Some of you may have heard about the tragic accident involving a young Vancouver Canucks hockey player. Luc Bourdon was killed while riding his motorcycle near his home in New Brunswick. He was a brand new rider. I have no idea what kind of bike he was on and whether it was an appropriate bike for a person of his limited skill or not.
But what does bother me is how some people are turning this accident into a “this could have been prevented” rant. I’m a big fan of Scott Morrison, a sports writer for the Sun Media chain. However, his article today is unnecessary and rather pointless.
In the article, he suggests that Bourdon should never have taken the risk of riding a motorcycle. Often athletes have clauses in their contracts that forbid them from doing things like sky diving, etc. and perhaps motorcycling should be included in that list.
Is motorcycling dangerous? Perhaps. But should forbidding athletes from riding motorcycles be the answer to a tragic death? Of course not. How many other athletes ride motorcycles all the time without incident? Morrison even acknowledges that Bourdon could have died crossing the street. It was an accident. And no matter how much we try to protect ourselves, accidents will happen. It’s a fact of life.
Removing all risk from one’s life only does one thing: makes life rather boring.
Could this accident have been prevented? Perhaps. Some would argue that any accident could be prevented … that there really are no accidents. I don’t know if Bourdon took a rider’s safety course. I don’t know if he was riding a machine way beyond his experience. I don’t know if he was even at fault. But accidents happen. They are part of life.
Is Bourdon’s death a tragedy? Absolutely. Just as every accidental death is tragic to those who knew the individual. Should every other hockey player who rides a motorcycle give up their license as a result? It’s ridiculous to even suggest it.
