Woman disfigured in park disc golf incident

[Kodachrome]

does anybody else think that part of the reason those parks were installed was because it was during a time when "disc golf" was more considered "frisbee golf"? i mean it still is, but i think there may be a general lack of education about the sport that leads people to think we are out there throwing slow moving discs that have blunt edges.

 

[JC17393]

does anybody else think that part of the reason those parks were installed was because it was during a time when "disc golf" was more considered "frisbee golf"? i mean it still is, but i think there may be a general lack of education about the sport that leads people to think we are out there throwing slow moving discs that have blunt edges.

This course was built in 2005. If it was built with the notion that everyone was throwing true Frisbees, then no one with any knowledge of the sport was consulted. I find that hard to believe. Even if the idea originated from a park employee with no background in the game, someone is going to do a little research and probably reach out for help from somewhere before a basket is purchased, let alone put in the ground.

But let's assume for a second that it was installed with the expectation of people playing with lids. That was going on nine years ago. Somewhere in the last nine years, someone would have noticed that no one was using lids and stepped in to re-assess things.

It was installed with full knowledge of what the sport and equipment were, by people who'd played the game before. My guess is they just never accounted for the newbs, chuckers, etc who would have no regard for public safety and very little control over their discs. They just assumed that everyone playing the course would be good enough and conscientious enough to avoid issues. That's a bad assumption to make with a park course with this much visibility and shared access.

 

[Kodachrome]

i guess ignorance by one party is no worse than the other party in terms of the end result, but it's frustrating that people wouldn't see or would overlook the obvious problems either way. i looked at the pictures of the course and clearly they had to be off in another world somewhere if they thought this would never happen.

 

[Aim For The Chains]

i guess ignorance by one party is no worse than the other party in terms of the end result, but it's frustrating that people wouldn't see or would overlook the obvious problems either way. i looked at the pictures of the course and clearly they had to be off in another world somewhere if they thought this would never happen.

There is also a video featuring the park on youtube which mentions the nice pavilion shelter can be rented out or great for picnics etc with a DG basket right behind it and the sidewalk.....:wall:

 

[elmexdela]

i kind of want to see pics of her face...what has the internet turned me into to

 

[ndole]

People need to be more careful. It's one thing to be confident that you won't hit a tree or other obstacle. But if you are dealing with another person, don't take the chances and just wait or tell them to nicely to move.

 

[Halcón]

People need to be more careful. It's one thing to be confident that you won't hit a tree or other obstacle. But if you are dealing with another person, don't take the chances and just wait or tell them to nicely to move.

This was my gut reaction too. The bottom line is that the course should have never been installed in the first place.

 

[bfowler]

That course is an accident waiting to happen. Based on the article there have been numerous complaints about people being hit by discs. This means the park knew about it and did nothing. If she's got even a bad lawyer she'll win and win big. The best thing the city can do is take out the course and cut a deal with victim.

Losing almost complete vision in one of your eyes is being disfigured. I would say that's a pretty big deal and the article didn't seem to be sensationalistic.

 

[scarpfish]

To me, the first thing that a parks department with no DG experience should be shown is a Speed 13 driver. The second thing they should be shown is some teen or twenty something with less than six months playing experience throwing it to show what can happen.

 

[JC17393]

People need to be more careful. It's one thing to be confident that you won't hit a tree or other obstacle. But if you are dealing with another person, don't take the chances and just wait or tell them to nicely to move.

The really unfortunate thing is that the people who need to heed this advice are never going to see it. I'd bet good money that whoever threw the disc that hit this woman is not the type to go researching the game on a site like this or any other. He/she is a chucker who doesn't really care about the sport as a whole, and probably can't tell you the difference between a Groove and an Aviar.

 

[jonespongpilot]

prob a salient promethius thrown on a hyza bomb

 

[pmorgan1214]

To me, the first thing that a parks department with no DG experience should be shown is a Speed 13 driver. The second thing they should be shown is some teen or twenty something with less than six months playing experience throwing it to show what can happen.

completely agree. you have teens that have only played a few times winging their discs as fast they can and no accuracy or anything. they are stupid for putting a disc golf course in the park where there is no space. :wall::wall:

 

[bobmcnelly]

Not good for disc golf.

 

[MC McMic]

Give the "derp noobs and chuckers!" comments a rest. It's a matter of a terrible course combined with a lack of common sense. Even the newest player has the ability to discern between a potentially dangerous situation and when it's safe to throw.

If you honestly think that you're so good at disc golf that this could never happen to you, you should reconsider. You shouldn't be throwing when there's someone anywhere near your line period... no matter how accurate you may be. Even a 0.01% chance of hitting someone with a disc is too high.

 

[ndole]

I just now looked at the course. Holy cow, looks like they just stuck baskets in the middle of a tiny park. And who would e throwing a driver for any of those holes?! That's a one-disc course, maybe 2. Just grab a putter or maybe mid. Oh my gosh.

 

[DavidSauls]

Interestingly, there was recently a long thread about a different course, which some experienced players pronounced extremely dangerous to the public, in their reviews and forum posts. The designer was defending it with mocking references to "death and decimation" and worries about "little Timmy getting stitches".

For some reason, it comes back to mind now.

 

[ru4por]

She should consider herself lucky. A disc golfer could have hit her with a motor-home instead.

 

[Old Dog]

Crappy course layout, lack of patience and or common sense and poor situational awareness. D Golfer should have warned the other park users of his intent to throw and too watch out or he should have skipped the hole. Maybe the other park users should not have set up camp so close to an active DG target. Would they stand around in the outfield of a ballfield during a game or while someone was taking batting practice? Why do we see it so often on DG courses? I think a little mutual respect from both golfers and other park users is in order.

Very unfortunate incident. The woman may be permanently blinded and disc golfers may loose a course. Sucks for everyone.

Let's lean from this and not make the same mistake.

 

[JC17393]

Give the "derp noobs and chuckers!" comments a rest. It's a matter of a terrible course combined with a lack of common sense. Even the newest player has the ability to discern between a potentially dangerous situation and when it's safe to throw.

If you honestly think that you're so good at disc golf that this could never happen to you, you should reconsider. You shouldn't be throwing when there's someone anywhere near your line period... no matter how accurate you may be. Even a 0.01% chance of hitting someone with a disc is too high.

I absolutely positively can say this will never happen to me, because I know enough to not even attempt to throw if I might endanger a passerby. I will skip a hole or even leave the course entirely before I try to play through a busy park like that.

The reason I think it's most likely a "chucker" to blame is because in my experience, those are the people who will throw without any regard to who might be in the way, be they other golfers or non-golfing passersby.

That doesn't excuse the poor decision to put the course there in the first place, though. The woman is suing the city and the parks department and she's likely going to win...rightly so. However, even a poorly laid out and unsafe design can be played responsibly by responsible players. I'd bet most of the people who play in that park fit that category, particularly the ones that recommend playing before 9am or not on weekends. The idiots who hit this lady probably don't fit into that category.

 

[banknwank]

im gonna go hang out in a hyzer death zone and get paid biaches! in ball golf, the player assumes all responsibility for personal or property damage. the park getting sued is simply a matter of going after the deepest pockets. lawyers are scum. you could loose an eye, or suffer serious injury from many activities in a public park. and allowing people to sue the city over it is the mental retardation that plagues this nation. we participate in one of the most dangerous activities on earth every day, commuting to work. should we not allow people to drive on the streets or sue the city or state every time someone gets hurt? :thmbdown: you may want to see if your homeowners insurance covers something like this, cause it could be u in court and not the city. maybe a good reason to not put your name and number on your disc. if you park it in someones forehead, just run! not funny i know....... and it sucks someone got hurt in this accident.