Here’s a recent situation which set my teeth on edge:
Mackenzie Croxford-Cook, 14 and from Deal in Kent, died on August 3 this year after entering a fairground in Pencester Gardens in Dover before it opened to the public.
He and a number of friends gained access to the fun fair and used the dodgems and trampolines before the teen was trapped and fatally injured on a ‘superstar’ machine.
So far, so good: irresponsible / lawless teens go exploring, start fucking around on equipment that in normal times would be responsibly operated and controlled, and find out the ultimate cost of trespass and said behavior. Sad, but teenagers do this kind of stuff all the time (although not always with a tragic end), and we all feel for the grieving parents of said hooligans etc. etc.
Here’s what blows the cuff off my arm:
The inquest into his death was due to conclude on Monday at County Hall in Maidstone, but area coroner Katrina Hepburn adjourned the case so further information could be gathered.
The coroner would like to question ride operator, Luke Shufflebottom, as well as Dover District Council which owns the land.
Ummm what for? Was said funfair locked up? Were signs posted which said, “Warning: Equipment Should Not Be Operated Except By Fairground Employees”, or something like that? If so, then we all move on — if not, then fines can be issued and so on.
Ms Hepburn wants to have ‘all of the information’ needed to both conclude the inquest and potentially issue a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) report, if necessary, due to any failings or shortcomings which could have contributed to the death. She explained: ‘Mackenzie and his colleagues had access to this ride outside its hours of operation with such tragic consequences. I believe there is missing evidence looking at the fencing of this ride and questions about access to this location for these teenagers on that morning. Mackenzie was trapped in a fairground ride but I don’t have evidence about how that location was being fenced and monitored at that hour in the morning.’
Errrr no. You’re the fucking coroner. Your responsibility begins and ends with determining the cause of death. If there’s any kind of culpability to be sought, that’s actually the job of the police to determine — assuming they’re not too busy tracking down and arresting perpetrators of hateful online texts, that is.
And excuse me, but it is not the responsibility of the fairground operator to have security constantly patrolling the (locked) premises just in case a bunch of thrill-seeking, irresponsible punks happen to come calling.
I’m heartily sick of criminal behavior being excused because there weren’t a thousand warning signs posted or a security guard stationed at five-yard intervals just in case some scrote feels like breaking the law. A fence, a locked gate and a warning sign should be all that’s necessary to prevent you from accidentally getting hurt. After that, you’re on your own and if bad things happen it’s your fault, and your problem.
Some people, such as the above coroner, are no doubt going to disagree with me, but I don’t care. They’re wrong, and I’m right.
While she’s at it, Ms. Hepburn should also interview Charles Darwin.
What’s the old saying? “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes”
Interesting how whenever someone does something dumb, there always has to be a thorough investigation and then changes in policy to prevent figure stupidity.
How about this, let’s take all the warning labels off of everything. Then when people do stupid shit, show the results of the dumbass to everyone. Televise it.
Then, that way, most people will shape up. And the dumbasses will win Darwin awards.
Yup, all these stupid liberals believe in evolution (literally, Darwin) yet the moment someone wins a Darwin prize they get all upset. Agree, take all the warning labels off everything and maybe the average intelligence of the species will improve.
Nota bene – I’d probably be long dead except for some gratuitous luck at various stages of life, so maybe I’m not in a position to speak ill of Darwinian deaths.
In my opinion the only warning sign necessary is one along the lines of “Keep Out”, “Private Property”, or “No Trespassing”. Heed that sign and you’re guaranteed to not get hurt by anything inside.
I’m firmly in the “remove all warning labels and let nature take its course” camp.
If it isn’t yours, then don’t touch it. Don’t go on another person’s property without permission. I thought we all learned this by the age of 6.
JQ
K. Hepburn, Coroner????
Does she have that obnoxious Oxford accent?
These type of government desk fillers have an unbounded underestimation of the the intelligence and common-sense quotient of those they serve – almost to the point that it is a wonder that they don’t send all of their charges notices to REMEMBER TO BREATHE!
Ms…enough said.
Throw the bitch head first into the “superstar” machine.
“…there weren’t a thousand warning signs posted…”
and in the U.S. “…posted in a thousand different languages…”
Concur 100% Kim.
Why do these people always wish to deny Darwin what he’s due?
As another commenter pointed out – don’t trespass or mess with someone else’s property. Is it really that difficult to understand?
A busy-body coroner? Sounds like an old episode of Rumpole of the Bailey. Whose political future is she trying to enhance; or wreck?
I thought the coroners responsibility ended once they determined the correct and direct cause of death. Of course they should probably put the word out if its a plague. When I was a kid there was a campaign to not leave your keys in the car, some slogan about “keep a good kid from going bad” . Even as a kid I thought that was stupid- I had no business in someone else’s car. I grew up in Detroit and it wasnt till I was an adult that I found leaving keys in the car was a thing.
One of the things I most enjoyed about travelling in the former communist conquered countries of eastern Europe, especially Hungary, was the lack of ‘safety’ crap.
Here’s a decent google image of the Danube esplanade by the Parliament. https://tinyurl.com/z6sshxrh. It’s about a 10 foot drops to the rocks and/or a Danube in flood. Not a safety rail to be seen.
Hungarians have little patience for idiots.
nice picture. I never realized how much railings can spoil a view
JQ