What is Digg?119 Comments
- spidoman, on 10/12/2007, -8/+88This is a prime example of how short sighted thinking "Oh it won't cause any harm" types of crimes can have very dangerous effects.
- converge, on 10/12/2007, -5/+54Amazing how such a small occurrence can lead to disastrous events.
- flypcide, on 10/12/2007, -15/+51amightywind = moron
- akifbayram, on 10/12/2007, -5/+28wow. thats getting really annoying.
- alf86, on 10/12/2007, -2/+25"Ah, that explains why he removed his trousers before descending into a rugged box canyon."
One of the last stages of hypothermia can cause an erroneous feeling of being overheated. That is likely the reason Kim removed much of his clothing. It may have been that he was just feeling too hot, or that he knew getting overheated could lead to sweating and a higher likelihood of hypothermia (not realizing he already had it). - trunkster, on 10/12/2007, -17/+34It was involuntary manslaughter then. Not that they can catch the person but I hope whoever did it won't do it again and they will have to live with this guilt for rest of their life.
I was really wondering why the hell they didn't close that road down or at least put up a sign during the winter. And it was open THE night they went down that road, man that just is horrible. ... I hope James didn't cut it... - turpenine, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17@wileydavis
his crime was not knowing wilderness survival skills? jerk. - alf86, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13The pilot who found the wife and children said he specifically checked that road because it is commonly mistaken as the main road. Apparently it is actually wider than the main road at that point and more of a fork than an actual turn. The gate is likely there, partly, because of this common mistake.
- sully213, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18You're missing the point. If the gate wasn't opened (illegally) then they couldn't have taken that road.
- yocheo, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14I'm not defending the actions of that guy either but for you to say that he should be charged for involuntary man slaughter is wrong. You have no idea why whoever broke the lock did it, you never know he may even have a legit reason (which I doubt). If I were him though, I don't know how I would go on living, and I'm sure I'd regret those actions every day of my life. The fact remains that at some point in time we've all done things that have turned out tragic, and in some instances we could never even imagine the consequences those actions would cause. I truly feel sorry for the Kim family and I hope the guy can someday gather up enough courage to apologize, but I'd have to admit...even doing that would be a formidable challenge.
Bless James soul. - max420, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11This entire series of events is really very tragic. One thing I've noticed though, is that events like this take place almost every year, but I've never seen one covered in so much detail. That makes these events no less tragic, but why are the countless other people lost in such circumstances simply ignored?
Well, I think the fact that this on line community probably all new of James Kim from his days on the screen savers, as well more recently on cnet.
Again I am not trying to be offensive or anything, I just think it interesting that this man's tragedy is so much more prevalent. - Disodium, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12"the rule of 3"
i thought it was 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food - klawz, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12quote
He passed multiple signs warning that the road was likely impassable
/quote
Did you miss the part where it was snowing so hard, that he had to open his door just to see? I guess if it's snowing that much, you'd not be able to see a freaking sign, that's why they have gates. - AeroZeppelin, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Does it matter who the guy is?
- heavensblade23, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15Just when you thought this story couldn't get any sadder.... :(
- tobyjoe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10"Who is/was this dude? and Why do we care about him so much?"
A fellow geek working hard for a good life getting stuck in a bad situation, taking noble actions, and dying as a result... Why would that appeal to Digg readers... I have no idea. I can't piece it together...
Most folks here, were they stuck in a car with their families after making a wrong turn, would surely troll and blame, roll their eyes and blame say their families supported a "nanny state" for wishing they could be rescued. - centinall, on 10/12/2007, -8/+16not that i'm defending the actions, but it might have been opened by someone that thought it would be fun to off-road in the snow or go hunting.
- crystalphoenix, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12True, but they never would've been able to venture down that road had the gate still been locked.
- chriskzoo, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Also, had James gone down that other road it was ~1 mile to that lodge, which was stocked with food! Tragic.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -8/+15thats like saying "if the car hadn't been invented the kims couldn't have taken the trip"
just because an opportunity presents itsself doesn't mean you have to take it, and everyone is honestly scapegoating the 'vandal' - Smoktiludy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8James had an extra pair of pants with him. They said they found him 'fully-clothed floating on his back in shallow water.'
You need to stop with these stupid remarks, please. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8It was a dirt road, in the mountains of the pacific northwest. You obviously don't live here. It's impossible to gate off and close down every random dirt road leading into the mountains here.
- Gemini25RB, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8From what I understand, it wasn't 10 miles in the wrong direction, it was 10 miles in a rough circle around the vehicle.
Oh, and Cell phones weren't working out there. Onstar relies on the cell network. GPS does you little good by itself. Even with it, all he could really have done is go in a straight path or something. - timewaster, on 10/12/2007, -40/+46I don't know if this has anything to do with amightywind's comment or not, but if James Kim had just known the rule of 3: 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 hours without shelter, it wouldn't have come to what ended as an unfortunate event.They would've been found eventually had he just stayed with his family. Even if the scoundrel did open the blocked path, I can't blame him for James demise. Sorry, digg down now....
- Xageroth, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Right, because I'm sure the vandal specifically traveled to that location to cut that specific lock knowing it would cause something horrible to happen.
- psygnisfive, on 10/12/2007, -9/+14Damn Vandals, they give the Gothic tribes a bad name!
- wileydavis, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11He didn't commit a crime, he just made mistakes. And people should recognize that, i think. I live in Montana, and it is amazing how many people drive up here totally unprepared. I'm not saying he's an idiot, but you can't deny that he was unprepared. And having blankets and food in ones car for snow travel is not "survival skills" it's common sense.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Tragic though his story is, and heroic thought his attempt was...anyone who knows the pacific northwest would NEVER drive up any unkown dirt road this close to winter. And this goes doubly for people who spend most of their lives in cities.
James Kim died because of some very unfortunate decisions that he and his wife made, not because some guy opened a gate. - tsunamisteve, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6@ alf
or he was using packed clothes and not the clothes he was wearing. remember, they were on a trip so they probably had extra clothes. - mzwaterski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4By GPS, I'm sure he meant a navigational GPS...
- TheWorm, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I feel really bad for James Kim and his family, but I don't think you can entirely blame the lock being cut. Going up that logging road, in Oregon, in the winter, with 2 small children was not using good judgement.
- Sasabune, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@ imcompa
I think the bear would have something to say about that. Though you'd end up in the bear alright. - nepawoods, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Kim was verbally warned not to take Bear Camp Road, that it was not used this time of year, and might be impassable. He ignored the warning, then ignored at least three roadside signs saying the road might be impassable due to snowdrifts (at 28, 10, and 6 miles ahead). He came to a place where he got stuck, used a lot of gas getting unstuck, and had to back down the road in reverse. All this BEFORE he turned up the logging road that was allegedly opened by a vandal. And now the alleged vandal is to blame.
- jerbaker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Signs were missed due to heavy snow. Kati indicated that at times James had to drive with his head out the window."
Well, then obviously continuing to drive was the right thing to do. WTF? - microtopian, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5to all those who say that it's his fault for not knowing the survival skills or common sense and what not... how many of you guys who said that actually knew about the 3-3-3 survival rules before reading about this on digg...? instead of berating the guy and trying to be prideful about how "i know how to do this and that and he doesn't" ... we can all learn something from this tragedy...
rip james kim. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -12/+15they didn't get lost because the gate was open, they got lost because they took that road
putting the blame on anyone else is just wrong - filovirus, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7Was the gate ever locked? Perhaps it was left open by the forest service/logging company and now they are covering their collective asses with the vandal story.
- jonesin, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9You'd think a tech editor for one of the leading tech publications would have had a GPS unit, Onstar, and a satellite phone..
Or at least sense enough to realize that Grant's Pass is NOT the kind of place you want to drive through in winter time.
So I dunno, was it bad luck? Or was it stupidity? - wileydavis, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5No. People should remember not to drive in the snow without being prepared.
- The_Dude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Naw, he just spent his dough on mp3 players and cameras. Check out his cnet profile page. A Sony GPS unit was on his wish list.
- chriskzoo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4They had food for a few days - there was enough food in that lodge to last them through the winter, if needed, according to the owner.
- HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2In my experience, when you get out to the boonies, they don't bother locking the gates across roads. Why? Because there's almost no one to keep out. And of the 10 people who might actually show up to get on that road, almost all of them actually DO want to be on that road, because there's something they're going to inspect (or poach or whatever) on that road.
I wouldn't be surprised if that gate was never locked and those responsible knew it.
But anyway, it doesn't matter much. Kim messed up, badly. Everyone talks about how much he loved his family so much he set out into the snow for them. He didn't love his family enough to return to the main road when he missed the turnoff a ways back. He didn't love his family enough to just wait out the storm in town. He didn't love his family enough to have winter weather gear in the car. Basically, he didn't love his family enough to take steps to ensure their safety, instead he valued getting there on time more.
This is a tragic story of a family who made a string of really bad decisions and paid the price for it. I'm sorry for their loss. But the rest of us would do well to learn the right things from this. And it isn't "bring a GPS". It isn't "don't use mapquest in the Winter". It's to take nature's fury seriously, and that perhaps losing a day waiting out the storm is the smart thing to do. - dannighe, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I live in Wisconsin, and I know how many people get caught out in the cold unprepared. I know what Wiley was talking about, and can't disagree with him.
- Progression, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5"Your dad is a hero. Your dad is a great, kind man. He will always love you very much," said a handmade card written in a child's scrawl, signed by "Malia."
After all is said and done, people should remember quotes like this one. R.I.P. James Kim. - wileydavis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2From the Adventure Watch site posted above:
"The previous post was written primarily as a response to the words of Greg Hastings who was quoted in many news stories saying that, “James Kim did nothing wrong.” Such a claim is untrue and sets a dangerous precedent because it gives ordinary folks the impression that what happened to the Kims was a freak accident, something they couldn’t have avoided. For a safety professional like Hastings to say that is, I believe, quite irresponsible."
I agree. - jmchez, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2
After the "Donner Party" disaster it was noticed that in that and similar situations almost all of the men die or suffer from terrible frostbite while almost all of the women survive. The reason is because, invariably, the men attempt to wander off to seek help and rescue. Just as invariably all they succeed in doing is dying.
I've lived in New York City all of my adult life but every winter whenever I drive to the Adirondacks, Vermont or New Hampshire I pack my car trunk with a shovel, a sleeping bag, a five gallon jug of water and a small box of energy bars and canned spaghetti. That's because my car broke down once on a deserted road in Vermont in the middle of summer. I had water and candy bars then but it took like four hours (no cell phones back then) for a car to pass by. My only thought was that if it had been winter no cars would have gone by for days and I could have died.
As a man whose job was reporting on the latest gadgets, I am astounded that he didn't carry a GPS unit with him. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this is a prime example of a scapegoat. the vandal could well have been a poacher, but the fact remains that they personally didn't cause another person to ignore a warning from a local person, and then to further ignore several warning signs they encountered on their ill-prepared and ill-fated journey
lets not turn a tragedy into a drama, people. ***** happens. this is the product of more than one mistake - hipdad, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4The geek/Internet community shows its ugly side again. Postings of a racist viewpoint, what James Kim should have done, what the rescue people should have done and last but not least, somebody is to blame for this tragedy. I am not saying that I myself haven't thought of many what ifs etc... My point is this. James has passed away doing what he thought best to try and save his family from a tragic turn of events. He died an honorable man, Does it really matter who did what at this point in time? Will it bring James back? No.
- irishgurrl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My heart goes out to the Kim family. Like most people I prayed for them all, and cried when James didn't make it - but he did make bad decisions....and that is what caused him to lose his life. They were warned verbally and by signs on the road and they were extremely foolhardy - the vandals played a part in the story (if they exist) but the main reasons for this tragedy were that James and Kati made incredibly bad decisions...
The thing that is slowly killing my sympathy now is the way that cnet and Kim family and friends are now trying to use the tragedy to get money out of people's sympathy. They are even talking about setting up a college fund for his girls. Well that makes me sick quite frankly. Yes - it's a tragedy two girls lost their daddy, but their are people in the world that could use that money more than the middle class, boutique owning kim family. - HappyScrappy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I completely agree. I expected a retraction of that comment. Kim did a lot of things wrong, and an expert saying he didn't might give a lot of other people the wrong impression and lead them to lose their lives tragically too.
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