Roughstuff

From a Utah Newspaper:

A Cache County teen is recovering after a water balloon prank almost turned deadly. It all started in North Logan with a group of kids in a pick-up truck tossing water balloons at oncoming cars.

The teenagers admit they were throwing balloons from the truck last Friday. One of the cars they hit belonged to 58-year-old Herman Forsberg.

Forsberg chased the boys and after losing them once, police say Forsberg spotted the boys and intended to talk with them.

The chase was on again and ended when the boys' vehicle rolled trapping 17-year-old Jason Christensen under the back of the truck.

The kids say Forsberg hit them, but Forsberg told police he was blinded by a water balloon.

“He says no I didn't bump them, I did hit them once...but it was after the fact…I was ballooned and couldn't see,” said Sgt. John Seamons of the North Park police department.

When contacted by 2News Herman Forsberg said he couldn't talk on the advice of his lawyer.

Jason Christensen is in critical condition with serious face and head injuries. He is expected to recover. Police have sent the case to the Cache County attorney for review.

Now its too bad that the truck overturning didn't wipe out all of the kids, but hey, its a start. I always like it when annoying, violent, or drunk drivers harm themselves before they harm others.

roughstuff

noisebeam

Sounds like a prank turned deadly because someone didn't like it and decided to take the response into their own hands, instead of reporting to the police.

Al

C Law

Who won exactly?

oboeguy

Riiight. I think it's wrong to take pleasure in someone's misfortune, but I totally understand the OP's point of view (hint: the police don't give a rats a55 in some places).

SadieKate

This is sad to hear. I was just up in the Cache Valley for the Little Red Riding Hood Century earlier this month. Other than one old guy racing around in his van (high speed left turn on OUR side of the road ), the drivers were incredibly courteous. Everyone was waving from their front yards and the ranch dogs were even restrained. It was a gorgeous ride and I would do it again. Fabulous riding area.

Sprocket Man

Heh, my thoughts exactly. The old guy will probably be paying a whole lot in attorney's fees defending himself in a civil suit. Noboby won.

konageezer

Victim's fault. Absolutely.

Wouldn't it have been a great prank if they were shooting at people with a paintball gun, and actually managed to kill somebody? Oh! Oh! Or shooting with a GUN! Prank-shooting. Oh, man. I can see THAT winning the AFV Grand Prize! Those wacky kids.

recursive

Eh, they deserved it.

Roughstuff

Maybe. But in civil suits the loser pays the winner's legal fees. Don't forget the kids will have legal bills on top of their medical bills as well.

But my point about 'winners' was far simpler. Some kids taunted a vehicle (bikes are vehicles in many peoples eyes, right? ) and they didn't get away with it. Sounds like a victory to me.

roughstuff

noisebeam

Bikes? Where in the story are there bikes? I thought kids were throwing water balloons from a truck at cars, hit a car and the driver of the car that was spashed chased them, started a chase resulting in a crash/roll over. Do folks here think it is such a terrible thing to throw water ballons that kids deserve the resulting injury? Sure water baloons can be more dangerous than one realizes (but we don't know relative speeds either), but what is all this response here about wanting these kids dead. Seems like a huge over reaction to a relatively harmless prank. Call the cops on kids like this, leave it up to them to decide if it deserves a response, but don't start a vehicular chase than not only endangers yourself and the chased, but all other vehicles, pedestrians and property.

Al

chemcycle

So, by your logic, every car accident should also be posted here in a cycling forum. Because, heck, cars and bike are both types of vehicles.....

And physical harm because of "taunting?" Hey, if the driver rolled the truck, well, sometimes that happens. But to say this is a "win" for anyone.........a little over the top.....

phinney

Sounds to me like kids goofing off throwing water balloons out of a pickup truck. A car driver getting a little over bent about it and ended up chasing the truck and colliding with it. The end result was the truck rolling over and a serious injury. The kids need some discipline and the car driver needs to lose his license.

noisebeam

Finally someone who sees this the way I do.

Al

Sprocket Man

Not true. In the US, if the defendant wins, the plaintiff is rarely held responsible for the defendants legal fees. Generally, this only occurs if the courts find that the plaintiff's claim was spurious. A civil case in this instance would not be spurious, as there is clear property damage and bodily injury.

Let's keep the topics in this forum bicycle-related.

Raiyn

Agreed this is between two cagers and best should have been put in Foo.