"wrongful death" claimed due to no cell coverage in Daks

[chip]

"The Northway is a lonely stretch of highway, and here we have a certified EMT who couldn't save himself because his cellphone wouldn't work," Golden said. "His wife had to watch him die. It was a wrongful death."

Golden said he and state Sen. Betty Little (R-Queensbury) today will seek legislation calling for the immediate construction of cellphone towers to eliminate the Northway's 50-mile zone without coverage."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/01292007..._lenkowitz.htm

I'm sorry for the family's loss. I like when my phone works but it's not my default emergency and first aid kit.

[lumberzac]

FYI, the emergency phones that are placed along the Northway every 2-miles north of Lake George are now in working order. I don’t know if this would have helped this couple or not though.

[hawk]

Geez I wonder how many wrongful deaths there were before the inception of cell phones?

Perhaps one should look at the possibility that if the Lincoln Town car came with something like Norstar or what the GM cars carry, then it would not have happened either and they should sue Ford Motor Company for not having it as mandatory equipment on the Lincoln? Or maybe sue the state because if the whole Northway had guard rails, then the car wouldn't have gone off the road out of sight. Maybe they should sue the Border patrol for not preventing them from traveling since the weather was obviously so cold and dangerous. What about people who don't have cell phones if full service on the Northway is implemented? Should the state provide them for those people or would it be negligent if they were trapped in their car and could not call for help? Maybe we should pay a couple of million for a study to find out exactly how often an accident occurs where all occupants of the car are trapped, unable to get out, but ambulatory enough and conscious enough to dial a cell phone.

I don't care what or how many precautions you have in place for any given situation. Sometimes fate intervenes and stuff happens. It's just the way things are, and all the pseudo-intelligence of humanity and technology won't make a difference.

Personally, if they had a Lincoln Town car, then i don't think she's too strapped for cash. he was retired so there is no loss of income. His death will be cheapened by her attempt to make financial gain for it, the communications company using it to try to increase their coverage and profits and the politicians using it to suck up to the communications companies while claiming to be looking out for the welfare of it's citizens.

Of course, that's just my opinion.

[beverly]

Very sad story

I'm sorry that this tragic death occurred. It's a horrible accident. While it may be nice to have cell phone coverage over every square inch of the earth - it's not going to happen. Jeez - if my car went off into a ditch within a couple of miles from my house the same thing could happen to me. From the same article:

Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan said his group helped the state get permits in 2002 to build 32 new towers that would cover the Northway's dead zone.

He said a conglomerate of cellphone providers is blocking the plan - instead pushing for three 200-foot towers that could also provide service to towns near the highway.
Sheehan said that under that system, "there would still be a dead spot where these people went off the road."

Don't blame the environmentalists either:

The Adirondack Park Agency, which governs land use in the park, and environmental groups agreed in 2002 to install 33 towers, each about 40 feet tall, which they say would have eliminated the dead spots. But major cellphone companies declined to provide service, saying the towers were too small, Senator Little said.
John F. Sheehan, a spokesman for the Adirondack Council, an environmental group, said the companies did not go along with the plan because it was unprofitable, since it would not cover the communities on either side of the highway.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/ny...on&oref=slogin

[pete_hickey]

These are the scary kind of things that will destroy the wilderness. When it's in the interest of big businesses (lobby money), and they can market it as 'for your safety', it'll get a lot of support.

[hawk]

Email to Senator Little:

"In reference to your call for cell coverage on the Northway.
It is not the fault of the state, but the cellphone companies themselves:

"Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan said his group helped the state get permits in 2002 to build 32 new towers that would cover the Northway's dead zone.

He said a conglomerate of cellphone providers is blocking the plan - instead pushing for three 200-foot towers that could also provide service to towns near the highway.
Sheehan said that under that system, "there would still be a dead spot where these people went off the road."

The Adirondack Park Agency, which governs land use in the park, and environmental groups agreed in 2002 to install 33 towers, each about 40 feet tall, which they say would have eliminated the dead spots. But major cellphone companies declined to provide service, saying the towers were too small, Senator Little said.
John F. Sheehan, a spokesman for the Adirondack Council, an environmental group, said the companies did not go along with the plan because it was unprofitable, since it would not cover the communities on either side of the highway."

So if you really want to do something about it, beyond "politic", then how about legislation requiring cellular companies offering coverage in the populated area, to also provide coverage along the Northway in a way that fits in with the APA plans? They would still have a choice, cover all the Adirondacks or none of the Adirondacks.

[beverly]

Read the story

Personally, if they had a Lincoln Town car, then i don't think she's too strapped for cash. he was retired so there is no loss of income. His death will be cheapened by her attempt to make financial gain for it, the communications company using it to try to increase their coverage and profits and the politicians using it to suck up to the communications companies while claiming to be looking out for the welfare of it's citizens.
Of course, that's just my opinion.

Your opinion is uninformed and extremely insensitive. If you read the article - and remember it is the New York Post, after all - you would see that it was the politician claiming a 'wrongful death' and not the family. Why you would make such outrageous remarks, calling into question the financial status and motives of a family that was burying its dead father/husband is beyond me. You are cheapening his death by your comments. I'm sure they must be beside themselves with grief. I hope no one in the family sees your post and hope you will edit and delete it - as I would. Of course, that's just my opinion.

[hawk]

Your opinion is uninformed and extremely insensitive. If you read the article - and remember it is the New York Post, after all - you would see that it was the politician claiming a 'wrongful death' and not the family. Why you would make such outrageous remarks, calling into question the financial status and motives of a family that was burying its dead father/husband is beyond me. You are cheapening his death by your comments. I'm sure they must be beside themselves with grief. I hope no one in the family sees your post and hope you will edit and delete it - as I would. Of course, that's just my opinion.

I was referring to the story on the TV news which said that the "widow of the man who was killed in the crash was bringing a wrongful death suit" against the state.

I admit that I am often insensitive, and that I call things as I see them and that sometimes I am wrong. However at this point, if the news story is correct, then I stand by my comments. If I learn that it is incorrect, then I will apologize, I have done so in the past and I assume that I may have to do so in the future.

Incidently, I don't read the New York Post.

[Rivet]

FYI, the emergency phones that are placed along the Northway every 2-miles north of Lake George are now in working order. I don’t know if this would have helped this couple or not though.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/sto...date=1/29/2007

"Barbara Langer tried to summon help but couldn't get cellphone service. She and her husband were too injured to leave the car, and their vehicle was off the road and hidden by trees .... Barbara Langer had a broken back, her feet were frozen, and she sat helpless as she watched her husband die. She was listed in fair condition Sunday at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt."

[neighbor]

where's the hook????

with all due respect to the thread starter (although i've never met chip,i like who he is through his posts) and the rest of the fine folks here. this thread,I.M.H.O. has nothing to do with hiking.

[Neil]

with all due respect to the thread starter (although i've never met chip,i like who he is through his posts) and the rest of the fine folks here. this thread,I.M.H.O. has nothing to do with hiking.

Agreed and have moved thread to the miscellaneous forum.

[ElectricMan]

Perhaps if the Politicians, Environmentalists and Corporate America can just wait 10 more years the global satellite phone system will be up and running. Then they’ll (Cell Phone Companies) will have to find a use for all those towers littering the landscape.

My condolences to the family and friends of this couple.

[Rivet]

this thread,I.M.H.O. has nothing to do with hiking.

The presence of cell towers along the Northway corridor may have a negative visual impact from adjacent mountains (ex. East Dix).

[imarchant]

Irony

"The Northway is a lonely stretch of highway, and here we have a certified EMT who couldn't save himself because his cellphone wouldn't work," Golden said. "His wife had to watch him die. It was a wrongful death."

"My mother told me this morning that she was in such pain toward the end that she yelled out, 'God how much longer do I have to stay here? I can't last any longer,' " son Rueven Langner, 36, said last night.

"Within seconds of that, a cop yelled down to her, 'Are you OK down there?' That's the hand of God working."

Do you see something ironic about these two quotes from the article?

[beverly]

Eh

I am more than willing to discuss the issue of cell towers in the ADKs. I don't like the idea of ugly towers dotting the Adirondacks and agree that cell phone companies should be required to pay for smaller towers if they are put up, even if it costs them big bucks. But Hawk, your comments stink, regardless of whether the family sues or doesn't sue. You pick on a dead guy and his injured wife - who is in the hospital, unable to attend the funeral. You make a snide remark about them having a Lincoln Town Car, whether they need the cash and the uninformed opinion since he was was retired, he wasn't losing income. He was a retired volunteer EMT, heading back late to NYC so he could get to his job in the morning.

Those remarks were unnecessary and hurtful.

Family members remembered Mr. Langner, who worked for the state Department of Insurance, as dedicated, generous, deeply religious, and very private -- he disliked even appearing in photographs, they said.

They also described him as hard-working -- he had planned to go right to work as soon as he got home from the wedding.

"He was a very selfless person," son-in-law Bency Herbst said of Mr. Langner, recounting an old saying about using one hand for your self, another hand for someone else. "Both of his hands were for someone else.http://www.silive.com/news/advance/i...l=1&thispage=2

If the Mods don't delete the comments, maybe Chip had the right idea to delete the thread.