Leaving

[d-dog]

I've been thinking alot about the issue of leaving a BASE jumper's body behind after he has bounced. Since this is something I think all jumpers should be clear about when it comes to their regular jumping mates, I am glad that the issue has come up.

For me, my body isn't "me." Particularly after I'm dead, my body isn't me at all. Once I'm dead, what is left of "me" is the memories I've left behind, the actions I've taken that have changed the world (even a little bit), the wisdom I've imparted to my friends and family, and the good works I've left behind.

My body is just the molecules left after I'm gone. It isn't any more "me" than a pile of my crap is "me." Sorry to get too ontological and all that.

So, in a public way, here's my statement on the matter: I don't give a crap what you do with my body if I go in jumping. Please do check to see if I might be still alive and kickin' before heading out of dodge. However if I've done the final low pull then don't get your asses burned over my big carcass. Watch yourselves first, I'm already gone. . . just a memory. I'd appreciate it if you'd not, you know, piss on my body or something nasty like that. I mean, even I have my limits ;-)

Scatter my ashes off CP and around my property and off Monkey Face down at Smith. That's where I really "am."

Life is in the living. Once I'm done living, let others go on living and loving and smiling. If you want to do something to honor my memory, DO something and don't be fussing over my dead body. Plant a tree. Help out a struggling teenager. Save a forest. Feed a hungry family. Take care of a stray dog. DO something!

Others can (and do) feel differently. However, since it's my bag 'o guts in question here, I think it's ok for me to post my wishes here so nobody ever slags on my mates after I've bounced and they have made themselves scarce.

Peace,

D-d0g
ddog@wrinko.com
www.wrinko.com

ps: If I have video, take it with you insofar as doing so won't put you in jeopardy with the police. By all means sell it, and donate the profits to a good charity. Show anyone who can learn from the video what I did wrong, so they don't make the same mistake. As to my gear, I want the PDX crew to arm-wrestle for it and the winner gets it all ;-)

[guest]

Yo Dog,

Well said and to each his own, may I add my .02??

Don't touch the gear, but PLEASE PLEASE take the friggen camera (if there is one)!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all, on the rest of the issue, I feel the same as you, no need for my bros to stay in harms way if I'm gone, I'd rather them take off to the pub and toast all night! Later

[guest]

Who assumes responsibility for making a formal identification of the body? Would the police/ME contact next of kin or family based upon ID you may be carrying eg drivers licence. I would feel uncomfortable knowing my mum or girlfriend had to "look" at me following a BASE/skydiving accident. This isn't a criticism but just another tangle to work thru....
respect to LW's family and friends

[Yuri]

Yo !

I was going to wait a bit on this subject. Now that it's already out i would like to state the following publicly, hoping it will remain in the archives for a while:

In case i go in on illegal load and the death can be confirmed, i would like everyone to leave my body and make getting away clean your first priority. Notifying authorities and the family will be secondary. My family and friends are informed of this decision. Please understand that shall you elect to stay, or shall you coment publicly about those who leave, you will be disregarding my last wish.

If there is any video of the jump, i would like it to be seen by anyone interested. Shall the owner make a decision to sell it, please use your best judgement and negotiate the best price.

I invite everybody to make a statement on this subject, to help those who survive to get on with their lifes.

bsbd!

Yuri.

[Faber]

i Agre
Get the hell out of there but be sure that you cant get nailed by anything like video or so.

Have Fun

[460]

I concur completely.

However, for me, destroy the video.

-Chris

[guest]

I guess everyone has his own philosophy of what should be done and what you want done if it happens to you. I would prefer that my death not cause alot of legal problems for my friends. A sports accident is just that and nothing else. It is hard for outsiders to understand this. But is is not as simple as what we want or what we prefer.
In 1986 I was on a 500 foot tower in Garland, Tx. with a friend who towed his small pilot chute all the way in. The others wanted to leave so I told them to go and I stayed and dealt with the police. The police are not stupid. In a death they need to verify the cause of death. In other sports an accident is not usually followed by some type of coverup that is usually associated with a homicide. Witnesses to a death just don't disappear unless they are try to cover up something. Staying with the body should be your choice. Besides the fact that it is the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do. ANY attempt to cover up any aspect of the accident is going to cause the full wrath of the authorities to be directed at the other jumpers and ground crew. Touching the gear or moving the body is the worst thing you can do. The same is true with removing video, especially if you remove it from the corpse. Do you think the world is so small that anyone can leave the scene and not be found out. They will track down every person involved and cross examine everyone searching for discrepancies. The least little detail will cause a whole new round of questioning. The police will discover every little detail of what happened, including whether or not anyone has video of the incident.
I understand how we don't want our lives upset by an accident. We certainly don't want legal problems. But, as the old saying goes, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time." Unfortunately, this is what occurs when a death occurs in our sport. It's not fair, but don't compound the problem by doing something foolish. The only way to solve the resulting problems associated with a BASE fatality is for someone to deal with the police and cooperate fully.I know for many this is not a desirable option, but speak with anyone who has been involved in a fatality and I think you will see what I mean. One last word, staying with your fallen friend will do one more thing. You will feel better about yourself in the long run.

[Faber]

Sorry to here about your freind.I DO respectyour choice about staying.
But i also mean that leaving "me" woud be okay,and that they can take "the time",but why if they could get away whit it?
The only thing i would be a lithel sad about is that i then i maybe had ruined a great place to jump...
Faber

[imported_Tom Aiello]

I encourage everyone to read:

http://www.basejump.org/discus/

Click on Articles:The Pact

I know that Nick wrote this a couple of years ago, regarding a specific incident, and that some or all of it may not be relevant to this discussion. However, I found it a useful starting place for my own thoughts on the matter.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

When I go in, I’m sure that my friends will make their own decisions about what to do.

My last request is this:

PLEASE DO NOT CRITICIZE THE DECISIONS MADE ON THE GROUND AFTER THE ACCIDENT.

Everyone there will be stressed. I have no idea what decisions they will reach. The fact of the matter is that it is THEY, NOT I, who will have to deal with the consequences. It would be arrogant beyond words for me to try to reach my dead hand up out of my impact crater and twist their lives around in accordance with my wishes. I hope that each person there will make the right decisions for them, which will give them the most peaceful sleep that night. That may be different for each of them. But those decisions ought to be made by the people who will be most effected by them, not by some grease stain at the bottom of a crater.

Afterward they will each be dealing with the situation in their own ways. Please don’t make it any harder for them. They might be facing legal consequences. They might be doubting themselves. They might be guilt stricken. They might be grieving. I hope they're just planning a really good party. Whatever the case, they certainly don’t need other jumpers criticizing them.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[imported_Tom Aiello]

We seem very focused on the question: “What do I want done when I go in?”

Let me turn that question on its head.

What will I do when you go in?

1) If there is anyone else on the load, I will give them my gear, and ask them to clear out. If not, I will accept the fact that I may lose my gear.

2) If you had a camera, I will extract the tape. If there is a camera in working order at hand, I will record over the video of your impact—leaving just a normal jump, ending just before opening. If there is no camera at hand, I will destroy the entire tape. I will do this to avoid your family having to see the tape. I will attempt to similarly erase or destroy any other footage of your impact--my success might depend on our other friends, who may have that footage.

3) I will give our friends sufficient time to reach a safe distance, then I will call 911.

4) I will cooperate with the authorities in any way I can, except for giving the names of our friends on the load. I will explain my actions (such as erasing the tape, and not giving up our friends) to the police as rationally as possible.

5) I will attempt to contact your family before the authorities do (preferable from the site, while waiting for response to my 911 call). I will try to calm and reassure them, even if it means lying about your actions, or omitting things from the story.

6) I will never criticize the decisions that any of our friends made at the time of the accident.

7) I will face the consequences of my actions, including jail time, fines, and your ghost haunting me for disregarding your last wishes.

I will not do any of this based on what you did or did not want.

My actions will be taken to insure me the best sleep that night, and every night thereafter.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[guest]

Guys, I hate to piss on your parade here, but everything you post with your name on it _will_be dragged up by those deligent law dogs mentioned in one post... they will come to the BB and find your post, Tom, d-dog, et al, and use that to complete their investigation and have proof of intent to commit various crimes of concealment, etc regarding a death.

So for anyone else moved to pledge certain conduct after a death, tell your friends but leave it off the BB or it ain't gonna do nobody no good!

LB

[imported_Tom Aiello]

I would tell the authorities everything I've posted here, anyway.

So, if they're going to nail me for tampering with evidence or obstruction of justice, they're going to have my personal admission of guilt. I doubt they'll need to yank this thread and use it against me.

But thanks, I appreciate your concerns. And the warning is definitely still valid to anyone else thinking of posting.

Posts from this board could easily be used at trial, simply be reading the post and asking "Did you write this?"

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@mac.com

[guest]

What was that Spence?:+

[guest]

Leagle Beagle PLEASE TELL A STUPID SH!T LIKE ME HOW CAN THEY PROVE THAT THE PERSON WROTE THAT POST ,ANYONE CAN USE THERE COMPUTER THERE PASSWORD AND POST UNDER THERE NAME WOULD THAT REALY STAND UP IN COURT


BSBD feral :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(