revrnd Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 From the CottageCountryNow website: Snowmobiler charged in fatal accident PARRY SOUND - The West Parry Sound Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged the operator of the snow machine involved in a fatal open water snowmobiling incident that occurred on January 16 on Georgian Bay near swing bridge to Wasauksing First Nation. Shane Tudhope, 18, of Parry Sound has been charged with impaired operation cause death and criminal negligence cause death. Te accused was released from police custody and he is scheduled to appear in court on February 23, in Parry Sound. The body of the passenger, 18 year old passenger, Jordan Mehlenbacher, was recovered by the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit and a post mortem has been scheduled for this afternoon in Sudbury. The investigation is continuing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cattails Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Regarding Jordan, he is a very special person to me. I am also have been a snowmobiler all my life. Trails as well as racing! What we need to learn from this is that kids are kids , and adults are adults. We all do things sometimes the wrong way and sometimes we count our blessings. We need to be able to teach ourselves and our children that there is a time and a place to take risks. Open water is dangerous no matter what the circumstances are. If we are going to choose to puddle jump and push our machines to the max then we need to have it in a controlled environment. I know its hard with insurance and coverage to host a event however, as a community we need to start talking about it. I have no issues with racing a machine in anyway! We need to teach our kids when things are acceptable, when there are safety measures in effect. I know even if we have a controlled environment things happen, might happen there or might happen prior. I care for this situation very much and if we can saves life from this then lets put our minds together to be able to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Welcome Cattails and great first post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 The strength of this community rings loud and clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcthumper Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Regarding Jordan, he is a very special person to me. I am also have been a snowmobiler all my life. Trails as well as racing! What we need to learn from this is that kids are kids , and adults are adults. We all do things sometimes the wrong way and sometimes we count our blessings. We need to be able to teach ourselves and our children that there is a time and a place to take risks. Open water is dangerous no matter what the circumstances are. If we are going to choose to puddle jump and push our machines to the max then we need to have it in a controlled environment. I know its hard with insurance and coverage to host a event however, as a community we need to start talking about it. I have no issues with racing a machine in anyway! We need to teach our kids when things are acceptable, when there are safety measures in effect. I know even if we have a controlled environment things happen, might happen there or might happen prior. I care for this situation very much and if we can saves life from this then lets put our minds together to be able to succeed. I wish what you propose could make a difference Cattail...but it won't. Over-extending the bouds of safety is what being a teenage boy is all about.It is the way they are put together. There is NOTHING that will change that....no teaching,no courses,no parental or legal intervention will ever stop boys from pushing beyond the limits. We cannot change human nature. We even reward kids for the behavior.As good parents,we encourage our kids to do better...push harder...fly higher.Look at any Nike commercial on TV....Stronger,Higer Faster....the olympics....We drive this message into them. Yes,we may label these events as 'stupid....dangerous....foolhardy'....But they are just doing what we,the world,and their brains tell them to do,no matter how obviously wrong it may appear to us. They do learn....and they also learn how good it feels to go further,faster,or higher than the last guy. And in that process,sometimes young men die. And we cannnot change that either. So.with all the sadness this entails,we must learn to accept it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sledjunk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I wish what you propose could make a difference Cattail...but it won't. Over-extending the bouds of safety is what being a teenage boy is all about.It is the way they are put together. There is NOTHING that will change that....no teaching,no courses,no parental or legal intervention will ever stop boys from pushing beyond the limits. We cannot change human nature. We even reward kids for the behavior.As good parents,we encourage our kids to do better...push harder...fly higher. They do learn....and they also learn how good it feels to go further,faster,or higher than the last guy. And in that process,sometimes young men die. And we cannnot change that either. So.with all the sadness this entails,we must learn to accept it. Well said! And if I may add, let's not try to legislate against it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mcthumper Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Re Legislation. That is what makes events like this even worse than they are.....our judicial system. As I have said here before,the police and DAs speak only one language....and that is the word of the law. There is no account taken for cause and effect outside of the actual event it's self. This is a very North American objective....we have become very litigeous,and many believe that the law is the only way to solve the ills of society. In cases such as this (of which there are thousands every year) this attitude is nothing but damaging to all involved. We can only hope that cooler heads will prevail.....and that Shane may one day find some peace.He is in a very dangerous place now,and will likely remain in that darkness for many years. Short story.... Many years ago,a young neighbor,I think about 21,was driving home in the afternoon when a small boy about 5 darted in front of him on his own quiet residential block...he knew the kid.But there was nothing he could do.....so fast it happened.The child was killed. In the mid 60's we may have been a 'more gentle' society...he was charged with careless I think,but later that was dropped.The parents were friends,it was a tight little neighborhood. He was haunted by this for the rest of his life. Maybe with relief,that life was not a very long one...he himself was dead some 10 years later.After the accident he never finnished uni,never had a girlfriend,never did much of anything...I don't tihink he ever moved from his parents home....He just wasted away.I remember him as a great guy...always playing with us younger guys in the park,tossing us around playing touch football....a good fun kid.He was at Uof T I think at the time. This kinda speaks to the whole idea of retribution. The guys life had been destroyed,through no fault of his own,and tho there was no legal price to pay,he was destroyed by it. I have alawys wondered what would have been his life if he had stopped on his way home for a pack of gum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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