instead. Understand?
I was looking forward to seeing more athletes wipe out on this track. Wouldn't mind seeing an american go over the wall.
The poor guy.. damn
I think that's awfully snarky of the IOC to make that statement. Bitchy and unnecessary. I'm sure there was a mix of both human and track error… like… everyone's been saying the track is 10-15mph faster than ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD… that's a lot of speed. If someone screws up, the results of that screwup are going to be worse at a ridiculously high speed.
Not to mention that the post he hit wasn't either padded or built up to where he wouldn't hit a post, but a wall, which would have still hurt but likely not been fatal…
Obviously they do feel the track was part of the issue if they're fixing the track and putting up a wall in the place where he crashed. Um, hello, IOC, we're not all as stupid as you seem to think we are…
I feel so bad for him and his family. To be that close to something that you desperately dreamed and wished and worked for, only to have it so horrifically taken away. My god.
Re: LDD – actually, he most likely still would have died if the beams were padded. He hit it at 140 Km/ hour, and his head & back took all the impact. Also, if you watch the video, you see that it is after the curve (the curve that does infact have the very high walls), he does in fact come out of the turn late, off of the high wall on one side, and his sled flips over the wall on the other side (where the track is now going straight), and when he flys off his sled, his momentum cause him to do a "loop" type thing, causing him to fly 140 Km/hr at the metal beams. It is a tragedy, and a freak accident, and its a shame, But it isnt really fair to lay the blame on others, especially Canada. Like many have said, at least he died doing something he loved, and hopefully he didnt suffer at all. RIP.
rest in peace nodar..sad sad sad:-(..sniff*
Re: PixieCullen – how is it their faault?? its juust one of thosee freeak accidents that happen it waas unexplainable and sad to hear soo no ones too blaame!!
Re: luvstotango – LMAO !!!
bullshit. the olympic officials did not follow the engineer/mathameticians layout in order to make the track faster than it should be. Canadians got to practice 6x more than other athletes. the last time someone died was the very first olympics that luge was in, in the 60's. and now 2010? WTF? there have also been way more 'accidents' than ever before. a woman luger was knocked unconscious. this is not normal. they definitely are in the wrong, for if they were not why would they be 'fixing' the track. what need would there be to do that. they're lieing assholes. i hope they get sued.
RIP NODAR, he was gone too soon :'(
You people are unbelievable. If this had happened in the US, your fuckin censored press wouldn't even have reported about and if anything was leaked you qould have blamed it on the rest of the world because you think you are the whole fuckin shit.
Ya its human error, he was going too fast and the architect was a little too ambitious. It is no one's fault.
And what would you say if you were supposed to do this sport tomorrow and the officials refused to modify anything?
I think the situation was handled well, the officials apologized at the ceremony and they took the time to honor Nodar with a minute of silence.
Your country would have covered it up and pretended like it never happened. Grow up, and watch something other than Sarah Palin on Fox news.
AND DON'T PRETEND LIKE YOUR ATHELETES AREN'T FULL OF DRUGS BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT.
Re: PixieCullen – Seriously - what the fuck do you know ? That track had 5000 runs previous to the accident. Yes the accident was tragic. It was horrible, and my heart goes out to the family. That being said - the Canadians are not at fault for an athlete who's competing in a very dangerous sport making a mistake. If a skier fell and broke their neck - would it be their fault as well … cause of the snow ?!
Who designed that track, Helen Keller?
If you see the video that should NOT happen in this sport. He flew out into a pole right there. They may as well put metal spikes along the track.
Why dont they put plexiglass around the top so people and cameras can still see in but the athlete is protected in case they flip?
Re: Kieraknightly – woah, i think you need to chill the fuck out.
it's a stupid ass "sport" completely reckless…
Re: Sexsai – going 140 km/hr, and wearing only a helmet and a spandex suit, plexiglass wont solve the problem, it would only make it harder for the med team to get to the athletes to try to help them.. hitting water at that speed would be like hitting a brick wall. its faster than cars travel on highways..
Re: Sexsai – travelling at 160 km/hr, plexiglass wouldn't solve the problem. it would just make it harder for the med team to get to the injured athletes. Most likely the same outcome would have occurred. I would also like to state that the athletes were aware of the fact that this is the fastest/hardest track in the world, and still agreed to sign a waiver of liability.
Re: Kieraknightly – hey bitch if you dont like americans so much why dont you not comment on a AMERICAN website. also i am pretty sure that all athletes have to a drug test and if they fail they do not compete, dont be jealous because are athletes are the some of the best in the world.
Re: Joe Canada – you are an asshole for making such a statement. As a Canadian/American, wow. I'd pray for you but you don't seem worth prayers.
STUPID AMERICANS. International Luge Federation is just that - "International". Stop blaming the "Canadians" when an international committee is the one who stated the cause of death. This was a horrible and unfortuante accident, but in no way, a nation's fault. America's #1 sport is NASCAR. Luge is also a sport of speed, and dangerous at that. Accept the fact that this was a tragic accident.
Re: jhodge3 –
Let's ask Perez if he wants to limit his viewers to Americans only. I'm pretty sure most free nations can view his website. Do you have a problem with other countries? Are you a racist? I don't think anyone is jealous of you. I just think you're stupid and ignorant.
JUST ANOTHER WAY TO SAY IT'S ALL HIS FAULT… CANT SUE US, UNLUCKY FUCKER! TOTAL JACKASSES, ALL OF THEM - ESPECIALLY FAT MARIO!!
Sorry folks - ANY engineer that took into account the possibilities of human error would design retaining walls that would prevent an athlete from EVER leaving the track. It is very easy to calculate the possible trajectories of a human body on a closed track.
This is manslaughter or at least gross negligence. NO EXCUSE.
If it can go wrong it will go wrong and simply extending the retaining wall COMPLETELY resolves this issue.
Re: tom951 – Tom you are an idiot! Of course there is always some risk in a sport, but in this case the risk was unavoidable as proven by many other lugers getting into accidents in the same spot. He lost his life because the people who made the track messed up big time and ignored several complaints about the safety before hand. Your damn right the family should sue them, this was such a tragedy, that could have been easily avoidable if the people had simply put in the effort to fix the tract! And in ending…your an ass!
What is the relation between a human mistake during a luge heat and a construction mistake in a luge track? So YES, Kumaritashvili made a mistake. But does that mean that it was NO mistake to make the construction in a way that this could happen? What a nonsense. And what a shame that an Olympic organisation tries to wash their hands in innocence by stating this. RIP.
tbh, the accident (and the others) were probably caused by a little bit of both. part of the problem was human error, but the human errors were likely made because none of the athletes have ever trained on such a fast track before and they weren't prepared for it.
A "timing error" shouldn't result in death. That doesn't seem right.
Re: Kay $ –
I totally agree with you! Every time I think about the image of him (just prior to taking off), i'm saddened and horrified. How dare the Olympics blame this fatal accident entirely on human error! I'm appalled and sickened by this attempt to perpetuate their 'pristine' image, while ignoring the root of the problem- faulty engineering and safety precautions. I feel heartbroken for his entire family! May he RIP, and may his legacy live on.
This is so sad and only at 21 reaching 4 his dream this certainly feels so unjust all i can say i hope his familiy can find solstice in his passing my thoughtd and prayers go to his familiy.
Re: kalijuri – ummm… If the Canadians got to practice 6 more times, and none of them were injured then it shows you that it was unfortunately a tragic human error, when the accidents did occur…… Otherwise there would be a whole bunch of Canadians injured too, if it was a track error.
Re: trix – In this sport, a timing error is HUGGGGE, especially travelling at the speeds lugers go and only wearing spandex. People need to understand there is a HUGGEEEE risk of being injured in this sport. If you can't see it then you are crazy.
This is a devastating situation but course designers should learn that, like in motor racing - put appropriate safety devices around a course in case worse comes to worse and the athlete crashes.
In motor racing they put tires or safety barriers around the track; in the luging sport, perhaps ensure that steel poles are not placed where athletes could crash into them.
why are people even arguing over this to begin with. A poor kid lost his life, that is the point. To argue over this is to be selfish.
surely the pillars shud be padded in some way? it said that earlier in the day that another athlete had a similar accident but was unharmed, also they have been criticised for favouring their own athletes and allowing them to have more practice time on the tracks.
the course was considered to be very fast, so the possibility for an athlete to lose control of his/her luge was there. HOWEVER, keep in mind that the athletes do steer their luge (probably with their feet) and Nodar was likely trying to get in the fastest time to qualify. was he a bit reckless? you betcha. should there have been padding on the pillars? i don't see how that would make a difference seeing as Nodar was travelling at the speed most drive on the German Autobahn. plexiglass would not have saved him. i see this as a tragic freak accident.
it is SHAMEFUL to see the amount of hate towards Canada i've read in these comments. it's comments like these that justify what the world thinks about Americans.
RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili.
Inappropriate to blame the person who died. He might have been late out of a turn, but they should have kept it quiet…I feel like that was done in really bad taste. More people have gotten seriously injured on this Olympic track than any other, how do they explain that? Olympic caliber athletes making "human errors" excessively or their ridiculously fast, slick, complicated track being barely legal? Idiots.
BRAZIL…nough said.
Re: EllsMenells24 – Do not bring God into this, He does not exist to erase all tragedy in the world!! By the way that would be IMPOSSIBLE!!
Re: luvstotango – cause that makes a lot of sense, fucking moron..
Re: billyk – no buddy, you can go fuck yourself. it's tragic that he died clearly, and i wish his family nothing but the best/regards. however, if you're going to get into a high-risk sport such as this… you have to know that death could be a possible consequence if something goes wrong. i believe it was a combination of his fault and the sport itselfs fault. as he likely lost control, but it's easy to lose control when participating in such a dangerous sport. period.
Re: jhodge3 – Hahaha yeah right! People from all countries come here and the 'news' (bit of a stretch) Perez writes about isn't always American news. As for Kumaritashvili, he knew what he was getting himself into, the track's been around for ages, many people have successfully completed the track and accidents happen. It's tragic though, but he could've said no, seeing that he was 21 and didn't have that much experience. And all you Americans with your 'sue them!' comments, it's one of the reasons many other counties can't stand you. Sueing won't get them anything, it was his own responsibility and he signed the waiver of liability. Case closed.
Re: prim&proper – yes because you knew him so well, right? Please…
Re: Moogle80 – what does this have to do with actually knowing him personally? I have a heart for goodness sakes! may he RIP.
wow perez, you seem to be attracting a lot of angry pessimistic people to this site lately. how unfortunate.
Re: prim&proper – Seriously? Well, I have a heart too, but I'm not 'heartbroken' over someone I don't know and hadn't even heard of before this news. You must be sad all day long then, seeing there's people dying every single minute.
This is such a disaster.. So sad. RIP
i think it was a combination of both the poor man's inexperience and the fact that the Whistler track has been regard ever since it opened 2 years ago as one of the fastest tracks and THE MOST DANGEROUS in the world. i think that stand separate from the guy's inexperience as even the #1 luger in the world said the Whistler tracks scares him. most other luge tracks you see lugers going in the mid-80 miles per hour. at Whistler they go up to 98mph! i think that says something for how this course is very different from all the others and with that huge speed increase the danger is inherent, no matter how experienced one may be.
no matter how Whistler slices it, the fact that they had uncovered metal poles right next to the track coming right out of turn 16 which is the biggest turn and when the lugers are going the fastest was a pretty big oversight…and the family is probably going to successfully sue them.
Re: Gambitgirl – You honestly think that going 90 miles or more and slamming in to a "padded" pole would make much of a difference? It reminds me of how princess Diana died. She slammed in to the back of the seat but as happens in accidents like that, the organs keep moving forward even though your body has been forced to come to a complete stop. Going that fast and hitting a padded pole would not have made much if any difference at all.
The problem is the definition of fault. If they had taken the precautions that they've taken since his death, his "human error" would not have cost him his life. Exposed concrete pillars right on the side of the track (which have since been covered with a wall)? Corners tighter than any other in history causinng speeds of up to 95 mph, which is 10 miles faster than any other luge track in the world (which have since been shaved)? The longest luge run in history (which has since been shortened by 2 football fields)? Every single luge federation complained about the safety of this track but it fell on deaf ears. It's a deep shame that it took a death to finally accept that yes, maybe the track needed to improve its safety. Even the greatest luge technician on the planet, Armin Zoggeler, crashed the same day that this young man did. This track simply wasn't safe. Nodar may have made an error on the sled that caused him to crash but it was the lack of safety precautions that caused his death. Period.
Re: Moogle80 – You obviously don't follow luge much. The track has not been around for "ages." It's only been open since 2007 and many federations, including the titans of Italy, Germany, and Russia, have complained about the safety of it well before these Olympics. These athletes do take risks but there is an inherent responsibility to the designers of these courses to make them exciting and fair but also safe. Many of the top athletes in luge have complained about the lack of access to the track including the now Gold medalist Locke and arguably one of the greatest lugers in history, Armin Zoggeler, who also crashed on this same course the same day Nodar did. The crash may have been his fault but his death could've been prevented. Had they erected the wall that now surrounds the exposed concrete pillars before Nodar's death, this wouldn't have happened. We know the risks when we drive our cars but it's up to the manufacturer to make sure that all of the safety equipment is functioning properly. Period. This death was preventable.
Re: whitespirit – They steer the luge with a combination of their hands and feet but mostly their hands. Nodar's error in steering does not negate the question of why concrete and metal pillars were exposed right beside the track when the athletes were consistently seeing speeds in excess of 95 mph. That is a track deficiency, not the athletes, and it caused his death. Had he hit the wall that is now erected in front of the pillars, he probably would've survived.
Re: Dave Letterman - staff fucker – I totally agree with your commetn…what kind of sport is that?????
Re: LoTr1985 – No, I don't luge much (who does?!) and I probably put it wrong, my bad. They started working on it in 2005 and have been doing runs since 2007. Athletes have always said it's a fast and dangerous track but the track has been given thumbs up by many luge, bobsleigh skeleton experts. Crashing on a lugetrack isn't that uncommon, there's been hundreds of successful runs and in all honesty, I think Kumaritashvili was too young and too inexperiences to take on this track. But that's his responsibility. The erected wall doesn't make a difference. Crashing into something, anything, with your only protection being a helmet and going 90 mph will always feel like hitting a brick wall.
Re: __MaYRa__ – They are deleting all the videos for the sake of the family, come on if your family member died would you really want it all over the internet for sick morbid people to get some cheap amusement from it?