[Newsbot]

Title: Newborn dies days after crash at London, Ont., Costco store killed sister
Category: Misc CDN
Posted By: wildrosegirl
Date: 2014-08-02 14:59:03
Canadian

[wildrosegirl]

What a horrible thing to happen to this family. My heart just breaks for them.

[Jabberwalker]

It's a deep tragedy that isn't over yet.

It won't bring her babies back but I hope that the mother (if she makes it, herself) sues the living crap out of Costco.

Most big box stores have various types of bollards, planters, obstacles at the front to protect the building (and her inhabitants, hopefully) from run-away cars and smash-and-grab thief who crash stolen cars through the front at night to clean the place out (has happened a lot).

A car shouldn't be able to reach the lobby. That wouldn't likely happen in a Future Shop, for instance, who had to protect themselves from kamikaze thieves.

[wildrosegirl]

Suing won't do a thing. It's not their fault someone drove into the building.

If they do sue, it will force ALL retailers to do the same. Then apartment buildings will have to (they get crashed into as well), and then hotels (they've been smacked), and maybe residents will have to barricade their homes to avoid their insurance being void. Is it really worth it? No, it isn't. This was a freak thing.

It's a terrible tragedy and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but there's a reason we have the word "accident" in our language. Because they happen. This suing horseshit, is just that. It's gotten way out of hand, and most of the time, there's no point to it other than a money grab.

[Jabberwalker]

it is not reasonable to expect that you have to dodge cars from the parking lot inside the store. It is unusual that there is no barrier between the two. Take a look at a Big Box store. You can't physically drive into one, usually. The design of the store IS negligent but, you are right ... her babies do not come back.

As far as the "money grab" part goes, the extent of their injuries (two of them didn't make it. so far) suggests that they are seriously injured and you don't always get better from that.

[wildrosegirl]

I see your point, but we've bred a society that sues every time something bad happens in their life, and I simply think it's gotten completely out of hand. Obviously this tips the scales of "bad things" but still. I don't see it as filling any real purpose other than filling someone's pockets.

Might as well just take up a donation for them and save the court time.

[Brenda]

Costco should come up with a change here. They should add safety measures so cars don't kill you inside a Costco (It should actually be in the city bylaws...) and they should compensate the family so they do NOT have to carry any financial cost as well.

THEY can then sue the insurance company of the driver/owner of the car. None of it should be the family's problem.

[raydan]

Brenda Brenda:

Costco should come up with a change here. They should add safety measures so cars don't kill you inside a Costco (It should actually be in the city bylaws...) and they should compensate the family so they do NOT have to carry any financial cost as well.

THEY can then sue the insurance company of the driver/owner of the car. None of it should be the family's problem.

What say we add safety measures so cars can't kill you no matter where you are.

Erect barriers around everybody.

[Brenda]

You'd be surprised how often it happens. Seriously. What is wrong with putting a cement planter or 2 with flowers in front of a store? Far apart to easily maneuver your cart, but close enough together that a normal sized car doesn't kill you?

What's wrong with this?

[raydan]

Sure this is tragedy, and I feel for the family and friends. But you can't stop all accidents. It's not a tragedy because of the way it happened, it's a tragedy because of the result. The mother could have been driving her own car and through inattention, left the road and hit a tree, with the same result... and same tragedy.

[Brenda]

But that DIDN'T happen. LOTS of stores have barriers.
I don't think it is that big of a deal to put that in the bylaws. They put planters on street corners so you don't cut the corner...

[wildrosegirl]

raydan raydan:

Sure this is tragedy, and I feel for the family and friends. But you can't stop all accidents. It's not a tragedy because of the way it happened, it's a tragedy because of the result. The mother could have been driving her own car and through inattention, left the road and hit a tree, with the same result... and same tragedy.

I agree. Bad things happen. Accept it and move on.

[Jabberwalker]

It's really poor architecture to not have some sort of a physical barrier between a parking lot and the insides of a store. You won't see many Big Box stores that allow it, anymore. it is a security issue for the store on several levels. If it were a spent satellite crashing through the roof, well, yes that is a freak accident and you can't design for every contingency. There is nothing freakish about this accident. I'm aware of a good half dozen of these in recent years around here and it is VERY possible that a driver can lose control in a parking lot (or anywhere else) for a long list of reasons. You can fix a store front like that for low thousands of dollars. I will bet that it is no longer possible to drive a car into the insides of that Costco in London, anymore. It would have been fixed in a couple of days, probably. I'm aware of retrofits like that to early big box store after thieves took stolen cars, rammed them through store fronts and ran off with mega dollars worth of electronics, all in a few minutes. It doesn't happen anymore as it would be part of most architectural specs to prevent that obvious vulnerability.

[raydan]

Brenda Brenda:

But that DIDN'T happen. LOTS of stores have barriers.
I don't think it is that big of a deal to put that in the bylaws. They put planters on street corners so you don't cut the corner...

But when will it stop?

When a car goes through a store wall and kills somebody, we'll want reinforced walls.
When someone gets run over and killed in the parking lot, we'll build pedestrian tunnels.
When someone get hit and killed on the sidewalk, we'll want barricades along all sidewalks.
When someone hits a tree and is killed, we'll chop down all trees next to roads.

[Jabberwalker]

I agree. Bad things happen. Accept it and move on.

You don't know what kind of condition the survivors may be in. The woman who had the emergency C-section ... that had the baby did not survive the trauma, neither did the daughter and the survivors are still in serious condition ... may have been pinned to the wall by this vehicle. If it's a little boo-boo well accept the death of two of your children and move on, indeed. For all you know, she lost three limbs in this accident. We have no idea either way but for sure, they were SERIOUSLY hurt.