Accident in Brazil (when the schools are....)

[eVoL]

Today a bad accident happened in Praia Do Prea (Brazil) inside Club Mistral and now the French guy is in serious condition at Fortaleza hospital, brought there by the emergency-helicopter !!

This post is a HOPE to TRY to avoid this kind of BAD ACCIDENT connected wiht the schools and the instructors who work..................................................... in a way that YOU can judge by yourself!

The guy had the accident during his COURSE.
I don't want to add other words, but we were many people there, seeing the whole scene and couldn't believe to what was happening!

I think that ALL the SCHOOLS MUST RESPECT the international SAFETY RULES and use also GOOD SAFETY accessories with their students, but as we can see.. this doesn't happen always!!
And it's enough to do a short walk on this beach to see which kind of "HAZARD FREEDOM" the schools give to their stuents and free-riders.

All the best energy to the unfortunate boy!!!!!!
Hoping he can quickly forget this bad experience withut any consecuence and......
- no further comment for the school and the instructor -

[Toby]

thx for the info, but could you tell us what happened exactly?
Only this way the same mistakes can be stopped.

All the best wishes to the fellow kiter!

[RickI]

Timely topic, I'm working on a magazine article on this currently. As Toby asked, what happened?

[Skyway Scott]

Timely topic?
Glad it's gonna help your article, Rick.

[RickI]

Article is already written Scott, just looking it over before submittal.

We need quality pro kiteboarding instruction. For all I know that was provided in this case, then again, maybe not. Details about what happened would help.

[Skyway Scott]

Let's hope the topic (accident) is dead-on related on for ya'.
That'd be sweet... huh.

We need more accidents to help stop accidents.

[RickI]

No training accidents at all would be great including this one. Hope the guy heals quickly and fully. What we need to do is to learn from past mistakes, spread some effective change to the Industry and move on. Accidents do no one any good, period.

This came out three years ago, what has changed in the Industry in that time? Have things improved in instruction, stayed the same or ?
viewtopic.php?f=131&t=2349862

[Skyway Scott]

You are right, accidents do no one any good.

[jcbua]

Rick, I'd say there's a story out there still waiting to be written. And it's an unfortunate story as it seems to me it's all preventable enough.
For three weeks I've been sitting here in one of the Caribbean's kiting epicenters during the offseason. Whenever the wind does come up, the situation presents itself really quick. Way too many people competing for the same stretch of water--as in the shoreline. Of course there are SUPPOSED to be rules to follow. If you look hard enough you'll see a sign here or there. We've all read it somewhere at some time. Something about a barrier extending out x number of feet, yards, meters from the beach where no tricks/jumps are to be performed, a space better left for paying beginners to body drag and get their first, hopefully, safe taste of kiting. And another one about keeping bar lines wrapped and out of the way when not in use so as to prevent tangles during crowded beach launches. And quite a few others.
However, it seems at this stretch of beach (and, from what I've seen in many other popular kting destinations), these rules only apply to the other person.
How else do you explain the virtual obstacle course of kites all within 20 and 30 meters of the beach? All too frequently it seems struggling newbies are targets to aim for as opposed to obstacles to be avoided. So hell bent for the limelight too many are too willing to throw caution to the wind ingnoring the consequences of what happens when your missed handle pass sends your kite into the lines of an already struggling beginner's lines or, even more likely, their kite unexpectedly diving into yours.
This is all so common in this area it's the complying kiter that's the exception not the norm. And ironically enough, I've been told, the office of one of the sports "Big Regulators" is located just down the road. If we can't draw the line in the sand here, then where?
Accidents, true accidents, in kiting will always happen.
This is just stoooopid.

[Toby]

there are few things that people need to learn, then they will be safer. I still have to learn it too, but getting there. But I see scenarios, where I better should close my eyes and hope it will go well...sometimes it does not...