Geez I wonder what was the last thing that went through their heads before they died?
The dashboard.
It’s not just you. “Jumbolair” sounds like a place where obese lions live.
This whole thing really is horrible. But the denial of the kids’ responsibility for the own deaths is almost bizzare.
From here: http://www.ocala.com/article/20080128/BREAKING_NEWS/553607284/1053/BREAKING_NEWS
Petite Samantha Hall had a special burden as she approached the podium at an evening memorial service…“Some of you may know me and some of you may not,” she said with a shakey voice. “I’m Josh’s girlfriend.” Joshua Ammirato, 18, was the driver of the BMW M5 that flew off the end of the Greystone airstrip, slammed into a large tree and burst into flames early, killing him and his four passengers…“I know you’re angry. But it’s not fair. It’s tragic. And it’s not his fault. Don’t blame it on him,” she said, crying.
Um, not his fault in what way? 
It was society! WE made him drive his car off a cliff! WE put the tree in his path! We built the Airstrip of Doom and even tempted him with the chance of meeting John Travolta.
He never had a chance. ::sad::
Would have been a nice job for the poor bastards called to the scene. My brother is a firefighter but he says the worst scene he ever attended was a light plane crash. The plane had plowed into a pine forest and all the occupants were thrown from the wreck. He said there were pieces of people scattered throughout the trees and chunks lying on the ground and the crows were already picking at them.
A lovely image I had forgotten about until I saw the OP.
Since when is Travolta 49? He’s gotta be at least five years older than that.
Anyway, jeez. I’m not going to condemn these guys, but “not his fault, not to blame”? It’s a mistake others have made, sure, some fatally as well, but it IS his fault if he was the one driving, and it’s all of their faults, if they were all okay with this. But maybe the reason people don’t accept blame is that people are so quick on the RO button.
I can remember being this stupid.
When I was about 16 I used to take my first car out to the only stretch of road around here long enough, get it up to about 100 mph, and lock up the brakes, just for fun.
It’s scary to see situations like this and realize how close I came to being the dumbshit on the news that died driving like an idiot. I think most of us probably have a few memories like that.
The driver of that car wasn’t so stupid as to think he could get into a crash like that and come out unharmed. For whatever reason, he thought he could maintain control of the car at that speed, just like I did. He thought the rules and the warnings didn’t apply to him, because he felt like he was really in control and a skilled driver. We need to figure out a way to make kids believe and understand that driving like that isn’t safe under any conditions. Simulators, cane beatings, something.
Also, I’d like a pony.
Rilchiam, if you’re referring to Travolta’s age as given in this story, notice it was published on 23-Nov-2004. And Travolta’s age was given incorrectly in that story, but only by a few months. Travolta was born on 2/18/54, so he actually would have been 50 at the time instead of 49, but given the date, it’s not incorrect by that much.
How about BMW…aren’t they responsible? They didn’t post a warning sign on the dash “WARNING- Driving this car at speeds over 100 MPH may expose occupants to grevious bodily harm”-I say SUE the bastards! Poor little Josh-he was such a sweet kid! :mad:
Brain no worky. What is the “RO button”?
RO = Recreational Outrage. It’s a term usually used in the Pit and it means getting worked up over a news story that is irrelevant to one’s life and has no effect on one personally. From the glossary , the definition is
The total lack of comprehension of where the fault lies here really is astounding. There is a very active discussion about the accident here . Comments get a little heated now and then, which understandable given the circumstances. But then…a person identifying herself as the sister of one of the dead boys decided to post.
In response to someone who pointed out all the traffic tickets and violations these kids had racked up,
“Nikki Shefchick” wrote:
"Fk you thats none of your fK business and just because you have no life you need too go kill your slefs…That was my brother in that car and his best friend…Just because u have no tickets since you probley drive like a old person…YOU F**king loser "
One woman asked her to watch her language and please show more respect. In response, she posted this:
*B**ch you dont want to mess with me…Belive me because if i find out where you live i will be sending my italian mob after your **** and u will no longer be liveing and you will die very very slowly and painfully and i will make sure of that… *
At first, I sure hoped that this wasn’t really a family member, but according to subsequent posts from other family members and friends, it looks like it actually is. “Nikki Shefchick” also has a facebook page, where she does state that she is the sister of Devon Hime, one of the passengers in the BMW.
I do realize that this is a huge tragedy for the communities but is this kind of mass hysteria/denial of the facts common in situations like these? Of course, no one wants to “speak ill of the dead”, but is agreeing that “yep, they had terrible driving records, should not have had or been driving an M5 and did a very, very stupid thing” all that bad? Why the refusal to even acknowledge that?
Same town…yesterday
[Link](Mom wants son, 13, arrested for taking her car)
OCALA - A 13-year-old boy who told a sheriff’s deputy he took his mother’s car keys from her purse while she was sleeping because he was late for school was arrested and charged with grand theft auto and driving without a valid driver’s license.
If only the parents of these beemer idiots had taken the keys away after all the dozens of tickets they had racked up together…
From that article: “About a decade ago, Travolta had a home in a fly-in community near Daytona, but was sued by neighbours who claimed his jet airplanes were too big and noisy for their facility.”
That’d be Spruce Creek. My grandfather used to live there as well. It was a strange place. My grandfather’s house had a garage and next to it, a hanger for his 7-seater airplane. You’d be at a stop sign in the neighborhood and see airplanes driving around. Travolta lived there at the same time my grandfather did, apparently, though I don’t think he ever met him.
Sadder still, THIS is the message Nikki left on the memorial page:
Devon Hime was my step brother and i am going to miss his crazy ass…Everytime we hung out we did it big when we went out on the weekeneds…Every summer we would go to Las Vegas and it was sooo much fun becuse devon loved meeting new people…and Smiley went with us a few times tooo…And we just had fun…It just sucks that i wasnt there to stop them from doing something sooo stupid to race just to show off your parents new car…I just wish they never got into the car…Since i know devon is really carefull about drinking and driveing because he gets mad at me when i would do it all the time…I just hope no one with go on that air streep ever again…Im praying for ya dev
Sounds like there was one too few people in the car. :rolleyes:
Her facebook page indicates that she’s 20 years old.
She admits that she got drunk and drove “all the time”?? This is the same person who told people to “go kill them slefs” when they pointed out that the boys may have crashed because they were drinking and driving? 
Then there are the spelling errors that make her sound like a 5th grader: “carefull” “driveing” “air streep”
I agree with fark; Florida really does deserve its own dumbass tag sometimes.
They could have had a shot at dispelling that urban legend.
And I hope that the tree wasn’t damaged too much.