taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/arch … 2003501888
You go on a solo hike into the woods. You report you are in danger and your family ask for govt help. Due to incompetence or whatever, you die from lack of timely rescue. Your body is found by private searchers hired by your family.
Is it your fault for going into the wilderness on your own or is it the govts fault because you should expect competence in being able to rescue you from anywhere on Taiwan at any time?
It’s All Your Fault!
I say your fault.
One of my favorite hikes in Hawaii was illegal because some people had died there a couple of years previous because of falling rocks. The government made it illegal (which to us just meant more fun because we had to sneak around). I think they did it just to cover their backs because the families of the victims had sued the state. But I’m all for personal responsibility- it’s not the governments job to make every place under their jurisdiction ‘safe’. And I don’t want it to be illegal to go places because the gov has deemed that it might be unsafe.
I’m for a world where people are held responsible for their own actions and at times that means suffering the consequences.
It’s your own fault entirely. People who do this kind of thing know this very well. However, all’s fair in the world of litigation.
“[…]urged for stricter regulations on mountian climbing[…]”
Of course: Control us more! Tell us we are not allowed to be reckless! So that we can then disregard the new rules… and complain that they are not strict enough.
Anyway: I think it would be good for the gov if it’s rescuing system and personell was better and more professional but but no one here can seriously expect stuff like that to work on in Taiwan and Taiwanese should know best that that is not going to happen. Since they know they cannot expect the rescue system to be effective and are still willing to take the risk it’s probably their own fault. It’s kind of ironic but I think I just stated that the better the rescue system is the more liable it is to be blamed for failing. I am not really sure if that makes sense. My head hurts…
:neutral:
[edited for legibility]
That’s so sad. Was he really missing for 51 days and found only 5 or 6 days after he died? Have I read that right?
I feel it’s a bit harsh to say it’s his own fault. Accidents happen to the best and most well-prepared adventurers. But it is his responsibility. His choice to go into a potentially dangerous environment.
The search and rescue does sound lackadaisical. I would have thought he could be found through his phone too, but maybe that wasn’t possible. His phone clearly wasn’t working or he would have phoned out.
Did his family look for him too, or did they just sit around and complain for 51 days? Too many unanswered questions.
This is related to the “no going into the ocean past your knees 'cause you might drown” prohibition at the beach.
Get ready for the “no hiking up a mountain taller than your armpits” law, coming soon to a pathway near you.
Thats the danger, that the govt will find it easier to ban everything and anything rather then set up a proper rescue team. But why should people be asked to put their lives on the line to rescue you if you get in too deep in the forest? You yourself should never go that deep by yourself and your equipment , etc should be proper. How about having a walkie talkie? Remember cell fones (specially smart fones) run out of power very fast then its location cant be found.
My smart fone has to be charged every nite, it barely makes it thru the day on one charge.
p.s. RIP to the lad though. What a horrible way to die. Slow and fearful. I dont think he took 50 some days to die though. Taiwanese mountains can kill you overnite even or certainly within a few days. Remember the group of westerners that got lost for , what , 48 hours? Two of them had to be carried out, they couldnt even walk.
What if Tommy pushed you?
this, I think your only recourse for blaming authorities would be gross negligence on the part of the rescue team.
this, I think your only recourse for blaming authorities would be gross negligence on the part of the rescue team.[/quote]
It would seem that more couldve been done but how wild was this terrain anyway. The rescuers may have thought it is a danger to their own lives if they venture there.
But I do think the rescuers couldve done more.
cant happen cuz tommy is a cityboy. I aint going to be in the forest to push you 
It’s your fucking fault. The only reason you went was to try show balls you didn’t have. You died because you weren’t prepared and you made bad decisions. You thought that having a cell phone would save you from actually having the knowledge of traveling through rough mountainous, unforgiving terrain.
Your family is trying to sue the government where as they should have been teaching you forestry skills and self-reliance. They should have taught you basic survival skills and they didn’t . You were injured by your bad decisions and you died waiting for some one to save you. if you had these skills you might have survived and you didn’t.
[quote=“tommy525”]http://taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/04/28/2003501888
You go on a solo hike into the woods. You report you are in danger and your family ask for govt help. Due to incompetence or whatever, you die from lack of timely rescue. Your body is found by private searchers hired by your family.
Is it your fault for going into the wilderness on your own or is it the govts fault because you should expect competence in being able to rescue you from anywhere on Taiwan at any time?[/quote]
It’s the individuals ultimate responsibility.
The Government also bears some responsibility.
Sad.
Thats what Im trying to ascertain here. To what extent are rescuers supposed to be equipped in a civilized society. And to what extent are they expected to risk their lives to rescue someone.
sad case, but the family has been on an emotional roller coaster the last few months, of course they are looking for a scapegoat…but in the end, it’s the hiker’s fault…
[quote=“tommy525”] Remember cell phones (specially smart phones) run out of power very fast then its location cant be found.
My smart phone has to be charged every night, it barely makes it thru the day on one charge.[/quote]
I’ve bought a handy little device with a battery that can be charged by hand cranking. A cellphone can be plugged into it and recharged with a few minutes of cranking.
The great tragedy in this case is that he survived for so long, but not quite long enough. He must have had pretty good survival skills to have kept himself alive for a month and a half, but must have had an injury that severely impeded his mobility.
It’s hardly reasonable to try to pin liability on anyone else for failing to rescue him, though I’m very surprised that a good aboriginal search team couldn’t have found him sooner.
Omni, please post where to find this device. It might save someone’s life.
Yeah I’d like to buy one too!
Here it is, the Swiss+Tech BodyGard Survivor 12-in-1 Self-Powered Emergency Companion. I bought mine from Costco.