Yes! The American Way! Sue Google Instead of Trusting Your Own Eyes!

I was wandering around the internet on Tuesday after Memorial Day when I came upon this article. Once again, I felt my blood rising to a boil as yet another American citizen, probably spurred on by a money-seeking ambulance chaser lawyer, tries to turn an irresponsible tragedy into a trip to the great American lottery.


Lauren Rosenberg, a California visitor to Park City, Utah, was struck by a vehicle while walking along State Route 224, which is a rural highway with no sidewalks. I have found no details of the incident to determine if Ms. Rosenberg was on or off the roadway when she was struck.

She is suing for damages, which is expected. However, she is suing Google because when she used the Google walking paths mobile phone application, the route suggestion did not warn her that pedestrian right-of-ways or sidewalks might not be present during all stages of her route.

So, when she arrived at State Route 224 instead of turning around or trying to find a safer route, she continues on in reckless disregard for her own safety.  Once again, a human being finds themselves victim to an unquestioning reliance upon technology, even when the manifest evidence before their eyes shows that such reliance is questionable at best and downright dangerous.

While drivers of motor vehicles have a responsibility to operate them in a safe manner, pedestrians are expected to stay out of the way of roadways which are not designed for foot traffic.  Her own eyes and wisdom should have warned her that State Route 224 was unsafe, but she willingly placed her own safety in jeopardy. She rolled the dice, and she lost.

I do not know the specifics of this incident. Was Ms. Rosenberg on the roadway when she was struck? Did Mr. Harwood, the vehicle's driver, maintain control and a safe lookout while he was driving?  Were there lapses in judgment or alertness on either or both parties?  Mr. Harwood stands at significant legal peril, but Google should be held blameless in this matter.  Users of Google maps, which is in my opinion an extraordinary tool of immense usefulness, should be expected to use discretion at all times.  Should Google maps present a suggested route that physical examination proves to be unsafe then by all means other routes should be considered. That's what being an adult is all about.

Retired Navy Pilot Highlights Danger of Old Age.

Read this: Article.

Virginian pilot John Pendergrast, a retired U.S. Naval Aviator, created havoc in the controlled airspace of John F. Kennedy airport when he wandered into the landing approach for runway 22L while trying to figure out where the heck he was.

He was trying to find Republic Airport in Long Island, while flying an home-built experimental Ryan RV-7A.

It is clear from maps provided of the blundering pilot's aerial escapades that he must have been flying under visual flight rules and mistook Long Island for Captree Bridge island, where he then intended to turn north.

Just like when a lost person drives a car, when that person finally realizes that they are lost, they often do crazy and unsafe things while driving that can create havoc for the others that are sharing the roadways.

What is extremely surprising is that as a former naval aviator (we don't know the type of aircraft he flew, could be anything from propeller cargo aircraft to high-speed jet fighters) he should be highly experienced with the use of navigational aids as well as communication protocols when flying through controlled airspace.

Could it be that Mr. Pendergrast is simply too old to be permitted to fly? How else do you explain the amateurish mistakes made by a man who likely has thousands of hours of flight time in highly controlled environments. To compound his error he circled through the approach lanes for JFK airport in an attempt to get his bearings. In doing so he forced controllers with whom he was NOT in communication to divert several aircraft and an Eva Boeing 747 had to abort a landing approach.

Fortunately, the NY police department sent a helicopter to guide him down to Republic Airport, where he was able to land his aircraft safely without further incident. What is likely to be much less fortunate is that I would expect that his pilot's license will be either revoked or he will be cited and heavily fined for essentially putting the lives of hundreds of people in serious jeopardy.

If you look at national statistics with regards to who causes car crashes, we find that the most common offenders are teenagers with very little time behind the wheel of a car. This is followed by elder citizens, who have lost the motor skills or eye-hand coordination to safely operate a car. It has been my opinion for a long time that anybody above 59 years of age should be required to take a driving test every two years. Remember: Driving a car or piloting an aircraft is a privilege, not a right. Unsafe drivers need to be taken off the streets or out of the air. The consequences are simply too tragic to ignore these statistics.