ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area The world has lost someone special

Rest In Peace Mate. and god bless

What a sad, unfortunate event. Steve Irwin was amazing, fun to watch and listen to, and had a real passion for his job. Heck, I don't even think he'd call it a job.


Don, I think I can understand where you're coming from, as your background brings you in direct contact with the consequences of people's actions. But consider this:

I used to race motocross. In three years of riding and racing I can honestly tell you all that the most serious injury I got was a broken middle left toe. And I've come off the bike from 20 feet up in the air! And what happens?:

I was working at a friend's cinema, on the multi-level flat roof. Fell from one level to the next, a drop of about 4-5 feet, and completely shattered every bone in my left wrist. An expensive surgery and wearing a "Terminator" rig on my arm for a month, and I still don't have full use of that wrist. (After 6 years!)

I have friends who play tackle football (and get hurt constantly) and won't go near a bike. I have friends who skydive and won't go near a bike. I know POCO workers who work 12kv and up live and won't go near a bike.

I won't play tackle football, see no reason to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft , and would never work with power lines, live or not.

And there are probably EC's on here who work around high voltage all day and wouldn't touch a bike, either.

The point is simply, Steve Irwin had a passion for animals and studying thier behaviour. I have a passion for motocross and take steps to make it as safe as possible (Protective gear, maintaining the bike and my body, training and practicing jumps, etc.) Everyone has a passion for something that others may consider dangerous. But the danger is indeed part of the reward of doing you job/hobby well.

Was Steve Irwin a risk-taker? Absolutely. Unnecessary risks? Maybe, sometimes. But his passion and humility made him a great man. One who I would not hesitate to have my kids (if I had any) look up to.

R.I.P. Steve. And may God Bless and look after your family.

edited for spelling

[This message has been edited by mxslick (edited 09-05-2006).]

HE made learning about animals fun.we will miss him. Good by

There is probably a lesson in this for all of us. You can be very competant at your trade and still make a mistake that kills you.
Think of that the next time you say "it is just one hot wire, I don't need to turn off the breaker"

Greg,
Darned good point mate.
Steve Irwin was known as a risk-taker.
It seems rather ironic that a guy known for calculated risks could have judged this situation so wrong.
It also goes to show just how dangerous Sting-ray's are.
He certainly was a one in a million.

R.I.P Steve.


{Message edited to repair image tags}


[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 09-06-2006).]

'Tis true he will be missed.
I might have hallucinated this, but I believe the State (in Australia) is offering a State funeral to the family. Now there is respect!

Life can be wierd. I've done skydiving, been thrown off motorbikes at high speed, fallen 17 metres while rockclimbing, yet my only serious injury was from falling a few feet while wiring a house.

Its a shame - He was a good showman and he worked close to the bone but he managed the risks and was always safe. Most of it a bit of bravado to keep the folks intersted and make good TV. What happened was a freak event and it caught everyone off guard....

I hope this incident doesn't create an "anti-ray" mania like the movie "Jaws" did for sharks.

I grew up surfing the closest beach to home, "Ray Bay", as it's known, Seal Beach CA. (the 1 mile stretch is responsible for 1/4-1/3 of all the stingray stings in North America.)
A link
I got my got my first sting in the ankle when I was 12 yrs old. I've got a dead spot of tissue there to this day, and don't hold a thing against the animal I stepped on. Rays and skates have been around for >65 million years, we just got here.
The stinger is a purely reactionary defensive mechanism, and is not used for anything other than protection. Rays are a very interesting critter, and even come in up to 200 volt electric models.
As for Steve Irwin, not to ruffle everybody's feathers, but I think he just joins the list of senseless fools.

just my personal opinion





[This message has been edited by electure (edited 09-10-2006).]

I think a more subtle point can be made:

When you choose your way of life, you also choose how you will be hurt, or die.

Firemen suck smoke, Policemen get hit, electricians fall from ladders, and animal handlers get bit / clawed / stung / whatever.

In a similar vein, our expertise in one area does not imply automatic expertise in another. Just as an electrician might appreciate that he is NOT an alarm installer, a lion tamer ought to realise he knows little about fish. Over-confidence gets you every time!

Finally, let's add "thinking" to our response to emergency situations. A guy falls off a ladder into the mud, immediately dragging him inside might not be smart.... just as pulling a sting ray spine our of your heart, then applying CPR, might not have been the best choice either.

Nice pics; but....

- Investigation showed that Roy aparently had a stroke on stage, and the tiger's 'rescue' response (where Roy was bit in the neck) was not much of a medical issue; treating the stroke was;

- "Mr. Grizzly" was, by almost any measure, a deliberately ignorant doofus, who casually relied upon his 'faith' to ignore known, documented behaviour of what happens when big, hungry bears encounter smaller, slower creatures;

- "Michael" has given us numerous examples of his eccentricities; and,

- Steve Irwin was investigated, and cleared, by child welfare authorities... who agreed that the kid was in no danger. I think the camera angle just made things look dicier than they really were.