Jumpers have just been dying to jump to their death in the Snake River. May I edit this comment? A jumper told me in a comment on this article that they jump to live. I get the point. It's almost like an epidemic. Why just this last weekend we had a jumper from Canada fall a bit too hard. He's still in an intensive care unit in Boise. The second, Shannon Dean age 34, a California lady, made a perfect swan dive into the Snake. She was dropping so fast that the water turned unfriendly. It was more like concrete than water. Darn! I hate it when that happens. She died. Should BASE jumpers be allowed to jump off Idaho bridges? It's a political thing here in Idaho. The cost of emergency rescues should be less than the increase in revenues to the business community of Twin Falls. With one death and four injuries, one requiring transfer to Boise, it has not been an unprofitable weekend. But may I add still another comment here from a base jumper. He says that most insurance covers emergency service but the life insurance is another thing. Every year, most all year, BASE jumpers in groups or just individuals gear up to jump off the Perrine or Hansen Bridge. They are not bungee jumpers. There is no supper rubber band to bounce them back up just before they hit the water or the shore. BASE jumpers use parachutes. They set up a tent to repack their parachutes and they jump and jump and jump. A short time ago a young man jumped 50 times in one day just to show the world he could do it. He had a very good team that knew all about packing parachutes. Most of those who are hurt or killed here die because of equipment or judgment errors. Either way, they are dead or injured. BASE stands for what these jumpers like to jump from. B is for buildings, E is for earth, A is for antennas and S is for spans like bridges. Most of these jumpers are skydivers too. They are BASE jumpers partly because it cost nothing to jump from one of our bridges. I might add that I had to make a correction here too. I didn't know what S stood for and I thought that B was certainly bridges. Wrong! Thanks to my commenter. BASE jumpers are safety minded. They will be drawing up new rules after they have determined what caused the death and injuries this weekend. More power to them! So back to the question: Should BASE jumpers be allowed to jump from Idaho bridges? Some say it should be against the law. Others say the government does not need to control every aspect of human life. It's like motorcycle helmets. Some states say that they must be worn if the motorcycle is moving. Other states think it is an infringement on personal rights to require that anyone wear a helmet. My son is a neurosurgeon. He says only an idiot would not wear a helmet while riding a Harley or other bike. Even BASE jumpers wear helmets. But should there be a law requiring helmets? You've been waiting for this. Here is what I say: States should require bikers to wear helmets and the states should require a comprehensive exam which makes sure that the rider knows the consequences of not wearing a helmet. Why, it's just like our seatbelt laws. As for making a law against BASE jumping I'm against it. Let these folks have their fun. They know the consequences. Just require them to have insurance to pay the medical and rescue bills. What? Nobody will insure them? Darn! Well, it was just a joke anyway about the insurance. I say, Let them jump and jump and jump. We love to watch them! copyright2006 John T. Jones, Ph.D. |
