Sasquatch

I’ve seen Sasquatch.

For years I thought Bigfoot was a fable, but now know he is real. Who’d a thunk he lives in New York?

On October 6 a stretch limousine ran amok in Schoharie, New York, killing two pedestrians, 17 passengers and its driver. Despite the fact that this happened months ago in view of numerous bystanders, and the wrecked vehicle was quickly impounded by state authorities, we still have no firm idea what caused this tragedy. That means there is no progress toward preventing another like it.

Blame Bigfoot. In this case he looks a lot like the Schoharie County District Attorney, the New York DOT, and the New York State Police. “Bigfooting” is a term sometimes used when enforcement agencies stomp on other authorities who have shared jurisdiction. It can be a turf war, but often it’s an effort to hide something embarrassing. Could that be the case here?

The NTSB is tasked with investigating accidents with an eye to preventing future similar tragedies and has sent a strongly worded letter to the Schoharie County District Attorney.

Boiled down, they’re upset that they haven’t had access to either the vehicle or many of the records the State Police gathered in their criminal probe. NTSB altered their normal procedures in order not to compromise that investigation.

Judging by the sharp tone of the letter, NTSB fears evidence will be compromised with time, and feels they’re being stonewalled.

I agree. Tragedy often results in renewed efforts to add regulation. A measure of that is both well intentioned, and effective. Sadly, politicians often enact additional laws designed to make them look good, but rarely improving safety, and perhaps detrimental, by diverting scant resources. Costly to the “good guys” but dodged by the bad guys.

Color me paranoid, but in this case, we have a disaster with no calls for more regulation. That seems suspicious. Golly, have the politicians and bureaucrats matured?

It’s more likely that Bigfoot’s investigation uncovered substantial violations of existing rules that either slid under regulatory radar or were ignored. No need for new laws here, when we can just disregard the old ones. Acknowledging any of this would be mortifying, so “nothing to see here folks”.

The New York Post has picked up on this*.  It will be fascinating to see where it goes.

A tiny percentage of commercial vehicle accidents are caused by mechanical problems, yet every time there is tragedy, regulators call for more inspections. Here we have one of those rare instances where mechanical issues likely contributed to the death of 20 people.

The silence is deafening. According the NTSB attorney, the Schoharie DA claims they’re “too busy” to provide key information.

The limousine company’s manager has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. If it turns out that regulators were derelict, either because they did a sloppy job or deliberately turned a blind eye, will they be charged? Or seriously disciplined? Wanna bet?

As an industry we will be far better served by a few well-constructed rules thoughtfully enforced  than by reacting to every catastrophe by adding layers of poorly conceived casuistry. (A big word to impress you, it has to do with taking general principles and trying to specifically rule on every possible alternative.)

Those layers confuse and oppress honorable people, and often diminish respect for authority. The bad guys ignore, or dance around them.

Let’s hope that Bigfoot gives NTSB what they need to prevent future deaths.

Meanwhile, it feels good to have confirmed Sasquatch’s existence, and it’s time to move on. I’m hoping to sight a real live mermaid.

*  ( https://nypost.com/2018/12/20/local-da-stalls-probe-into-deadly-upstate-ny-limo-crash/amp/  )

Share this post