Fellow Geocacher Dies While Hunting For Cach

[+Mopar]

There is now a video link on the local media page covering the story. There is also a "have you heard about geocaching" story. I think we will need to host some Geocaching 101 events in January (assuming we can still get those things approved).

Link to video

[+WAAS-up]

oops, looks like I forgot the link:

 

WOAI.com

[+cachew nut]

Thanks for the link, WAAS-up

[+Kelly_Jernigan]

Yep, just like the media, "A deadly game" looks like they don't understand at all....... again!!!!!!!! A deadly game is what woai called it. So, i guess if someone had a heart attack on the couch when watching woai, they could be called a deadly news team. Then we could say ( you could die from watching WOAI ) It's nonsense, I just hope and pray that the family knows he died doing something fun, something he liked. And not in a car driving to work, or sitting at home doing nothing. He died happy!!!!!!!!! And we all will get to cache with him agian, in God's back yard!!!!!!!!!!

 

see ya!!!

[+WAAS-up]

Yep, just like the media, "A deadly game"

I'm guessing the person who made up the graphics for the titles decided to shorten the tag line "a game turns deadly" (which is true in this case) to "Deadly Game." The reporter(s) never said "Deadly Game" only you have to be careful, know the risks, and be prepared (which is also true). I think they did a decent job with their reporting.

Edited December 14, 2004 by WAAS-up

[+SamLowrey]

What a shame.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Yep, just like the media, "A deadly game" looks like they don't understand at all....... again!!!!!!!! A deadly game is what woai called it. So, i guess if someone had a heart attack on the couch when watching woai, they could be called a deadly news team. Then we could say ( you could die from watching WOAI ) It's nonsense, I just hope and pray that the family knows he died doing something fun, something he liked. And not in a car driving to work, or sitting at home doing nothing. He died happy!!!!!!!!! And we all will get to cache with him agian, in God's back yard!!!!!!!!!!

 

see ya!!!

When does the media ever understand anything?

[+LthrWrk]

I read that article. Yep dramatic headline for sure. That is how all media get noticed. The body of the article is fairly accurate.. at least he got the link correct. In general, though tragic event, an informative article IF his everyday readers get past the headline.

 

Personally I dont think 'scavenger hunt' defines or identifies what geocaching is about.

[+Mopar]

Thanks for the link, WAAS-up

Yea thanks, woulda never known where to look otherwise.

[+Divine]

Thanks for the link, WAAS-up

Yea thanks, woulda never known where to look otherwise.

We all love you too. :D

[+Kelly_Jernigan]

I still say the headline was wrote that way and said that way. But yes, once you hear or read the report, it's not bad at all, but shows the sport in a good light. You just have to get hast the headline. And that is what i'am saying, they could of put game turns deadly, or game goes wrong.

 

And i'am sorry for being so to the media, but My self and others ride atv's and we watched the media help put us down and show only the bad people riding and not us who do it just to be out in the woods.

 

It just would of been nice to see something nice on the news, not death....

Edited December 14, 2004 by Kelly_Jernigan

[+Eckington]

I hope I speak for all UK geocachers when I send our respects and condolences to Mr Chamberlaine's family.

 

Eckington, UK admin

[+strikeforce1]

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family, relatives, and geofriends.

Yes, we are saddened to hear of the mishap.

 

Hope you find that granddaddy cache. on the other side.

 

Our deepest sympathy to the family. SF1

[Deego]

I would like to pass on my deepest sympathy to the family as well

[+CookCrew]

Just a thought... Any local cachers have an address for the funeral home so we all could send some cards?

[+sTeamTraen]

Of course, driving any distance to a cache probably carries a far higher risk of death than looking for the cache itself; but the media more or less ignores 40,000 road deaths a year in North America, or 6,000 in France, or 3,500 in the UK, unless a sufficient number occur simultaneously in a big pile-up to make it worth worrying people about.

 

Or, to put it another way:

Man dies in car crash -> not news

Man dies in car crash on way to go Geocaching -> not news (who knows what he was going to do ?)

Man dies of heart attack while Geocaching, paramedics called, fail to revive him -> not news

Man dies of heart attack while Geocaching, then falls into ravine, thus giving the slight possibility that he might have fallen spectacularly to his death, Hollywood-style, screaming as he went -> hold the front page, film at 11, Barbie-doll "reporters" look concerned, then cut to Willard the Wacky Weatherman, but first, please buy XYZ brand dog chow.

 

The first one happens all the time; the second and third have undoubtedly happened several times; but the fourth gets the media slavering. It's sad... about all we can do is to watch less TV news and buy fewer tabloids.

 

PS: This is not intended in any way to belittle this unfortunate man's death or his family's loss.

[+Sparrowhawk]

Interesting. A while back, I was in contact with the first geocacher, Dave Ulmer, in an email conversation. He was ambivalent about geocaching at the time because he was afraid that someone would someday die or get seriously hurt doing this, and that would mean folks would blame him for starting the whole thing and thus causing that.

 

I emailed back some comment something like that no one blames who-ever put a race car on a race track for the first time for race car deaths, or who-ever invented skiiing, etc. for broken legs or getting caught in avalanches. Forgot what examples I actually used but it was something like that. Never did hear back from him on that comment.

[+briansnat]

The first one happens all the time; the second and third have undoubtedly happened several times; but the fourth gets the media slavering.

 

There have been several other deaths (two that I know of) that occured while geocaching and none seemed to get this much attention.

[+CO Admin]

For the sake of the family and this persons memory can we let this thread fade away now?

[+Divine]

For the sake of the family and this persons memory can we let this thread fade away now?

Close it, then. I'm sure we all feel for the loss. Apparently this kind of incidents raise discussion.