As the remnants of Hurricane Wilma slammed New England the last couple of days, most of us hunkered down and rode it out. My main problem was a few unplanned lane-changes on the highway from severe crosswinds.
But the storm — a real “nor’easter” — was a bit harsher on our seacoast. Smart people took precautions. Average people toughed it out. The rest suffered a bit.
And one particular fellow died.
At the height of the storm, with high winds, 20-foot waves, and cold rains, 23-year-old Tony Gigliotti got good and hammered at a party, then decided it was a splendid opportunity to go body-surfing. So he ventured out into the dark, into 53-degree ocean water, and decided to test himself against Mother Nature. In cases like this, Mother Nature rarely loses.
Not every stupid decision will get you killed. Lord knows I’ve had my share of close calls, when I found myself shaking afterwards and wondering “what the HELL was I thinking?” But every single one of them can be.
But where was FEMA?
J, if you’re nominating that guy for a Darwin Award, I second.
Proof that Mother Nature corrects her mistakes.
I second McGehee’s nomination.
I third it.
That’s okay, he can probably still vote in the Mass ’06 elections anyway.
I can’t believe nobody said the ultimate words……It’s Bush’s fault!
Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can’t help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity. -Heinlein
I am sorry to hear that about you guys in that area. What was that guy thinking trying to go body surfing during that time. No one tried to stop him?
Audrey D.
Latest on Hurricane Katrina investigation here:
The Plan: Levees of New Orleans, Book II, Update 6.
Audrey,
He had two buddies out there body surfing with him… and the Coast Guard launched rescue teams; risking their lives trying to find the idiot.
Having just returned from vacation in Mazatlan, I can verify that drinking and bodysurfing can be dangerous… receding tides along with wind-whipped waves 6-8 ft made for dicey bodysurfing…
One of our crew literally couldn’t move from the rip, we had to drag him out. Of course, celebratory margaritas were shared afterwards!
I love it when the gene pool gets a bit more pure after events like these.
Now thats being stuck on stupid.
Too bad. This guy was only a couple of years away from the “risk assessment” function in his brain being activated.
“A completely foreseeable tragedy”
Seriously, I thought another Miers reaction. Hey, Florida, hurricanes happen. Prepare better for them. guess what, it rains where I live. Yea. We put something on top of our house called a “roof”