Like I said yesterday, I didn’t see the accident live and I didn’t really pay as much attention as some did to the aftermath either. But, less than a day after his tragic death, recriminations and accusations are flying thick and fast about Tomizawa’s death and the way that the situation was handles. For a start, it’s been said the the standard of marshalling was poor. I couldn’t see anything glaring, but, then again, marshalling in Europe does tend to resemble a Chinese fire drill sometimes. It was also stated by several people who saw the whole thing that the medical staff actually dropped the stretcher on which the poor rider was being carried, allowing him to hit the ground before they relocated him on the stretcher and continued to move him off the track. Again, I don’t know, but, if it is so, then something must surely be said about that and about duty of care.
Of far more concern is the allegatuon that the marshalls and medical staff knew that Shoya was dead as soon as they arrived at the scene but continued to act as if he wasn’t so that they could avoid the ludicrous situation in Italy which prevails if something like this happens.
Those with long memories will recall the lawsuits, claims and counter-claims that went on for many years after the death of Ayrton Senna in 1994. The car owners, the mechanics, the track owners, the officials, just abut anyone with even the vaguest connection with the incident were sued and charged with all manner of crimes (all were later exonerated, of course), all because the Italian law requires (apparently) that someone be found guilty of negligence if such a situation ever occurs. The concept of it being simply an accident does not, apparently, exist in Italian law.
So it has been said that, by falsley representing the rider as being still alive and having him declared dead at the local hospital, rather than at the track, the track officials and the organisers sought to avoid a similar situation. If this is so, and again, I’m not saying that it IS, just asking the question, then one would think that Tomizawa’s family might have a pretty good case against the organisers for not notifying them the moment they became aware that the rider could not be revived.
Questions have also been asked as to why the race was not stopped immediately the gravity of the accident became apparent. The explanation is directly linked to the above attempt (if it was so) to avoid a legal minefield. The organisers claim that they were only assured that the rider was dead many laps into the MotoGP race later in the programme.
Now, if you accept that the official time of death was sometime after he had been transported to hospital, then this hold water (legally, at least). But, if they already knew that the rider was dead and had his body moved off-site so that his death was not declared at the track, then this points to a callous disregard to the rider, to his family and friends and to all the other riders competing in the race.
Morally-speaking, I believe that the race should have been stopped anyway. I’m sure you have seen, I know I have, much less serious-looking accidents than this one that have brought out an immediate red flag.
In any event, it seems likely that some people are going to have some pretty hard questions to answer in the days that lie ahead.
Right on cue comes the news that the Italian authorities are investigating.
In other stuff, Melandri confirmed at Sterilgarda Yamaha WSBK as expected, Crutchlow at Tech III as expected, Brivio almost certain at Ducati alongside Rossi (big surprise, that)
