Luge Death

Dear Victor,

Who do you think is to blame for the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili on the luge course at the Winter Olympics?

Kyle N. - Centennial, CO

Dear Kyle,

I don't know. That's the honest answer. I've read what you read (in the press) and I've watched the video footage of the accident. It was an accident. It seems that the tragedy of an accident like this motivates people to look for a villain. Sometimes there is no villain. Stuff just happens. I suspect that is the case here.

Mr. Kumaritashvili is said to have phoned his father days earlier and told him that the course was dangerous and he was afraid of it. So it appears to me that the athlete recognized the risks and the danger. He could have withdrawn, and in hind sight, that would have been a wise move on his part. But he didn't. He decided to proceed with his participation. He decided he could handle the danger and that the risks were worth it. Now it is clear that he was wrong.

No doubt important lessons are learned when things like this happen. Instead of looking for blame, it might be more productive to forgive those who may have had a role to play, and pray for the hearts of the those involved to be sustained and healed through their grief. We can grieve with them, and comfort them, and honor the memory of the fallen. And we can do all of that without placing blame.