Re: RC: Re: Accident at ride this weekend in Montana...???

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/21/99 4:51:51 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mmieske@netonecom.net writes:

<< I think assault intimates some kind of intent to harm...this was an
 ACCIDENT.  >>

Yes, accidents can and do happen.  From the accounts, the truck that was in 
the way belonged to a visitor that didn't know what was going on.  In order 
for the riders to be held responsible, they would have had to have had a 
clear view of the truck from a distance--a detail that those of us who 
weren't there cannot judge.  The driver of the truck was, in a sense, 
responsible, but had no knowledge of what was going on--about like an elk 
that wanders onto a mountain runway when a small plane is on final approach.  
Ride management can learn from the incident and have better traffic control 
in the future.  The ride where I was in a similar incident several years ago 
had a blind corner on a narrow road down into camp which was the only ingress 
or egress for horses OR vehicles. They had to resort to a crew with 
walkie-talkies that would not allow vehicles in if horses had passed a 
certain point on the trail--they acted very much like flagmen at a 
construction site.  Sadly, sometimes it takes an accident to illustrate a 
problem area.

Heidi


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