Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old luger from the Republic of Georgia, was killed in a horrifying accident Friday, while participating in a practice run on the luge track. The accident and his untimely death prompted Olympic officials to investigate the safety of the track, delaying further practice runs and potentially the event itself. Their findings? Fast and frightening track, YES. Responsible for the death of a luger, NO!
Kumaritashvili crashed within sight of the finish line, coming out of the 16th turn and slamming into an unpadded steel pole while traveling nearly 90 mph. Despite frantic attempts by paramedics to save his life, he died at a trauma center.
Concerns about the lightning-fast course had been raised for months. There were worries that the $100 million-plus venue was too technically difficult, and that there was a lack of significant practice time by everyone but the host nation’s sliders, which some predicted would result in a rash of accidents. But the International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympic officials said their investigation showed that the crash was the result of human error and that “there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track.”
As a precaution, officials modified the luge track at the curve where the crash happened to prevent the possibility of another fatal accident, including raising the walls at the exit of curve 16 and changing the “ice profile.” The starting point for the men was also moved farther down the track to prevent reaching dangerous speeds prior to the finish line.
The Olympics and particularly the luge event proceeded as scheduled.
