ccm Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Having watched the Senior race last Friday with my fella I now feel sick to the stomach having just found out about the 'traumatised' spectators. Ourselves and the hundreds if not thousands who were at the Creg, waiting for what seemed an enternity for the parade lap to start, wondering what was going on when the bus came into view. I heard the cheering from up the road and assumed , as had many others, that those on the bus had something to do with the TT. Never would we have guessed that they'd just witnessed something truly horrific. Everybody at the Creg waved their programmes and clapped and cheered as the bus came past. I've just learnt about the bus and its passengers now (although I believe something was mentioned in the papers) and while at first I felt ashamed of my actions and those around me, I now feel anger that we weren't told what was happening. What those poor people on the bus must have felt when they heard and saw the cheering is beyond my comprehension. I appreciate that the full facts can't be announced immediately but if we'd been given some warning then this wouldn't have happened. No announcement about what happened until AFTER the Parade lap stinks in my book as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemonday Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I understand how you feel but it's not your fault. You weren't to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speckled Frost Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Feel free to vent some anger on here but I can't help feeling it was just one of those things. No one can be blamed for cheering when they had no idea what was going on but alerting spectators in order to provide some decorum was hardly at the top of anyone's agenda at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccm Posted June 13, 2007 Author Share Posted June 13, 2007 Well let's hope some lessons have been learnt then. I still have mixed feeling over whether something should've been said before the Parade lap. The authorities knew there'd been fatalities and it was almost two hours before the parade lap got underway. I feel certain that if there hadn't been a Parade lap scheduled then we'd have known sooner what had happened Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrotlima Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 ccm, you weren't to know. The actual details of what happened came out long after what you witnessed. I am sure that nobody involved feels badly, because there would have been an almighty backlash if they had, which I am sure would have made the press/forums/word of mouth. The people you saw come through on the bus may have been traumatised, but I am sure on reflection, there would have been and undercurrent of 'But for the grace of God go I' I will go out on a limb to say that the announcement was made after the Parade lap so that the NOK could be informed of what had happened before it hit the press. Don't beat yourself up over it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Sausages Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Fatal accidents and the TT races are inextricably linked. If you watch the races, there's an almost 100% chance you're going to see someone who'll die that week, possibly that hour, and you'll see the people affected by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cret Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Have to admit ccm that I probably would have felt bad about that too had I been in your shoes, but as others have pointed out there's no way you would have known. I'm sure that anyone on the bus who might have seen people waving like that realises that no-one would have known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.K. Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 Shit happens.... You move on because you have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dooahhdoo Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I'm sure that anyone on the bus who might have seen people waving like that realises that no-one would have known. Quoted for truth. I myself gave the bus a round of applause as it passed the Creg not knowing what had happened. I am sure they feel as Crets post that we did not know what was happening at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I can understand you feeling pretty awful, but I would suspect that the people on the bus were oblivious to what was going on outside. If anyone did notice the waving and cheering, I am sure it wouldn't have crossed their minds that you could have been behaving without feeling. Funnily enough, quite often when people are at their most vulnerable, they are often more forgiving/ignorant of others', apparently, inappropriate reactions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinahand Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 I am really stuck how to get my feelings down about this TT. As the enquiries report etc there may be other oportunities to debate the issues, but I do feel that that their is a wider debate than just accident reports and coroners courts. I don't think there is any issue when the crowds, oblivious to what has happened, enjoying the sunshine and the atmosphere, waved at a bus. Though I respect ccm for admiting that when he found out people had died, suddenly this was a bigger and more important issue than motorbike racing. For me this links into the attitude *some* people have towards the TT - those who think it must carry on no matter what - those who think practicing is more important than getting a body to a morgue, or that a parade lap is more important than getting traumatized people off the course. I am not saying all fans are like this, or even most, but I do think there are some, and their numbers aren't insignificant - it is their attitude that most disturbs me about the TT. Deaths, serious accidents - its all acceptable, they (whoever they are - racers, spectators, marshals) knew the risk, the racing must carry on. I do wonder what would have been the reaction of some fans had they been informed that 3 people were dead, that tramatized people were been brought down off the course and that a decision had been taken to stop the parade etc? I feel certain that some people would have complained, probably been angry, jeered an booed as the announcement came over the tannoy. "Why are they stopping the racing? It's not necessary.etc" I really want to debate that - and try to understand that attitude. The fact is I can't discount that reaction from *some* fans. I wish I could but I can't and hence this post. My feelings are that some people believe that the TT must carry on no matter what - deaths, trauma, carnage - must be ignored - the victims would have wanted the racing to continue. I just can't be that confident. I seriously worry that a proper investigation might be compromised by trying to hurry things on. I worry that if a similar had happened when the roads were open the accident investigation would have taken a lot lot longer. Two ordinary members of the public died in this accident. Albert Tatlock rants about death to the nanny state to much applause. I feel more for the people who died and ensuring we learn as much as possible to stop similar tragedies happening again in the future. I hope that the Police and Health and Safety Inspectorate are fully satisfied with their investigations and didn't feel hurried. I would like that question to be specifically asked and answered, because if they weren't and were pressured to hurry things cos its TT100 and the Parade must go on I think it would be a terrible inditement of the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThieBane Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Also - just a quick note to correct something. The bus wasn't there because the spectators were traumatised, the bus was laid on to take away witnesses to give evidence. I'm sure that everyone on the bus was extremely traumatised by what they'd seen, but there seems to be a rumour persisting that they were carted away for their own good. They were taken away by the police to give statements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 It's not the fans who make the decision for the racing, practise or in this case the parade lap to continue, it's the organisors. So I'm not so sure why you're aiming your topic at the fans? I think had the parade lap been delayed/cancelled people would have accepted it, there's not much else to do but accept it. Some people may be selfish and complain but that would happen in a lot of similar situations that the TT, some people just don't think any further than themselves. I think not telling anyone before the parade lap was the right thing to do, purely because there's too much involved to just flippently announce such a thing over the tannoy. Perhaps they could have found a more discrete route off the course for the bus to travel but with everything going on it was a higher priority to care for those who were traumatised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 Also - just a quick note to correct something. The bus wasn't there because the spectators were traumatised, the bus was laid on to take away witnesses to give evidence. I'm sure that everyone on the bus was extremely traumatised by what they'd seen, but there seems to be a rumour persisting that they were carted away for their own good. They were taken away by the police to give statements. It's better to keep rumors to yourself unless you know the actual facts, especially in this sort of situation. What good does it do passing such a comment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ai_Droid Posted June 14, 2007 Share Posted June 14, 2007 It's better to keep rumors to yourself unless you know the actual facts, especially in this sort of situation. What good does it do passing such a comment? The newspaper reports said they were giving evidence and receiving counselling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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