<p>A 14 year old girl dies after taking a ride on a roller coaster at Disney Land Paris. </p>
<p><a href=“News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com”>News, Politics, Sports, Mail & Latest Headlines - AOL.com;
<p>Sure does put life into perspective knowing that even the most innocent activities can result in such travesties.</p>
<p>Travesties?</p>
<p>They’ll probably find out she had some kind of underlying, unknown heart defect or something like that.</p>
<p>Just like the kid who died after riding the Space Shuttle ride at Epcot in Orlando last year. </p>
<p>It is kind of scary to think you might have a ticking time bomb like that, just waiting to go off.</p>
<p>^^Wow, that was depressing.</p>
<p>Yeah, I realized after I submitted that post that I sound like “Debbie Downer.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, we could all have some underlying cardiac or neurological weakness that could result in a medical crisis at any time. I had a neighbor who went to work (age 38), got a headache and within an hour was permanently in a vegetative state due to a brain aneurysm. </p>
<p>These are things that cannot be prevented. I suppose we could live in a bubble and never go on a fast ride at an amusement park, or jog, or get excited and get our blood pressure up. But then, life would not be much fun, would it. The best we can do, is use reasonable precautions and live each day to the fullest.</p>
<p>Here’s our super depressing news of the day. 
:(</p>
<p>5 students who graduated last week from one of our local high schools killed in a crash last night. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/NEWS01/70627002[/url]”>http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070627/NEWS01/70627002</a></p>
<p>Weenie - very sad. I just heard an NPR story that said that majority of fatality accidents with 18-22 year olds occur when there are 3 or more kids in the car. Not that this was the cause in this sad case, but it makes sense that the driver is not paying attention to the fullest with a car full. I have told my D and S that they should not take a car full (they should take one passenger only) or that they should not go in a car filled with friends. The risks are too great. It was one of the reasons we allowed our kids to buy their own cars when they could afford it (with our help).</p>
<p>^ So true. To compound this particular disaster, 4 of their friends were following in a car and witnessed the accident. </p>
<p>I guess it’s yet another wake up call. It reminds me of the Allstate ad that says, “If 12 fully loaded jumbo jets crashed every year, something would be done about it.” Nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes, the ad continues, but the problem barely makes headlines. The tagline: “It’s time to make the world a safer place to drive.”</p>
<p>It’s pretty safe to drive. Teen drivers are the problem in most cases. The only cure is a higher age for driving and/or no driving after dark.</p>
<p>Weenie, that is a heart wrenching story. :(</p>
<p>Yeah, I think our whole city is in a state of shock. We’ve recently had just a terrible string of fatal accidents involving young people, too.</p>
<p>Anyway, sorry to hijack this thread! I just needed to vent.</p>
<p>One bad decision, irreversible results. </p>
<p>happens WAY too often. </p>
<p>I used to read these kinds of stories to my son (trying to make a subtle point). The fact that one moment can change everything. Time will tell if my points sunk in.</p>
<p>I know that it would not have sunk in with my son. I did the same thing as in post #13. The one thing that hit home, was a family’s devastation that he felt first hand when his college friend’s relative (age 16) died in a car accident. His friend left college for several days/week to attend the funeral and be with her family. That really hit home. It was so sad.</p>