Smoke on the Water Poker Run 2007 has been canceled
05-06-2007, 02:42 PM
#71
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Location: Sarasota,FL & Saugatuck, MI
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it doesnt /shouldnt matter if its a brand new boat or 30 years old, if the driverjust bought his first boat or has been boating for 30 years. no amount of driver training testing or competency can or will change the fact that the safe operation of a vehicle lies with the person behinde the wheel.
as far the the promoter profiting, it is a charity run, but givin the time and effort that has to be put in to orginize such an event, there is no reason he shouldnt be compensated.
as far as the reposinibilty of the promoter.. say Im into mtn biking, I orginize a trail ride thru a park for a bunch of fellow bike riders. I tell you before the ride that its for fun, not a race.. everybody pedals off into the woods having a great time untill you decide your joe mtn bike racer and go barreling down a hill fster than your skill allow and hit a tree. now is that your fault or mine?? should I have inspected every single bike before the ride?? should I have had every rider take a written test before?? shhouldm I have taken every rider thru some obstacle course or something before hand to see if they could safely operate the bike?? should I have hired a bunch of physcologists to interview and anylize every rider before hand in order to exclude anyone with a personlity that might be inclined to ride over his head?? should I have put on a 4 day safe bike operating seminar before my 2 hour fun ride?? where do you draw the line ?? personally my line was drawn when I said it was a fun run, an orginized trail ride...I expect everyone that shows up to a bike ride to be able to ride a bike, and to be able to ride it in a safe and responsible manner.
as far the the promoter profiting, it is a charity run, but givin the time and effort that has to be put in to orginize such an event, there is no reason he shouldnt be compensated.
as far as the reposinibilty of the promoter.. say Im into mtn biking, I orginize a trail ride thru a park for a bunch of fellow bike riders. I tell you before the ride that its for fun, not a race.. everybody pedals off into the woods having a great time untill you decide your joe mtn bike racer and go barreling down a hill fster than your skill allow and hit a tree. now is that your fault or mine?? should I have inspected every single bike before the ride?? should I have had every rider take a written test before?? shhouldm I have taken every rider thru some obstacle course or something before hand to see if they could safely operate the bike?? should I have hired a bunch of physcologists to interview and anylize every rider before hand in order to exclude anyone with a personlity that might be inclined to ride over his head?? should I have put on a 4 day safe bike operating seminar before my 2 hour fun ride?? where do you draw the line ?? personally my line was drawn when I said it was a fun run, an orginized trail ride...I expect everyone that shows up to a bike ride to be able to ride a bike, and to be able to ride it in a safe and responsible manner.
I agree with you, BUT get the case in front a JURY, and you just never know.
That's probably why they're doing it. Juries are unpredictable, but might very well be persuaded by a clever lawyer that the organizers share some responsibility.
05-06-2007, 07:48 PM
#73
Registered
iTrader: (3)
its not really a jury issue..theres liability waivers..those dont keep you from being sued, they just keep you from loosing. whether you have a good defense or not it is very time consuming and expensive to defend yourself. they dont want to go to court anymore than pro does, but I guarantee they are settlement shopping.
05-06-2007, 07:58 PM
#74
Registered
it doesnt /shouldnt matter if its a brand new boat or 30 years old, if the driverjust bought his first boat or has been boating for 30 years. no amount of driver training testing or competency can or will change the fact that the safe operation of a vehicle lies with the person behinde the wheel.
as far the the promoter profiting, it is a charity run, but givin the time and effort that has to be put in to orginize such an event, there is no reason he shouldnt be compensated.
as far as the reposinibilty of the promoter.. say Im into mtn biking, I orginize a trail ride thru a park for a bunch of fellow bike riders. I tell you before the ride that its for fun, not a race.. everybody pedals off into the woods having a great time untill you decide your joe mtn bike racer and go barreling down a hill fster than your skill allow and hit a tree. now is that your fault or mine?? should I have inspected every single bike before the ride?? should I have had every rider take a written test before?? shhouldm I have taken every rider thru some obstacle course or something before hand to see if they could safely operate the bike?? should I have hired a bunch of physcologists to interview and anylize every rider before hand in order to exclude anyone with a personlity that might be inclined to ride over his head?? should I have put on a 4 day safe bike operating seminar before my 2 hour fun ride?? where do you draw the line ?? personally my line was drawn when I said it was a fun run, an orginized trail ride...I expect everyone that shows up to a bike ride to be able to ride a bike, and to be able to ride it in a safe and responsible manner.
as far the the promoter profiting, it is a charity run, but givin the time and effort that has to be put in to orginize such an event, there is no reason he shouldnt be compensated.
as far as the reposinibilty of the promoter.. say Im into mtn biking, I orginize a trail ride thru a park for a bunch of fellow bike riders. I tell you before the ride that its for fun, not a race.. everybody pedals off into the woods having a great time untill you decide your joe mtn bike racer and go barreling down a hill fster than your skill allow and hit a tree. now is that your fault or mine?? should I have inspected every single bike before the ride?? should I have had every rider take a written test before?? shhouldm I have taken every rider thru some obstacle course or something before hand to see if they could safely operate the bike?? should I have hired a bunch of physcologists to interview and anylize every rider before hand in order to exclude anyone with a personlity that might be inclined to ride over his head?? should I have put on a 4 day safe bike operating seminar before my 2 hour fun ride?? where do you draw the line ?? personally my line was drawn when I said it was a fun run, an orginized trail ride...I expect everyone that shows up to a bike ride to be able to ride a bike, and to be able to ride it in a safe and responsible manner.
This is funny because I AM a mountain biker...AND I've done a mountain bike Poker Run! But I didn't hit a tree.....that time.
mike
05-06-2007, 09:23 PM
#75
Due to the fact that there is ongoing litigation with respect to the deaths of two individuals at the 2005 Smoke on the Water poker Run event, it is with heavy hearts that PRO LLC is announcing that we will no longer be able to promote the Smoke on the Water Poker Run in Grand Haven, Michigan.
The lawyers representing the driver of the boat that was involved in the death of two people have now seen fit to sue PRO LLC and have made it financially no longer feasible for us to put on this event. PRO LLC had nothing to do with the operation of the boat that overturned but that apparently makes no difference to the attorneys who are suing our organization.
Because of the need for finding fault in a situation that clearly was an unintentional accident; the people that will suffer most are the children who benefited from this event. The faces of the Wish children as they enjoyed the day going on boat rides with us has been a very heart warming experience and the money raised at Friday nights auction for the kids will now all have to come to an end.
It is with heavy hearts that we have to end this wonderful event (at least temporarily) which had become the number one outside income producer for the Make- A- Wish Foundation of Michigan.
This legal action has resulted in depriving many Make- A Wish kids from their weekend in the sun. Additionally, it will deprive the Make-A-Wish of Michigan from tens of thousands of dollars to provide children living with terminal illnesses a chance at living out their wish before their lives are so sadly taken from them.
Our apologies to those who have already committed to attending or sponsoring our event, we have been working behind the scenes to resolve this. It did not look as if we were going to be dragged into this until recently when we received notice from the lawyers. As the date for the event comes closer we can not spend any more money hoping that this will be resolved. Multiple commitments and deposits are required of us to date to move blindly forward without knowing how this will all get settled.
To those that have already signed up or provided commitments as a sponsor;
If we have already accepted your payment it will be returned. If we have charged your credit card via your receiving your entry form it will be reimbursed.
Again, we have been working daily to resolve this, but the time has come that we needed to make a decision for the best of our sponsors, attendees, as well as our support suppliers and volunteers. Many of them take countless hours away from their work and family to help with this event.
Thanks to all that have supported us for the last 6 years and for donating close to $200,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.
Marc Blondin, Bob Luellen & staff
PRO LLC (Poker Runs Offshore)
The lawyers representing the driver of the boat that was involved in the death of two people have now seen fit to sue PRO LLC and have made it financially no longer feasible for us to put on this event. PRO LLC had nothing to do with the operation of the boat that overturned but that apparently makes no difference to the attorneys who are suing our organization.
Because of the need for finding fault in a situation that clearly was an unintentional accident; the people that will suffer most are the children who benefited from this event. The faces of the Wish children as they enjoyed the day going on boat rides with us has been a very heart warming experience and the money raised at Friday nights auction for the kids will now all have to come to an end.
It is with heavy hearts that we have to end this wonderful event (at least temporarily) which had become the number one outside income producer for the Make- A- Wish Foundation of Michigan.
This legal action has resulted in depriving many Make- A Wish kids from their weekend in the sun. Additionally, it will deprive the Make-A-Wish of Michigan from tens of thousands of dollars to provide children living with terminal illnesses a chance at living out their wish before their lives are so sadly taken from them.
Our apologies to those who have already committed to attending or sponsoring our event, we have been working behind the scenes to resolve this. It did not look as if we were going to be dragged into this until recently when we received notice from the lawyers. As the date for the event comes closer we can not spend any more money hoping that this will be resolved. Multiple commitments and deposits are required of us to date to move blindly forward without knowing how this will all get settled.
To those that have already signed up or provided commitments as a sponsor;
If we have already accepted your payment it will be returned. If we have charged your credit card via your receiving your entry form it will be reimbursed.
Again, we have been working daily to resolve this, but the time has come that we needed to make a decision for the best of our sponsors, attendees, as well as our support suppliers and volunteers. Many of them take countless hours away from their work and family to help with this event.
Thanks to all that have supported us for the last 6 years and for donating close to $200,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.
Marc Blondin, Bob Luellen & staff
PRO LLC (Poker Runs Offshore)
Marc,
Would any financial help make a difference? I would be willing to help with a donation and I'm sure we can raise some money. I would hate to see one of the most well known poker runs end because of some legal idiots!
Last edited by LubeJobs42; 05-06-2007 at 09:26 PM.
05-06-2007, 10:18 PM
#76
Registered
Its a shame....
One of the family's of the Texoma Labor Day poker run is going after both the estates, the insurance companies, and the Corp of Engineers for issuing the permit. Lawyer just gets to sit back and play the blame game.
I thought all that legal stuff flew out the window when I sign my life away.
One of the family's of the Texoma Labor Day poker run is going after both the estates, the insurance companies, and the Corp of Engineers for issuing the permit. Lawyer just gets to sit back and play the blame game.
I thought all that legal stuff flew out the window when I sign my life away.
05-06-2007, 11:10 PM
#77
Registered
Unfrigginbelievable
I heard this at the Ft Myer run and thought it could not be true. What a POS the driver must be. Beautiful day, flat lake and the azzhole makes a sharp turn and does not have the balls to assume the blame I really think this will start to have an effect on poker runs.
I have an idea, if the docks are still reserved all of us that love boating in that area should reserve one and have ourselves a fun run. We can throw some money in a pot for Make a wish, run a raffle and a 50 50 and raise a bit of money that way. Look how much Bob the Builder did on his charity fun run, he raised about $50,000 in a month.
Someone knows the drivers name and his address, I think we should out him here and start mailing him letters letting him know what we think, who knows maybe he will have a change of heart. I could ramble on for pages, I am so pizzed, bottom line is Marc, Bob, and Cherie DO NOT DESERVE this. My heart goes out to them, I know how hard they took the accident, and now they will be put through the ringer to defend themselves even though they did nothing wrong.
I heard this at the Ft Myer run and thought it could not be true. What a POS the driver must be. Beautiful day, flat lake and the azzhole makes a sharp turn and does not have the balls to assume the blame I really think this will start to have an effect on poker runs. I have an idea, if the docks are still reserved all of us that love boating in that area should reserve one and have ourselves a fun run. We can throw some money in a pot for Make a wish, run a raffle and a 50 50 and raise a bit of money that way. Look how much Bob the Builder did on his charity fun run, he raised about $50,000 in a month.
Someone knows the drivers name and his address, I think we should out him here and start mailing him letters letting him know what we think, who knows maybe he will have a change of heart. I could ramble on for pages, I am so pizzed, bottom line is Marc, Bob, and Cherie DO NOT DESERVE this. My heart goes out to them, I know how hard they took the accident, and now they will be put through the ringer to defend themselves even though they did nothing wrong.
Last edited by Ms PatriYacht; 05-07-2007 at 07:36 AM.
05-06-2007, 11:17 PM
#78
Registered
iTrader: (3)
I thought all that legal stuff flew out the window when I sign my life away.
05-07-2007, 04:58 AM
#79
Registered
At this stage it will be a matter of finding out in a court of law just how airtight the original release was written..
I'm with the sugestion an unofficial event be held to raise $$ for the kids..
I'm with the sugestion an unofficial event be held to raise $$ for the kids..
05-07-2007, 06:35 AM
#80
Registered
Thread Starter
This is from our DVD of the event that we put together two years ago i think it says it all
http://media.putfile.com/make-a-wish-
http://media.putfile.com/make-a-wish-
