As a builder, I used to be accused of "over building" - I am now 74 years old, and no longer build. It was, and has always been my intention that anything I build/built was to last for more than just one lifetime. This video is difficult for me to fathom - other than for the reality that nowadays such things seem almost commonplace.
I was in fire restoration, so I saw first hand what doing something half-assed or having unqualified people doing any kind of construction, so I can relate. I was accused of being too hard to deal with, or too hard on my subs. I didn't care, I'm rebuilding this house one time and it was going to be done the right way. I think we would have worked well together zen.
One of the best things about UA-cam is that it allows us in other countries to learn about each other. I’m very sorry to all the parents & siblings of these young people. I can’t even imagine.
Very true. I almost clicked on another video but decided to continue watching. CAVE CREEK disaster in NZ was news to me. It made me feel real emotional connection with the victims. It had real villian's and heroes and everything in between. Live changing in a small way. Since most of us lead very mundane lives here in America to pause briefly and educate ourselves in these emotionally charged tragedies can strengthen our inner spirit while making us aware we share a collective consciousness. Sorry I am rambling on a little
This is such a good comment. I’m learning so much about other places, peoples, times, and history. My son struggled in school. He has ADHD. He’s got a head full of knowledge and history. He said UA-cam was his greatest teacher. I believe it.
Oh I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling at school, hopefully now there is more understanding of the condition he can hopefully get some help and start to enjoy school more.. But I was terrible at school myself I’m sure he will turn out to be a fine young man with the help of a loving mum like yourself...❤
@@Roscoe.P.Coldchainsadly the U.K. is a wasteland devoid of help for children whether physical or mentally. My granddaughter starts secondary school in September, she’ll enter those doors just as she entered the doors of infant school if not worse. She was promised assessments for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia but none was forthcoming. In between of course we had the covid problem!
He has to teach every-day kids about the structural flaws because it was every-day people who built that platform. If there's even a chance any of them might be involved in any similar construction, he has to know he taught them how to spot and avoid such flaws. It's all about saving future lives.
@@megatuanis Except the man who built it wasn't even in construction. He was an auto mechanic and general lackey who should never been given the job ever and should have refused it.
This isn’t difficult. Anyone with a reasonable level of intelligence would know you would need qualified professionals to design and build a viewing platform which protrudes over a cliff edge. The person who made the decision not to use qualified people to perform these tasks is wholly to blame. Systems don’t construct things, people do.
@@JB-dk3qc a woman might have wanted it but back then in nz it would have been men building it. 2 stints living in nz - its engineering isn't top end & it remains one of the most dangerous places to do any crazy sport stuff - its virtually unregulated & if something goes wrong they won't treat you without signing a waiver of responsibility. watching legals re volcano situ with great interest.
These parents are the most graceful people I’ve ever seen. They’ve experienced the most heartbreaking loss a parent can have, then had the pain magnified by the governments lack of actions afterwards.
I am from the US and this is the first time I have ever heard of this incident. What a tragedy. This poor group of young people had their entire lives snatched from them, and noone was deemed responsible? This makes me sick.
Pffff they where responsible .Don’t you understand your actually referring to who is to blame not who is responsible, and it’s not about fault pointing fingers and blaming , it’s about learning from the choices whe make all of us. That is our responsibility all of us and that is how it is.
@@linvt9891 Are you ignorant or what? The definition of responsibility is,,,,,, "being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed for it." Fact is the process of law starts from the top down not from the bottom up. Oddly the Judge in this case was biased either by a Political affiliation or by a bribe or both.
This is a lesson in common sense and nobody involved had any WTF 18 people on this little fucking half ass deck all 18 people were completely stupid 🙄 they should be given medals for their stupidity
I remember this like it was yesterday. I lived with 8 of these people in the student hostel in Greymouth. I didnt have a lot to do with some of them but others made a big impression on me. They were outdoor students so they were full of life. I vividly remember the shock and hearing the choppers going back and forward all day from the site to the hospital. Seems hard to believe it will soon be 25 years. I went to the 20-year memorial service in Greymouth. Times were very different back then, people need to remember that. I even ended up working for DOC for six years. After 1995, DOC's structure was drastically remodelled to reduce this risk, however in circa 2011, its was remodelled again to remove some of those changes (increased centralisation) which in my view had the potential to again increase risk. The "systemic failure" argument would have been pushed at the time as at that time a Govt department was immune from prosecution (that has since changed). Many of them were just kids - forever young. This many years later and this is still very hard to watch.
Holy moly. You mean to tell me these people built a PUBLIC platform more carelessly than a child's construction set, and they Got Away With It???? Oh, lord. Bless the hearts of the family and friends who still have to endure this horrific event in some way. This should have NEVER been allowed to happen! Unbelievable!!
I know zero about construction or motors. Even I know you can't hang a porch on to a deadly cliff by nails. It would have been stronger tied to trees....
@PeRFeCT IMPeRFeCTiON Agree it should have also been chained to anchors set back in concreate and the support beams bolted to a foundation, and / or redesigned so that the platform minimised leverage forces i.e triangle shape and secured. More so the design should have had an engineer evaluate before construction and an inspection after completion.
@PeRFeCT IMPeRFeCTiON I remember when it happened and as a long term and active tramper it left me stunned for ages. I still see this sort of neglect for example in NZ rail pedestrian crossings compared to Aust. Such (NZ) are shocking and deadly and the application of money would solve it but no one cares - thanks for you reply.
I dunno... Knowing nothing about construction I wouldn't put a viewing platform anywhere near the edge of a cliff- let alone hanging off it. There's a reason they're cliffs to begin with, and that's because land has fallen away. As time goes on, the cliff is only going to be weathered more.
@@Stopthisrightnow560 This is why you should conduct a risk / consequence analysis before doing anything like this. What is the risk of failure lets say medium worst case. What is the consequence if it does fail - catastrophic, therefore we need to cover test and have every angle checked. If you build a loo on the track the worst that can happen is the door falls off not much need for analysis. A cater leaved platform over a cliff edge should have been engineered. If the risk is high and consequence is high then think of something else or don't do it.
@Smurves But not one of them took personal responsibility. I'm sure they felt bad bad for their part, but could justify and disperse culpability and suffered no tangible loss. The parents lost their children. That grief would be insurmountable and life changing - a void carried and felt every day of their lives. I don't think it's comparable.
Ridogg81 i think most of this hangs on van dyke and the govt. Some of those guys are probably pretty messed up about it. I doubt he is, thats for sure. Really a crazy and sad story, shite
Gary Reed said it best, you don't get on it or get over it, you just get used to it. Today would be my son's 32nd Birthday, the 15th since we lost him in an accident. A parent and even a sibling must learn to breathe in and breathe out every minute until you learn to do it without the loved one you lost. 💔😇
I built houses for years, and I can't believe it didn't fall the first time the builders went out on it and had their picture taken. If no one was held responsible, that's screwed up. But the builders and the guy the drew the plans, as well as the guy who gave the job of engineering the platform to the guy who was a auto mechanic, he as well as all the aforementioned should have been held responsible. and the government agency should have been on the hook for damages to the families.
It's the person/persons responsible for the final inspection who should be held accountable. I've also been building houses for years, and I would've immediately sounded the alarm loudly had it been my job to give the final thumbs up, as would ANYONE with any legitimate building knowledge.
I've just got to the bit where they describe how the platform was designed and built. I'm gobsmacked. It's almost like they treated it as some weekend DIY project with the lads. It's too absurd for words.
Exactly. Even going out on that ledge themselves and taking a pic, or just Leaving it without counterweights, and the counterweight guy going out there a year later and just going "I don't see the point in pouring this concrete"...like what the Literal FK!?
That is exactly what I thought and from watching this whole story its exactly what they did. Someone lined their pockets with extra money by cutting MAJOR corners. Im just wondering if the final price... all those lives were worth it to the people in charge of this build. So incredibly sad for all those lost, all their loved ones & friends. Also all those rescue responders who had to witness the aftermath of it...
I cant imagine this. I'm a parent and can't fathom losing one of my babies this way. These parents had their children stolen from them. This wasnt a mistake or accident, it was willful negligence that stole the lives of beloved children
@Nilly K you're correct. Its not the US. Its New Zealand. The meaning of the original comment made by Lucien is that this incident was not newsworthy in the US and hence, that without this documentary, they(Lucien) wouldn't have heard of this tragedy. And as a side note, I also am from the US and have never heard of this either.
Bastian P i know i was about to comment like wi only five on it, it may not have fallen before someone reported it unsafe, bet Shirley even might have by the end of their trip. And 5 people may have still died, but jesus 10 lives are a lot that could have 100% been saved just by putting up a damn sign!
It's probably safer, but when I look at that glass bottomed viewing platform at the Grand Canyon USA I think to myself no way in hell would I get on that.
Try the stairs going up to the top of the Eifel tower! LOL . note: (They have been closed to the public now for many years.) They were open in 1989 when I went there. Basically flying narrow steel stairs with 2 hand-rails, to 1000' up :) use was for getting down from the top or up if the elevators failed/lost power.
It is a great view from there though, but if you don't feel safe that makes sense. I had the same feeling with that Indian decor building at the grand canyon, didn't look to stable to me.
I met Paul Chisholm 8:25 a few times, one time in particular a few months before the accident, we were playing music in a evening church service at Mataura Presbyterian Church. He was playing drums, I was playing bass. During a prayer when everybody was supposed to be still and silent with eyes closed like good little christians, I used the time to sort out my next set of sheet music. I bent over to pick it up off the floor and put it on my stand. Standing up, I accidentally hooked the head of my bass underneath the crash cymbal of the kit Paul was playing, making a sudden racket . Every eye in the place shot open and fixed on me standing there sheepishly holding the sheet music, frozen in place. I looked over at Paul. He was grinning at me with a look that said: "Congratulations, Dumbass!!". I'm grateful for the memory of that smile.
To the families of those that lost their lives, I am so sorry for your loss and pain. I pray that the Lord will comfort you and heal those that survived
What made this more tragic was the fact that it was entirely preventable had there been proper oversight. System failures are one thing, but the lack of common sense by those who built the platform was the real cause of this tragedy and of course the absence of proper inspection after it was completed.
I'm with you. Havnt watched this yet but. The Feel the buck lies with Whoever built..accountability not fighting if They were in doubt. Push. Push Push.. Til your heard I say..lives are at stake.
@Lynne Wright - Glzrbug. Sigh happens all the time. I have had builders you wouldn't believe messing up my place...different ones. The even half decent ones are not around. NZ has a shocking lack of builders.
Unskilled labor is used all the time in construction. It's in all parts of construction too that's even more scary. All of our high rises, bridges, everything makes you warm and fuzzy, right? Also everything is built by the lowest bidder even our military gear.
" Unskilled labor" is used to assist the " skilled" labor nothing more ! Here in the US unskilled labor isn't making the plans or doing the building but give the skilled labor what he or she needs like a tool or something and usually doing the construction site clean up and is either a person who is he/she first construction job and/or legal Mexican immigrants ! 40 years ago I was one now I own a construction outfit !
I wonder how that so-called Judge would feel if one of his children had been killed? 'Systemic Failure' meaning 'we are not going to hold anyone responsible and just close the enquiry quickly'. Absolute, unmitigated DISGRACE. As for that idiot saying that what people want after a tragedy like Cave Creek is 'revenge'.....no moron, actually what people want is JUSTICE, and that is THE LEAST that they should be entitled to.
There are many wonderful things about living in New Zealand. However there are also no consequences for your actions. We let criminals roam free. The violent ones who go on to murder innocent people when they should be locked up. We caught some terrorists once. They had blown up a ship and killed one of the crew. We let them go. If you build something and it collapses it's ok. You won't get into trouble. No matter how many people die. If you are responsible for keeping children safe and you fail them and they die it's ok too. You won't be punished. Just turn up to all the funerals and cry in front of the inquiry. Tears guarantee freedom. You can even skip the country and be put in charge of more children. Nobody cares. This is the one thing I hate about my beautiful country. We have never grasped this idea of 'accountability'.
they didn’t have an engineer design it? they didn’t have to apply for a permit or pass an inspection? kevan and craig should be in prison. this is unbelievable.
This is really shocking. What happened to teamwork? The right foot talking to the left foot? Absolute gross negligence from top to bottom. No one asked questions or they did and not answered or brushed aside. No qualified professional looked at the building plans, observed the construction nor performed a safety check. This was 1995? That entire department should have lost their jobs.
The first person I would go after is the man who designed and largely built the platform and the stairs, and even more so, the people to told him to do it to begin with. He was not an engineer and he just thought the stairs were just stairs going up to the platform, not a counterbalance for the platform. Not being an engineer, he would have had no concept of these sorts of things. Had I been him, I would have recognized my limits and refused the project.
@@robertamcguffin3446 Really? I would think that the first person to go after would be the man ultimately responsible for this Mickey Mouse department: The minister of conservation.
This stage that straddled the edge of a cliff, with nothing to support it but nails and elfin magic... If they weren't so damned busy being _civlilzed_ they'd have locked up the four men that actually put that death trap in place as well as the people that knew it had no legal foundation to be there and no proof that it was safe to be used by the public! *What a repulsive lack of concern for human life!*
Matt Kustom Kostumes, I read your comments after posting my own. Interesting that we both used the term “cobbled” to describe the so called construction of the platform. We seldom hear that term any longer, but if ever there was a case for its use, this is it!
Yea who uses nails i thought they had built this in the 40's or earlier. Maybe you could use nails to build a tiny 4 foot bridge that goes over a tiny stream that a 3 year old could walk over. But building a platform 100 ft up with no steal , no screws ? I dont blame the builders i blame the people that checked it after it had been built and those people had the nerve to look and give them the passing grade. Each family deserves 5 million plus for such lack of judgement and safety concern it wont bring back their loved 1s but someone needs to take responsibilty
All those young people who died in the prime of life. I can’t imagine the parents pain but they were so gracious to be a part of this project. God bless
Cathy’s father seemed like an awesome guy, he was able to help people learn from the mistake that took his daughters life every single year, and do it with such a passion.... not letting it bring him down what so ever....
I just want to take a moment to reflect on the lives lost to this tragic unfortunate event. May their souls rest in peace, and I hope the families, and friends find peace and closure.....🙏🏾
Thanks so much for taking a moment. Do you feel better about yourself after saying this? Never understood people saying dumb stuff like this after loss. Like they have some sort of super power.
It's been 14 years since I lost my son in a car accident and a parent never gets over it, we just learn to adapt to life with out them in our day to day routines. Sometimes I still have to remind myself to breathe, and people are still saying, "isn't it about time you were over it, I simply tell them f___ off, give me your legs and see if you get over that." I realize that it's not a fair comparison, but it's the closest that they can understand. More folks need to see it like you do. As the parent that lost a son, his girlfriend, a neice and a nephew in one single car accident, I thank you for being wise and compassionate. Much love to you ❤️💙❣️
My heart aches for these parents,even with the passing of time, there is always a void left behind when you lose a child. I lost my son in 2012, no child should die before their parent. Time does heal to a point, but the pain is always there, just under the surface.
If you, and other parents, who lost their children,find a tiny comfort in what i m about to say, my soul will be very happy. Once, a special orthodox priest z( i saw the interview) was asked about the suffering and death of the innocent children, if you may call this " God 's will".He answered that for him,was very hard to give a positive answer,unless those children were very strong and pure spirits, send by God to teach us heard lessons. I also think this way, but i also think that, they themselves chose their hard destiny, to give us the lesson of the highest love! Hard to explain, but i think they were chosen for a very high purpose, no matter how short was their life. My ancestors, the Dacians, used to cry at the birth of a child and singing and dancing of joy,at someone death.It's a fact, not a legend. Long time,I couldn t understand this. Now,at 54,I understand!
You're right ,no parent should out live their child ! Its unnatural & unfair and just cruel! Im so sorry for your loss! Its every parents nightmare ...May you find peace,somehow, within ♡.
Much love to you, Mary. I lost my daughter. I'm now raising her four children...It's been 3 years, and at times something just hits and I close up in my room and bawl.
I like Kit's mother. As she was telling the story, her smile and laugh made me smile. To all the parents, I am sorry for your loss. I wonder how your talented children would have made a difference in this world given the chance. Just by being born they made a difference to those who knew them.
I cannot believe the level of incompetence... my dad used to built structures as a hobby - he even built the house I grew up in all by himself - and compared to these knob heads he's an architectural genius. Taking one look at that platform it's obvious how amateur it is. In fact, amateur is an insult to people like my dad who build solid and competent structures as a friggin hobby. Those people should've been here today!
@Erin Johnston Watch the music video my Greg Holden Hold On Tight or Hold Tight. Can’t remember the title. Being grateful for what we still have has helped me so much! I see blessings everywhere! The world can be dark but I’m grateful for those who shine their light and set great examples for me!! We need one another but we have to be careful who we allow into our lives. Not everyone sees life or values it the same way we may. We are not promised tomorrow. 🙏🏻❤️
Being human a parent knows and feels the pain of another parent whose lost a child. It never goes away,it will always be with you. It is your compassion for the parents.God created us that way.As a grandparent,I'am there.
@@kentuckywoman9863 That’s so right! Most of us are blessed with empathy and want the best for others! I wish I knew my own grandparents ! But I do believe God does our people in our lives to be there when others can not. Being an adoptive Gma is a choice! And what an awesome one! We need more like you in the world! 👍🏻🙏🏻🤗❤️
Kit was a great guy. Popular at school but mischievous- in a good way. It was harmless fun. We entertained each other on occasions in math class. Traumatized the teacher on one particular occasion. Everytime I hear The Doors I think of him- " Break on through to the other side " in particular- he rated the band. The last time I saw him he was due to head off to Greymouth to join the course- he was stoked. He met up with two other close friends- none of them knew each other but all had alot in common. The free- spirit of outdoors people. I get what his old man was saying. He use to kinda mope around school- bored shitless. I can envisage his change in body posture his old man described. I spent time with a number of the CC peeps soon after the accident. I worried about Stacy. It was tough on them all but he was clearly struggling. Hope he is doing well!
The trusty old "she'll be right" mindset bit them in the ass. What a shame the platform wasn't packed with the idiots that caused this tragedy and there were plenty of them.
exactly, no plans onsite, steelwork was ordered but not delivered. Someone must have been in charge of the project, someone was organising these people and the equipment.
I also think...before this plan was even designed, a land survey should have been completed by a civil engineer alongside with an expert on land erosion. It should have been measured or tracked to safely measure the rate of erosion in that area. I’m surprised if this was never done or even discussed prior. Why would anyone build a deck hanging over what looked to me...to be a cliff crumbling away below? ⚒🔨 Basic Geology, Limestone is a soft rock. What can happen over time? What happens if you build on top or dig into it?⏳🤬 Basic Science, Gravity.🎢 Basic Humanity, use your brain!🧠
Nails! They used nails to build this?? I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. It's been a long time, may all the families be at peace and feel the comfort of their loved ones memories. RIP young students....
Nails are actually extremely important for wooden structures. The mild steel provides superior shear strength over screws or bolts. Screws and bolts are used to securely hold to pieces together but can snap more easily. For maximum strength a combination of nails, screws and bolts should have been used.
BigMac39 right, that’s true what you said. But it seems like This thing was a ticking time bomb, in a way. And when it went it took 14 people with it. Tragic for sure.
Kenna Martin yeah, I've seen a large number of balconies collapse at hotels and a few from apartment buildings, but it usually happened when too many people were on it, such as spring break, or just a large amount of people at a party or event.
Einar Odinsson and yet it blew up cause of icicles. Boneheaded move on management knowing they should have scraped the launch, but pushed it through anyway. Comparison was perfect. You're just mad cause you didn't see this video & think of the comparison first. No need to embarrass yourself further unless you're prone to these kinds of boneheaded mistakes also, so move along.
@@pennybroyles2877 Growing old having never really lived because of fear of everything collapsing below you is a truncated shell of a life. It reminds me of my friend who spent his entire life prepping for WWIII, Y2K, then for Planet X, after that for 3 days of darkness, followed by a for a gamma burst, he hid for Fukushima for two weeks, next It was the cross shaped item that would come in the sky after that, at one point he was in Idaho hiding from black helicopters then whatever the next life stopping event was. I think right now he is in hiding after the Chinese reactor leak in June. This guy lived from Art Bell disaster to Alex Jones scenario, and now he is in his 70's and has never lived; enjoyed life. Always taking care of his deep lodder, FIFO needs to be maintained, keeping his GOD bags up to date. But heck when COVID happened I knew where to get toilet paper, so I guess his constant not trusting of humanity finally paid off. lol
In 1995 a deck with 100 people standing on a 12 x 25 foot deck collapsed, injuring 59. It later came out that the band board was simply nailed to the house. The building code, in Atlanta, was changed to require that the band board be bolted to the band board of the house. I have a carpenter for over 50 years and the one thing I have learned is that no kind of "fastener" should ever be required to carry a supporting load when used with wood. Beams should always rest on TOP of their support columns. I know that there are hundreds of people that will argue with me over this saying that 1/2" bolts are more than adequate to support a wooden beam. I have personally seen many wood beams and floor joist split from being bolted to close to the end or to close to the "top" of the beam.
This shouldn't have happened. My heart aches for the parents and the young man who will never walk again. I do believe the judge was paid off. If not, he should be removed from the bench. It would be like saying "yes he held the gun with his finger on the trigger but he didn't mean to kill her" mentality.
I am deeply moved by this film. The only reason I clicked on it was because of the name “Cave Creek”. I live in the US too, in Arizona. There is a town by this name in Arizona. I am glad I continued to watch it. Thank you.
I agree. someone needs to acknowledge that they do not have the skillset required for a task and ask for someone with the skillset to do it or at least supervise. They all should have known that they did not know what they were doing
I think the architect that designed it is responsible! Yes the builders that built it should if known but blaming them is a bit harsh! Just a bad accident ! Blaming people wont bring the people back ! Better of moving on and trying to get back to a normal life as best you can! Constantly thinking about it only brings more hurt!! No government or people involved are going to say yes its our fault ! Im sure the people that designed and built it feel terrible about it!!
Carol DiRenzo everyone is different. For them, perhaps they were in such shock and disbelief; they needed to physically see what befell their children.
My daughter was killed 2 years ago and I sometimes think I’m going to be okay and then I lose it again. Sometimes just her name brings on the sobbing and what really hurts is that I miss her more and more
@@janblackman6204, I'm so sorry for your loss of your daughter. I cannot imagine the depth of your grief. I don't know of any words to console you, but I want to tell you that my heart aches for you, and your comment brought me to tears. May God bless you, dear.
@@janblackman6204so sorry for your loss 😔 I hope that you are still managing to survive and have found some peace within your unexplainable grief.... I cannot even begin to imagine. Much love to you and your family ❤❤❤
It was a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to the families of those who were injured and who lost their lives. This was an injustice that those who were ultimately responsible for this disaster were never prosecuted.
If group A knew the platform didn't seem stable why did they allow group B to go on it the next day when it hadn't been inspected for safety? Very silly someone needs to be held accountable. Surely if the public used the platform it should have been built by professionals ....structural engineers etc
@S M Well the person who noticed it being unstable the previous day DID request somebody come check it out, the problem was everyone jumped onto the platform the moment they got there.. and she had to stop and have a pee break.. its like an hour+ walk out there (after a twisted ankle) the person she brought came.. and also died.. it seemingly happened so fast he couldn't judge and react fast enough to say it was fucked and save anyone. It was likely pushed to the brink by the previous days group.. and all it took was a full load the next time.
The victims would have been about my age now. This is so tragic - never should have happened....terribly sorry for your loss. Did not know that I was going to lose my only sibling in a drowning accident exactly one year later, in '96. Condolences and prayers to the familes & loved ones, from Nepal 🇳🇵 The void that is left can never be filled but I hope you find the strength, year after year, to live through this tragedy.
I so hope I'm wrong but the two leaders who knew there could be a problem. ...didn't follow the student's, but went to releave themselves?? The builders were clueless, anyone could see it wasn't safe! Legal action should be taken out on all involved!!
One adult who knew there may be a problem died with the kids. Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed them on knowing she felt it "flex" the day before. Very sad!
@17:18 " I slipped and twisted my ankle and had the urge to relieve myself" ; that doesn't sound right. I think she new it was going to fall and didn't want to be there when it happened.
Many dropped the ball here, but if I had to choose one individual most responsible for this tragedy it would be Kevan Wilde, with Craig Murdoch as a close second. It's no wonder they chose not to be interviewed. Anyone else agree?
It's genuinely astounding that nobody ever paused and said 'this thing is going on the edge of a high cliff - we need to make absolutely sure it's stable'. It's like they were building a lego house for their kids to play with. Just unbelievable.
The whole story is frustrating. The day before the platform flexed so another person goes out to see it,but when they get there they both decided to go off in the bushes and they allow the children to go onto the platform without saying anything to them. Im sorry,but that was foolish and inexcusable.
This is so heart breaking. It's a bitter sweet moment when I see each of the parents describe with joy and a gleam in their eyes, about how their kids got into school and liked the outdoors. They clearly have such beautiful memories of their kids getting into college, and yet that ended in disaster. May peace be with the departed souls.
You Tube brings the world to my door. An amazing group of people affected by negligence and fate. kind thoughts for the victims and their families. Such a beautiful country and people to suffer such loss and injustice :(
seeing Barbara and Ian talking about Evan and how they were impacted by this just broke my heart all over again like it was yesterday. He was a young man with so much life ahead of him and so much potential and so much to offer the world. Gone, not forgotten. And my aroha to those who have left comments who also knew them through school or where-ever. Arohanui to you all. Cave Creek is one of those things you just don't forget. I remember Barbara and Ian were so terribly in grief but also so brave about it , to go there and SEE where Evan and his friends had fallen, such a hard thing for them to do, for them to cope with. A very good couple with hearts of gold. Beautiful people with such kindness and strength. Stalwarts of our church at that time and community. I confess I STILL cant watch this documentary in its entirety, have tried several times if it is on TV etc but know it needed to be made . Hopefully the same errors will NEVER be repeated again! Thank you.
I remember seeing a bungled project and was told that they allowed a guy who operated heavy equipment to make the decisions since he was familiar with working with heavy equipment to do the job. My response was that men who operate heavy machinery implement engineering decisions; they don't make them. What systemic failure? The law required plans to be submitted, analyzed and approved. If there was no retroactive approval process, the top of the platform should have been taken off the pilings and then the plans submitted. If the plans had been approved with bolts, tied in counterweights and the rest, the foundation could have been rebuilt to those specifications. The managers failed to do the very things that are designed to prevent death and injury. This lead to death and injury.
Suing people back then was unheard of. People lived with their pain. Suing became big business with the woman that burned herself with McDonalds coffee. I believe she got five million for her own stupidity. That was in the States where the saying 'So? Sue me.' came from. Now people sue for just about anything.
sylvia koziarski You don't actually know the story regarding that women and mc Donald's do you? You should go look it up. Today I found out did a good video. Because holy shit man. Learn something please.
@@sylviakoziarski4912 - That isn't what happened. She wasn't stupid. Why don't you look up the case and read about what ACTUALLY occurred before you spew off what the masses regurgitated from the inept news stations. You are just another sheeple.
@ABCD ABCD and what did it take for them to finally change their policy and stop burning their customers? That woman, who won her lawsuit with a huge $$$ award. Besides the level of negligence being wrong on so many levels, the fact that no one was held accountable & made to pay for this tragedy, increases the likelihood of something like this happening again.
This is awful. Did they implement an audit on current existing structures and find out how many more of these death traps there are out there? No accountability is disgraceful.
A wooden platform with normal nails right on the edge of a cliff top is Madness. Was Health & Safety & Risk Analysis not a thing then, not to mention being aware of litigation for death/injury caused by anything you're responsible for constructing.
When i heard the 2 people say they stepped off trail to relieve themselves, i was a little confused. "A sudden urge to relieve" herself bc of a twisted ankle? That sounded odd. Both had been on that platform the previous day. Although the woman admits to feeling the platform buckle on thursday, the man's response in the interview is suspect. He claims to have felt nothing, but his body language says otherwise. Perhaps both of them didnt relieve themselves at all. Maybe they hung back and watched mr o'day get on with students to get his opinion???? Idk. Just seems a little odd. This ia 1 of the worst cases of negligence ive ever heard of. Everyone involved is just throwing their hands up like"idk. Wasnt me." absolutely maddening. Cant imagine how much anger, resentment, blame, sadness, etc the families have carried all these years.
That was exactly what I was thinking. I can't help but think that neither of them were too keen to stand on it again, after movement of it being discussed/felt the day before. That voice in the back of their head, subconcious or not, telling them to steer clear. Having to "relieve themselves" being the perfect reason to hang back and not be apart of what could happen.....that so sadly, did.
1980mels those two that decided to wee at that moment in time is not suspect at all . Some comments are making it sound as if they knew without a doubt that something was up and just let them die . Stop making those comments they are as innocent as those that died . Those that constructed and built that damn thing should all be held reliable and it should be appealed and brought to a higher court because there was no justice done here and the presiding judge was a dimwit.
Marcella Sheridan if you read my other comment you’d see I said the exact same thing . It’s right under my first comment how you’d miss that? So chill out and think before misspeaking.
I visited the platform two days after it was made. My friend and I stood out and looked over the edge and my nephew immediately started jumping up and down on the back to see if it would shake. It did and we got off there straight away. We checked it and nothing had come loose but there was a lot of movement. It scared the fuck out of us. As soon as I heard about the accident a few days later I knew in an instant what had happenned. I know all the people involved in the construction of that platform. It changed peoples lives forever.
Omg this is heartbreaking, I never heard of this tragedy. All those beautiful young lives lost. They would be about my age now 💔 my condolences to the poor families 🙏
Darwin Award. “Ten years after the accident, survivor Stacy Mitchell said that he and some other students were shaking the platform hard when it collapsed, which he had not reported at the time through fear of being blamed.”
The previous set of students were jumping up and down on it too the day before. They admitted it though. This platform definitely wasn't safe and the department DID screw up the whole process....but the platform likely would have held up if none of the kids jumped and shook it on either of those days.
that's what kids do I suppose. Doesn't sound like there were any safety signs, weight & no.s limits on platform, considering it was hanging over a cliff edge. This platform should have been made to withstand anything, sadly it would have eventually collapsed because of the shoddy design, implementation and workmanship.
The way I look at it, it’s the designers and builders of the thing that are responsible, even though the kids were fooling around - it’s what kids do and that should have been anticipated. Things like bridges and buildings are designed and built all the time to handle much higher stresses and loads than expected in normal use.
@@hiko73 Oh look, the ever-clever atheist strikes again! Gee, you're right. How can we all be so stupid when you can point at every single bad event in history and ask such a question. Thanks for setting us straight with your wisdom.
The Regressive Progressive You know the clever atheist has really valid point. If your so called god really existed why would he allow 14 young people in their prime to die. God is bullshit it’s a fairytale that’s got so out of hand over years. Too many good people die in this world at such a young age and the bullshit that god bothering idiots come out with “ it was clearly their time and god has more important things planned for that person ) Ffs. What a crock of shit. People use Christian faith as a way to make money now with American tv evangelists and the amount of money you give at the end of a service before you leave church. Fuck sake I have better things to do with my time and money.
Absolutely deplorable that no one was prosecuted over this. THEY HAD NO PERMIT!!! You can't even put up a chook shed in your backyard without a permit. Another case of "Do as I say. Don't do as I do." I hope the people involved remember the faces of the deceased until the day they die. My heart breaks for all the families. So many young lives, full of promise, cut short.
@@Thornspyre81 zz and I would to a zazzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzz3zzaazazzz,azzzzzzzzazzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzaazzzazzazeazazzazzazazzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzazzz the bank and in a or other for you zzz in to zzz the dr. and I the zzz zzz zzz zzz is zzz are the azzzzzzzzzazzzazzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzaaazzzza3zzzzazzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzazazazzzzazzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzaazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzz zazzzzzzz are the zz,zzthe are zazzzzzzzzzzz of jazz zzz are zazzzzzzz zzz's on z a azalea of zazzzzzzzzzzzzazazz zazzzzzzzzzzzzazazz who a zzthe JAZZ, SINGER OF A BAND AND ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ AND ZZTHE ZZTHE JAZZ IN IS AND A LITTLE ZZTHE ZZZZZZAZHZZZA ZZZZZZ ZAZZZZZZZZZZZ IS IN ZZTHE ZZZZZZZZZAZZZZZZZZZZ AZZZAZZAZZZZE6ZZZZ
I hadn't realized New Zealand was governed by an Autocracy! Seems that way since no one in Gov't or anyone else was held responsible for this National tragedy. Shame on them all, and may their conscious' be forever troubled.
The leader of group B was to be blamed as well as he’d been told by leader of group A that she felt that something was a bit off with that platform and he chose to ignore that information. And everyone involved in its construction and building of it are equally as responsible. The judge was a dimwit and these parents and attorneys need to appeal and to take this case to a higher court with new attorneys. Such a sad tragedy but I simply cannot understand why for the love of god didn’t the leader of group B listen!! RIP to everyone who lost their lives that day . And shame on this judge for not finding fault. Appeal appeal and APPEAL!!!
Hey its funny how team leader B needed to relieve himself as well, leaving that poor man (who was only there because of team leader A), and the kids to fall to thier deaths
It's a look out spot it's just better because you have the feeling to be swaying. These Jung people were unlucky enough to literally be swaying 🤪 may they rest in peace
I almost lost my lunch when I saw the shoddy workmanship and sketchy, inadequate specifications. This is a true cautionary tale of what can happen when so-called "experts" try to cut corners and end up sacrificing innocent lives. The guilty parties should have been penalized to the full extent of the law. My deepest condolences to the trusting, blameless victims and their families.
I have heard of this happening until today. I just don't understand how this was allowed to be built. I have no background in building and even I could say it was a giant seesaw. Where was the common sense here? My father was a builder by trade and remember several times the he walked off jobs because he refused to cut corners for the sake of $. He would always say he'd rather look for another job than to live with the fact that he built something unsafe.
I love how everyone acknowledges that there were no plans on site. "Do you have the plans?" "No, do you?" "Nope, why would I have such a ridiculous thing?" "Should we maybe call and get them?" "Nah, let's just build it. We'll make it up as we go." DURRRRRRRR
I remember living in NZ when this tragedy occurred. The kids were the same age as my own children. A loss of life like that hurts even more in the smaller communities of NZ. The famous Kiwi Spirit created the perfect attitude for people to challenge the outdoors or anything else. It’s no mystery why Sir Edmund Hillary led the way in the eyes of the world, but New Zealanders have always been keen for challenges. During the time we lived there, there was no personal injury insurance except for workers within their company. When a son was injured whilst on a school trip, due to clear negligence on the part of a go-cart concern, we as Americans were astonished to learn that we could not get help for a serious injury. Our Auckland MP knew of the problem and of the shoddy go-cart joint in particular. US insurance is more of a problem than not in many ways, but there have to be regulations in place and penalties for those who can’t be bothered to take proper care. Otherwise, one risks becoming like my home country under the criminal trump, who would have been fine with the deaths and the lack of consequences. Now, I’m home and wish all the best to my friends and fellow countrymen (dual citizenship), especially under the wise and compassionate oversight of Jacinda Arden. Kia kaha, dear hearts.
It's called EGO. White male entitlement at its base form. To think you can just build something like this, makes me SO mad! Ego & stupidity killed all these people.
I only just learned about this. What a tragic story. I also find it amazing that there were any survivors at all, let alone one person who was barely harmed. I've always been wary of platforms, even if they look strong. The guys that built it, were a bunch of complete cowboys. They should have had to answer for their actions. Surely nobody could be that stupid? To me there are only two main mistakes. One is no Engineer and two is the absence of a qualified builder. Even without an Engineer, a qualified builder would have made it very strong and that person would probably have made it using a belt and braces approach, given the risks of the site.
I live in the states and found this while searching for cavers stories. What an awful event. I'm a general contractor that works on commercial construction. I have no engineering or structural education of any kind, but even when we are building a wooden footpath raised 2 feet off the ground, we know that through bolts must be used to secure the planking with the pylons. It is completely absurd to think that only nails were used as fasteners. Literally everyone in my company of 40 people would know that this platform is completely unstable. Adding the concrete stairs as a cantilever is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Even if the concrete stairs had been connected securely, it's still very likely the load would have shifted which could have thrown people over the railing. Would it have been acceptable if only one or a couple children had died instead of 14? Shame on the people involved in this and shame on the government and courts for not holding anyone accountable.
IMO for some reason the sign stands out the most for me. Before sticking that sign in my desk I would have taken a hammer and nail and done it myself, having never used either. There’s no way I could have went home knowing it was in my hands 1 second longer than necessary. Opening ur desk every day for who knows how long seeing that? Irrepressible. Not that it would have changed anything but still the cost of a nail could have saved every soul over 5. The lady that spoke about the children hopping on it the day b4 made me sick. Somehow shifting the blame on them. She should never had said that.
Thank you for the upload...how tragic is this?? I am in Australia but I had never heard of this before!! Absolute disgrace that no-one has been made to be accountable!!
Yes and no, from what I saw in the Appalachians there are still plenty of disasters waiting to happen... locals know about it and are careful to avoid those bridges/quays/trails... anyone who went to scout-trips there will remember hearing that certain structures are off-limits because they are dilapidated, yet there is no warning on them, nor anything to suggest them to be any more dangerous than the next one.
As a builder, I used to be accused of "over building" - I am now 74 years old, and no longer build. It was, and has always been my intention that anything I build/built was to last for more than just one lifetime. This video is difficult for me to fathom - other than for the reality that nowadays such things seem almost commonplace.
I am extremely proud and grateful that you always did your best to protect people.. truly , thank you.
@@sovietsunflower8014 It's not often that receive a thank you, but thank you!
Very kind! You both seem like great men. Thank you both!
I was in fire restoration, so I saw first hand what doing something half-assed or having unqualified people doing any kind of construction, so I can relate. I was accused of being too hard to deal with, or too hard on my subs. I didn't care, I'm rebuilding this house one time and it was going to be done the right way. I think we would have worked well together zen.
@@papaoneal2260 Very possible. Keep at it.
One of the best things about UA-cam is that it allows us in other countries to learn about each other. I’m very sorry to all the parents & siblings of these young people. I can’t even imagine.
Very true. I almost clicked on another video but decided to continue watching. CAVE CREEK disaster in NZ was news to me. It made me feel real emotional connection with the victims. It had real villian's and heroes and everything in between. Live changing in a small way. Since most of us lead very mundane lives here in America to pause briefly and educate ourselves in these emotionally charged tragedies can strengthen our inner spirit while making us aware we share a collective consciousness. Sorry I am rambling on a little
This is such a good comment. I’m learning so much about other places, peoples, times, and history. My son struggled in school. He has ADHD. He’s got a head full of knowledge and history. He said UA-cam was his greatest teacher. I believe it.
Oh I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling at school, hopefully now there is more understanding of the condition he can hopefully get some help and start to enjoy school more.. But I was terrible at school myself I’m sure he will turn out to be a fine young man with the help of a loving mum like yourself...❤
@@Roscoe.P.Coldchainsadly the U.K. is a wasteland devoid of help for children whether physical or mentally. My granddaughter starts secondary school in September, she’ll enter those doors just as she entered the doors of infant school if not worse. She was promised assessments for ADHD, Autism and Dyslexia but none was forthcoming. In between of course we had the covid problem!
That lesson the physics teacher was giving is just heartbreaking. I can’t imagine teaching students about your own daughter’s death
It's his therapy. He's an intellectual man, and wrapping his brain around the physicality of the tragedy is how he copes.
He has to teach every-day kids about the structural flaws because it was every-day people who built that platform. If there's even a chance any of them might be involved in any similar construction, he has to know he taught them how to spot and avoid such flaws. It's all about saving future lives.
@Cassie Love you obviously didn't understand a thing I said.
@Cassie Love are you drunk? why are you having such a difficult time understanding what you're reading? lol
@@megatuanis Except the man who built it wasn't even in construction. He was an auto mechanic and general lackey who should never been given the job ever and should have refused it.
This isn’t difficult. Anyone with a reasonable level of intelligence would know you would need qualified professionals to design and build a viewing platform which protrudes over a cliff edge. The person who made the decision not to use qualified people to perform these tasks is wholly to blame. Systems don’t construct things, people do.
Exactly!!!!!
overconfident males
Yes, but unqualified builders are cheaper, and then you can spend that savings on hookers and cocaine.
@@joydot7620 pretty sure it was a woman that wanted it.
@@JB-dk3qc a woman might have wanted it but back then in nz it would have been men building it. 2 stints living in nz - its engineering isn't top end & it remains one of the most dangerous places to do any crazy sport stuff - its virtually unregulated & if something goes wrong they won't treat you without signing a waiver of responsibility. watching legals re volcano situ with great interest.
These parents are the most graceful people I’ve ever seen. They’ve experienced the most heartbreaking loss a parent can have, then had the pain magnified by the governments lack of actions afterwards.
Juniper S This is how New Zealanders are. I visit regularly to see family. I used to live there and have always thought how lovely the people are.
Beautiful people.
Yes,its heart breaking.We feel for these parents of those children.
So right you are...
@@Justicia007 They really are great people, aren't they? God bless them.....
I am from the US and this is the first time I have ever heard of this incident. What a tragedy. This poor group of young people had their entire lives snatched from them, and noone was deemed responsible? This makes me sick.
Pffff they where responsible .Don’t you understand your actually referring to who is to blame not who is responsible, and it’s not about fault pointing fingers and blaming , it’s about learning from the choices whe make all of us. That is our responsibility all of us and that is how it is.
Make people follow the same rules as if they were being a room.
@@linvt9891 Are you ignorant or what? The definition of responsibility is,,,,,,
"being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed for it."
Fact is the process of law starts from the top down not from the bottom up. Oddly the Judge in this case was biased either by a Political affiliation or by a bribe or both.
This is a lesson in common sense and nobody involved had any WTF 18 people on this little fucking half ass deck all 18 people were completely stupid 🙄 they should be given medals for their stupidity
Me the same !!!
I remember this like it was yesterday. I lived with 8 of these people in the student hostel in Greymouth. I didnt have a lot to do with some of them but others made a big impression on me. They were outdoor students so they were full of life. I vividly remember the shock and hearing the choppers going back and forward all day from the site to the hospital. Seems hard to believe it will soon be 25 years. I went to the 20-year memorial service in Greymouth. Times were very different back then, people need to remember that. I even ended up working for DOC for six years. After 1995, DOC's structure was drastically remodelled to reduce this risk, however in circa 2011, its was remodelled again to remove some of those changes (increased centralisation) which in my view had the potential to again increase risk. The "systemic failure" argument would have been pushed at the time as at that time a Govt department was immune from prosecution (that has since changed). Many of them were just kids - forever young. This many years later and this is still very hard to watch.
Thank you for sharing your memories
Thank you Simon for your insight.
So sorry for the loss of your friends. No excuse for this tragedy...but yet they all have one....
Kmmmko
I'm so sorry...ugh..I can't imagine...I hope your pain will give you ease soon...I am so sorry..😢
Holy moly. You mean to tell me these people built a PUBLIC platform more carelessly than a child's construction set, and they Got Away With It???? Oh, lord. Bless the hearts of the family and friends who still have to endure this horrific event in some way. This should have NEVER been allowed to happen! Unbelievable!!
Ur a Joke using Holy sh-
Den using blessed ' & lord
Um 1st God is Holy not sh-t
Lord Not lord ok By now!
@@nancyvalladares8157 Okay. I'll change that part. Sorry if I offended you or the memory of these people.
I know zero about construction or motors. Even I know you can't hang a porch on to a deadly cliff by nails. It would have been stronger tied to trees....
@PeRFeCT IMPeRFeCTiON Agree it should have also been chained to anchors set back in concreate and the support beams bolted to a foundation, and / or redesigned so that the platform minimised leverage forces i.e triangle shape and secured. More so the design should have had an engineer evaluate before construction and an inspection after completion.
@PeRFeCT IMPeRFeCTiON I remember when it happened and as a long term and active tramper it left me stunned for ages. I still see this sort of neglect for example in NZ rail pedestrian crossings compared to Aust. Such (NZ) are shocking and deadly and the application of money would solve it but no one cares - thanks for you reply.
To be real nails SHOULD be strong. We build houses out of them!
I dunno... Knowing nothing about construction I wouldn't put a viewing platform anywhere near the edge of a cliff- let alone hanging off it.
There's a reason they're cliffs to begin with, and that's because land has fallen away. As time goes on, the cliff is only going to be weathered more.
@@Stopthisrightnow560 This is why you should conduct a risk / consequence analysis before doing anything like this. What is the risk of failure lets say medium worst case. What is the consequence if it does fail - catastrophic, therefore we need to cover test and have every angle checked. If you build a loo on the track the worst that can happen is the door falls off not much need for analysis. A cater leaved platform over a cliff edge should have been engineered. If the risk is high and consequence is high then think of something else or don't do it.
The guy that said the dock workers were at least as stressed as the parents of the victims. How disrespectful and disconnected that guy was!
Indeed
@Smurves sod off
@Smurves But not one of them took personal responsibility. I'm sure they felt bad bad for their part, but could justify and disperse culpability and suffered no tangible loss. The parents lost their children. That grief would be insurmountable and life changing - a void carried and felt every day of their lives. I don't think it's comparable.
Smurves I’m sorry you had to go through that, but it seems like it made you a stronger person.
Ridogg81 i think most of this hangs on van dyke and the govt. Some of those guys are probably pretty messed up about it. I doubt he is, thats for sure. Really a crazy and sad story, shite
Gary Reed said it best, you don't get on it or get over it, you just get used to it. Today would be my son's 32nd Birthday, the 15th since we lost him in an accident. A parent and even a sibling must learn to breathe in and breathe out every minute until you learn to do it without the loved one you lost. 💔😇
I built houses for years, and I can't believe it didn't fall the first time the builders went out on it and had their picture taken. If no one was held responsible, that's screwed up. But the builders and the guy the drew the plans, as well as the guy who gave the job of engineering the platform to the guy who was a auto mechanic, he as well as all the aforementioned should have been held responsible. and the government agency should have been on the hook for damages to the families.
The plans were different than ehat was built by a long shot and they didnt even contact the designer when time to build.
Not his fsult at all
Absolutely JoJo.
Goverment agencies ant ever held responsible for anything it seems...goverment is only responsibility is to hould other people responsible.
@@acewilums what?
It's the person/persons responsible for the final inspection who should be held accountable. I've also been building houses for years, and I would've immediately sounded the alarm loudly had it been my job to give the final thumbs up, as would ANYONE with any legitimate building knowledge.
I've just got to the bit where they describe how the platform was designed and built. I'm gobsmacked. It's almost like they treated it as some weekend DIY project with the lads. It's too absurd for words.
as someone living in nz, this is exactly how they would have treated it. and still would. it's disgusting.
Exactly. Even going out on that ledge themselves and taking a pic, or just Leaving it without counterweights, and the counterweight guy going out there a year later and just going "I don't see the point in pouring this concrete"...like what the Literal FK!?
Becky Twigg I absolutely ten thousand percent agree.
That is exactly what I thought and from watching this whole story its exactly what they did. Someone lined their pockets with extra money by cutting MAJOR corners. Im just wondering if the final price... all those lives were worth it to the people in charge of this build. So incredibly sad for all those lost, all their loved ones & friends. Also all those rescue responders who had to witness the aftermath of it...
Not Godsmacked. God knows how to build. He also knows who cuts corners.
I cant imagine this. I'm a parent and can't fathom losing one of my babies this way. These parents had their children stolen from them. This wasnt a mistake or accident, it was willful negligence that stole the lives of beloved children
Being from the US I had never heard this story. What a tragedy that should have never happened
@Nilly K that's not what she meant🤨
Lucien Carr 2 Reading comprehension sir???????
@Nilly K you're correct. Its not the US. Its New Zealand. The meaning of the original comment made by Lucien is that this incident was not newsworthy in the US and hence, that without this documentary, they(Lucien) wouldn't have heard of this tragedy. And as a side note, I also am from the US and have never heard of this either.
U probably didn't hear of alot of stories thankfully for UA-cam & Google
@@catlamp4135 Doesn't the US show news from other countries?
My experience is that you never get over that kind of loss. You just learn to live with it.
Not even the sign , limiting it ti 5 people...just filed away in a drawer..just filed away 14 young peoples lives away..
Bastian P i know i was about to comment like wi only five on it, it may not have fallen before someone reported it unsafe, bet Shirley even might have by the end of their trip. And 5 people may have still died, but jesus 10 lives are a lot that could have 100% been saved just by putting up a damn sign!
@@ujutheghost :I bet they wish they did now!
Bastian P
It’s been two years. Are you still around?
@@EddieSpaghetti07 Yes by the grace of God , also should we know each other?
It's probably safer, but when I look at that glass bottomed viewing platform at the Grand Canyon USA I think to myself no way in hell would I get on that.
Try the stairs going up to the top of the Eifel tower! LOL . note: (They have been closed to the public now for many years.) They were open in 1989 when I went there. Basically flying narrow steel stairs with 2 hand-rails, to 1000' up :) use was for getting down from the top or up if the elevators failed/lost power.
It is a great view from there though, but if you don't feel safe that makes sense. I had the same feeling with that Indian decor building at the grand canyon, didn't look to stable to me.
I met Paul Chisholm 8:25 a few times, one time in particular a few months before the accident, we were playing music in a evening church service at Mataura Presbyterian Church. He was playing drums, I was playing bass.
During a prayer when everybody was supposed to be still and silent with eyes closed like good little christians, I used the time to sort out my next set of sheet music. I bent over to pick it up off the floor and put it on my stand. Standing up, I accidentally hooked the head of my bass underneath the crash cymbal of the kit Paul was playing, making a sudden racket .
Every eye in the place shot open and fixed on me standing there sheepishly holding the sheet music, frozen in place.
I looked over at Paul. He was grinning at me with a look that said:
"Congratulations, Dumbass!!".
I'm grateful for the memory of that smile.
To the families of those that lost their lives, I am so sorry for your loss and pain. I pray that the Lord will comfort you and heal those that survived
marie chianca Lord Lucifer accepts your prayer.
@@jquest43 ❤ hail satan
@@jquest43 dumb ass
@@cuppatae834 dumb ass
Wendy Johnston - Lord Satan is pleased this brought you to anger and hate. Curse everything and everyone that displeases you continually.
What made this more tragic was the fact that it was entirely preventable had there been proper oversight. System failures are one thing, but the lack of common sense by those who built the platform was the real cause of this tragedy and of course the absence of proper inspection after it was completed.
I'm with you. Havnt watched this yet but.
The Feel the buck lies with Whoever built..accountability not fighting if They were in doubt. Push. Push Push..
Til your heard I say..lives are at stake.
Unskilled labor should never be allowed to work in construction.
@Lynne Wright - Glzrbug. Sigh happens all the time. I have had builders you wouldn't believe messing up my place...different
ones. The even half decent ones are not around. NZ has a shocking lack of builders.
Unskilled labor is used all the time in construction. It's in all parts of construction too that's even more scary. All of our high rises, bridges, everything makes you warm and fuzzy, right? Also everything is built by the lowest bidder even our military gear.
@@cutebutsadisticable ...darn frightening ...we saw what happened in Italy too. You wonder what the overseers get paid for.
" Unskilled labor" is used to assist the " skilled" labor nothing more ! Here in the US unskilled labor isn't making the plans or doing the building but give the skilled labor what he or she needs like a tool or something and usually doing the construction site clean up and is either a person who is he/she first construction job and/or legal Mexican immigrants ! 40 years ago I was one now I own a construction outfit !
@@geniemeadows5122 nobody cares about your problems. You brought them on yourself being a DUMBASS
I wonder how that so-called Judge would feel if one of his children had been killed? 'Systemic Failure' meaning 'we are not going to hold anyone responsible and just close the enquiry quickly'. Absolute, unmitigated DISGRACE. As for that idiot saying that what people want after a tragedy like Cave Creek is 'revenge'.....no moron, actually what people want is JUSTICE, and that is THE LEAST that they should be entitled to.
Dee H That is how we know it's cronyism. Elites close ranks around each other. And who knows what skeletons were in that judges closet?
There are many wonderful things about living in New Zealand.
However there are also no consequences for your actions.
We let criminals roam free. The violent ones who go on to murder innocent people when they should be locked up.
We caught some terrorists once. They had blown up a ship and killed one of the crew. We let them go.
If you build something and it collapses it's ok. You won't get into trouble. No matter how many people die.
If you are responsible for keeping children safe and you fail them and they die it's ok too. You won't be punished. Just turn up to all the funerals and cry in front of the inquiry. Tears guarantee freedom. You can even skip the country and be put in charge of more children. Nobody cares.
This is the one thing I hate about my beautiful country. We have never grasped this idea of 'accountability'.
@@carlmanvers5009 politicans are the worse
Carl Manvers Unbelievable makes me thankful that I live in America even as Crazy as it is sometimes
EXACTLY JUSTICE...😢💔
they didn’t have an engineer design it? they didn’t have to apply for a permit or pass an inspection? kevan and craig should be in prison. this is unbelievable.
This is really shocking. What happened to teamwork? The right foot talking to the left foot? Absolute gross negligence from top to bottom. No one asked questions or they did and not answered or brushed aside. No qualified professional looked at the building plans, observed the construction nor performed a safety check. This was 1995? That entire department should have lost their jobs.
I can accept that nobody had any ill intent, but how a judge wants to find nobody accountable is beyond me. A needless tragedy.
The first person I would go after is the man who designed and largely built the platform and the stairs, and even more so, the people to told him to do it to begin with. He was not an engineer and he just thought the stairs were just stairs going up to the platform, not a counterbalance for the platform. Not being an engineer, he would have had no concept of these sorts of things. Had I been him, I would have recognized my limits and refused the project.
@@robertamcguffin3446 Really?
I would think that the first person to go after would be the man ultimately responsible for this Mickey Mouse department: The minister of conservation.
This stage that straddled the edge of a cliff, with nothing to support it but nails and elfin magic... If they weren't so damned busy being _civlilzed_ they'd have locked up the four men that actually put that death trap in place as well as the people that knew it had no legal foundation to be there and no proof that it was safe to be used by the public! *What a repulsive lack of concern for human life!*
S
themirrorsofmymind Agreed!
themirrorsofmymind The building code inspector who signed off on it should be in prison.
Thinking the same thing. Never walking out on anything remotely like it in the future. In ANY country.
I should not have laughed at “elfin magic” but I did 🤣🤣🤣
This is why I don't go on the viewing platform! This is one of my biggest fears!
I cringed the second I saw they used nails instead of carriage bolts. Everything those guys did was cobbled. Literally an accident waiting to happen!
Matt Kustom Kostumes, I read your comments after posting my own. Interesting that we both used the term “cobbled” to describe the so called construction of the platform. We seldom hear that term any longer, but if ever there was a case for its use, this is it!
Yea who uses nails i thought they had built this in the 40's or earlier. Maybe you could use nails to build a tiny 4 foot bridge that goes over a tiny stream that a 3 year old could walk over. But building a platform 100 ft up with no steal , no screws ? I dont blame the builders i blame the people that checked it after it had been built and those people had the nerve to look and give them the passing grade. Each family deserves 5 million plus for such lack of judgement and safety concern it wont bring back their loved 1s but someone needs to take responsibilty
@Bub loves lunch in a bucket guarantee he had a 5 gallon bucket of wood glue and some camo duct tape .
Layton Hersh oh, someone checked the durability of this thing? I'd blame both parties, both should have known the strength & durability of it.
That and no warning sign with some kind of weight capacity posted
All those young people who died in the prime of life. I can’t imagine the parents pain but they were so gracious to be a part of this project. God bless
Cathy’s father seemed like an awesome guy, he was able to help people learn from the mistake that took his daughters life every single year, and do it with such a passion.... not letting it bring him down what so ever....
I just want to take a moment to reflect on the lives lost to this tragic unfortunate event. May their souls rest in peace, and I hope the families, and friends find peace and closure.....🙏🏾
Thanks so much for taking a moment. Do you feel better about yourself after saying this?
Never understood people saying dumb stuff like this after loss. Like they have some sort of super power.
@@maxdavidson5050 The only reason anyone ever does anything is to feel better about themselves. What a question, ugh.
Stephanie Woo. Gentle dignified New Zealanders even in their grief 🙏
@Margarita Heath right what a dumb ass dip shit..yup your right there max i feel better after saying this.
Praying 🙏🏾
How do you just tell someone to move on and get over it? That’s a terrible loss
It's been 14 years since I lost my son in a car accident and a parent never gets over it, we just learn to adapt to life with out them in our day to day routines. Sometimes I still have to remind myself to breathe, and people are still saying, "isn't it about time you were over it, I simply tell them f___ off, give me your legs and see if you get over that." I realize that it's not a fair comparison, but it's the closest that they can understand. More folks need to see it like you do. As the parent that lost a son, his girlfriend, a neice and a nephew in one single car accident, I thank you for being wise and compassionate. Much love to you ❤️💙❣️
Because they don’t give a crap!! And of course they don’t wanna take any responsibility
@@maryscott8929 I understand as I lost my mom 2.5 years ago. You NEVER get over it, you just learn to deal. Many blessings!
@@maryscott8929 im deeply sorry for your loss.
You don't.You can't.Not untill you have walked in that parents shoes could you ever give any advice as to help those parents move on.
Gosh I can't believe it's been 24 years since this happened. So sad and nobody held accountable 😢💔
My heart aches for these parents,even with the passing of time, there is always a void left behind when you lose a child. I lost my son in 2012, no child should die before their parent. Time does heal to a point, but the pain is always there, just under the surface.
I'm sorry for your lost and lifelong pain. I can't nor do I want to imagine and my heart goes out to you ❤️
If you, and other parents, who lost their children,find a tiny comfort in what i m about to say, my soul will be very happy. Once, a special orthodox priest z( i saw the interview) was asked about the suffering and death of the innocent children, if you may call this " God 's will".He answered that for him,was very hard to give a positive answer,unless those children were very strong and pure spirits, send by God to teach us heard lessons. I also think this way, but i also think that, they themselves chose their hard destiny, to give us the lesson of the highest love! Hard to explain, but i think they were chosen for a very high purpose, no matter how short was their life. My ancestors, the Dacians, used to cry at the birth of a child and singing and dancing of joy,at someone death.It's a fact, not a legend. Long time,I couldn t understand this. Now,at 54,I understand!
😢💔
You're right ,no parent should out live their child ! Its unnatural & unfair and just cruel! Im so sorry for your loss! Its every parents nightmare ...May you find peace,somehow, within ♡.
Much love to you, Mary. I lost my daughter. I'm now raising her four children...It's been 3 years, and at times something just hits and I close up in my room and bawl.
I like Kit's mother. As she was telling the story, her smile and laugh made me smile. To all the parents, I am sorry for your loss. I wonder how your talented children would have made a difference in this world given the chance. Just by being born they made a difference to those who knew them.
That platform shouldn't have ever been built in the first place. It's really hard to imagine what sort of hell they went through. May they heal.
I cannot believe the level of incompetence... my dad used to built structures as a hobby - he even built the house I grew up in all by himself - and compared to these knob heads he's an architectural genius.
Taking one look at that platform it's obvious how amateur it is. In fact, amateur is an insult to people like my dad who build solid and competent structures as a friggin hobby. Those people should've been here today!
I've worked with enough woodworking projects and just looking at that you could TELL it wasn't built right!!!
I got some woodwork for ya
When taking a piss saves your life.
Isn’t it crazy how one can weep for another without even knowing them?
LaCresha Halley
Yes had a cry watching this, absolutely heart breaking. A preventable waste of young lives :(
Empathy, and humanity. They are gifts.
@Erin Johnston Watch the music video my Greg Holden Hold On Tight or Hold Tight. Can’t remember the title. Being grateful for what we still have has helped me so much! I see blessings everywhere! The world can be dark but I’m grateful for those who shine their light and set great examples for me!! We need one another but we have to be careful who we allow into our lives. Not everyone sees life or values it the same way we may. We are not promised tomorrow. 🙏🏻❤️
Being human a parent knows and feels the pain of another parent whose lost a child. It never goes away,it will always be with you. It is your compassion for the parents.God created us that way.As a grandparent,I'am there.
@@kentuckywoman9863 That’s so right! Most of us are blessed with empathy and want the best for others! I wish I knew my own grandparents ! But I do believe God does our people in our lives to be there when others can not. Being an adoptive Gma is a choice! And what an awesome one! We need more like you in the world! 👍🏻🙏🏻🤗❤️
Kit was a great guy. Popular at school but mischievous- in a good way. It was harmless fun. We entertained each other on occasions in math class. Traumatized the teacher on one particular occasion. Everytime I hear The Doors I think of him- " Break on through to the other side " in particular- he rated the band. The last time I saw him he was due to head off to Greymouth to join the course- he was stoked. He met up with two other close friends- none of them knew each other but all had alot in common. The free- spirit of outdoors people.
I get what his old man was saying. He use to kinda mope around school- bored shitless. I can envisage his change in body posture his old man described. I spent time with a number of the CC peeps soon after the accident. I worried about Stacy. It was tough on them all but he was clearly struggling. Hope he is doing well!
The trusty old "she'll be right" mindset bit them in the ass. What a shame the platform wasn't packed with the idiots that caused this tragedy and there were plenty of them.
Who ever said “ go build the platform” is to blame. Very simple. Who was in charge of the building of the platform? His fault. Cutting corners.
exactly, no plans onsite, steelwork was ordered but not delivered. Someone must have been in charge of the project, someone was organising these people and the equipment.
I also think...before this plan was even designed, a land survey should have been completed by a civil engineer alongside with an expert on land erosion. It should have been measured or tracked to safely measure the rate of erosion in that area. I’m surprised if this was never done or even discussed prior.
Why would anyone build a deck hanging over what looked to me...to be a cliff crumbling away below? ⚒🔨
Basic Geology, Limestone is a soft rock. What can happen over time? What happens if you build on top or dig into it?⏳🤬
Basic Science, Gravity.🎢
Basic Humanity, use your brain!🧠
Yep, even if they had limited the capacity to 5 people this thing was going down that cliff one way or another. The only question was when.
Aren't there overhanging viewing platforms at the Grand Canyon? That is not unusual
@@NageelaMom and is the Grand Canyon Limestone?
Yes, exactly.
I think ur very pretty 😍❤️
Okay so unskilled labor was used to build an unsound Terrace over unstable ground. A cliff, no less. Stupid. Stupid and sad.
Nails! They used nails to build this?? I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. It's been a long time, may all the families be at peace and feel the comfort of their loved ones memories. RIP young students....
Nails are actually extremely important for wooden structures. The mild steel provides superior shear strength over screws or bolts. Screws and bolts are used to securely hold to pieces together but can snap more easily. For maximum strength a combination of nails, screws and bolts should have been used.
BigMac39 right, that’s true what you said. But it seems like This thing was a ticking time bomb, in a way. And when it went it took 14 people with it. Tragic for sure.
I 100% agree. I was just correcting there original commenter acting like using nails was stupid.
BigMac39 lol yeah. I thought that too
I couldnt believe it didnt fall when the men who built it had their picture taken on it.
“It’s like wooden bridge”
Yeah, a half-built bridge that never connects to the other side.
"It looked reasonable to the eye."
Yeah. So did the Space Shuttle Challenger. Unfortunately...we know how that worked out.
Kenna Martin yeah, I've seen a large number of balconies collapse at hotels and a few from apartment buildings, but it usually happened when too many people were on it, such as spring break, or just a large amount of people at a party or event.
Einar Odinsson and yet it blew up cause of icicles. Boneheaded move on management knowing they should have scraped the launch, but pushed it through anyway. Comparison was perfect. You're just mad cause you didn't see this video & think of the comparison first. No need to embarrass yourself further unless you're prone to these kinds of boneheaded mistakes also, so move along.
@@albakreuk5830 in all honestly after "it looked good to the eye" you could insert anything...
Nolan Martin so why are you telling *_that_* to *_ME_* again?
@@albakreuk5830 it didn't blow up because of icicles. It was faulty o-rings that caused the Challenger explosion you dumb fuck.
No matter what country, when you walk out on a scenic view platform, keep you finger's crossed everyone done their job right.
Or be smart and appreciate life. Don't risk something stupid and have the privilege of growing old❤
@@pennybroyles2877 Growing old having never really lived because of fear of everything collapsing below you is a truncated shell of a life. It reminds me of my friend who spent his entire life prepping for WWIII, Y2K, then for Planet X, after that for 3 days of darkness, followed by a for a gamma burst, he hid for Fukushima for two weeks, next It was the cross shaped item that would come in the sky after that, at one point he was in Idaho hiding from black helicopters then whatever the next life stopping event was. I think right now he is in hiding after the Chinese reactor leak in June. This guy lived from Art Bell disaster to Alex Jones scenario, and now he is in his 70's and has never lived; enjoyed life. Always taking care of his deep lodder, FIFO needs to be maintained, keeping his GOD bags up to date. But heck when COVID happened I knew where to get toilet paper, so I guess his constant not trusting of humanity finally paid off. lol
Don't victim blame
This is heartbreaking and the negligence is astounding.
YES
In 1995 a deck with 100 people standing on a 12 x 25 foot deck collapsed, injuring 59. It later came out that the band board was simply nailed to the house. The building code, in Atlanta, was changed to require that the band board be bolted to the band board of the house.
I have a carpenter for over 50 years and the one thing I have learned is that no kind of "fastener" should ever be required to carry a supporting load when used with wood. Beams should always rest on TOP of their support columns.
I know that there are hundreds of people that will argue with me over this saying that 1/2" bolts are more than adequate to support a wooden beam. I have personally seen many wood beams and floor joist split from being bolted to close to the end or to close to the "top" of the beam.
This shouldn't have happened. My heart aches for the parents and the young man who will never walk again. I do believe the judge was paid off. If not, he should be removed from the bench. It would be like saying "yes he held the gun with his finger on the trigger but he didn't mean to kill her" mentality.
holy crap I paid more attention to the details when I built my coldframe for the garden...
I paid more attention to the safety and design of the catio that I built for my three cats. Yeesh.
Ive put ikea furniture together more carefully.
I am deeply moved by this film. The only reason I clicked on it was because of the name “Cave Creek”. I live in the US too, in Arizona. There is a town by this name in Arizona. I am glad I continued to watch it. Thank you.
Whomever built that thing is responsible. End of story. The builders are culpable.
I don't understand any other outcome.
I agree. someone needs to acknowledge that they do not have the skillset required for a task and ask for someone with the skillset to do it or at least supervise. They all should have known that they did not know what they were doing
@@manuferguson6564 agreed
Hella
RenegadeTimes its a different system of justice.
I think the architect that designed it is responsible! Yes the builders that built it should if known but blaming them is a bit harsh! Just a bad accident ! Blaming people wont bring the people back ! Better of moving on and trying to get back to a normal life as best you can! Constantly thinking about it only brings more hurt!! No government or people involved are going to say yes its our fault ! Im sure the people that designed and built it feel terrible about it!!
How the parents could walk up the next day is beyond me. I would have still been sedated after losing my child.
Carol DiRenzo everyone is different. For them, perhaps they were in such shock and disbelief; they needed to physically see what befell their children.
Was it the parents walking up? I thought it was DOC workers and Ministers ,police etc??
They needed to see and be near what happened. Not unusual behavior for grieving people....
Sedated huh
Maybe the parents did it
My heart breaks for these families. Time doesn't heal the pain, just teaches you how to survive with it. My deepest heartfelt sympathy.
My daughter was killed 2 years ago and I sometimes think I’m going to be okay and then I lose it again. Sometimes just her name brings on the sobbing and what really hurts is that I miss her more and more
@@janblackman6204, I'm so sorry for your loss of your daughter. I cannot imagine the depth of your grief. I don't know of any words to console you, but I want to tell you that my heart aches for you, and your comment brought me to tears. May God bless you, dear.
Well said. Been there. It took 10 years for me to feel better
@@janblackman6204so sorry for your loss 😔 I hope that you are still managing to survive and have found some peace within your unexplainable grief.... I cannot even begin to imagine. Much love to you and your family ❤❤❤
It was a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to the families of those who were injured and who lost their lives. This was an injustice that those who were ultimately responsible for this disaster were never prosecuted.
If group A knew the platform didn't seem stable why did they allow group B to go on it the next day when it hadn't been inspected for safety? Very silly someone needs to be held accountable. Surely if the public used the platform it should have been built by professionals ....structural engineers etc
@S M Well the person who noticed it being unstable the previous day DID request somebody come check it out, the problem was everyone jumped onto the platform the moment they got there.. and she had to stop and have a pee break.. its like an hour+ walk out there (after a twisted ankle) the person she brought came.. and also died.. it seemingly happened so fast he couldn't judge and react fast enough to say it was fucked and save anyone.
It was likely pushed to the brink by the previous days group.. and all it took was a full load the next time.
The victims would have been about my age now. This is so tragic - never should have happened....terribly sorry for your loss. Did not know that I was going to lose my only sibling in a drowning accident exactly one year later, in '96. Condolences and prayers to the familes & loved ones, from Nepal 🇳🇵 The void that is left can never be filled but I hope you find the strength, year after year, to live through this tragedy.
I’m sorry you lost your sibling ♥️
I so hope I'm wrong but the two leaders who knew there could be a problem. ...didn't follow the student's, but went to releave themselves?? The builders were clueless, anyone could see it wasn't safe! Legal action should be taken out on all involved!!
One adult who knew there may be a problem died with the kids. Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed them on knowing she felt it "flex" the day before. Very sad!
@17:18 " I slipped and twisted my ankle and had the urge to relieve myself" ; that doesn't sound right.
I think she new it was going to fall and didn't want to be there when it happened.
Haters gotta hate
Many dropped the ball here, but if I had to choose one individual most responsible for this tragedy it would be Kevan Wilde, with Craig Murdoch as a close second. It's no wonder they chose not to be interviewed. Anyone else agree?
It's genuinely astounding that nobody ever paused and said 'this thing is going on the edge of a high cliff - we need to make absolutely sure it's stable'. It's like they were building a lego house for their kids to play with. Just unbelievable.
Exactly. Its almost like they didnt understand that this was going to be a cliffside structure. They treated it like a backyard patio construction
The whole story is frustrating. The day before the platform flexed so another person goes out to see it,but when they get there they both decided to go off in the bushes and they allow the children to go onto the platform without saying anything to them. Im sorry,but that was foolish and inexcusable.
Such a beautiful country for such a heartbreaking tragedy..
I think ur pretty 😍
This is so heart breaking. It's a bitter sweet moment when I see each of the parents describe with joy and a gleam in their eyes, about how their kids got into school and liked the outdoors. They clearly have such beautiful memories of their kids getting into college, and yet that ended in disaster. May peace be with the departed souls.
You Tube brings the world to my door. An amazing group of people affected by negligence and fate. kind thoughts for the victims and their families.
Such a beautiful country and people to suffer such loss and injustice :(
Yes. I couldn't imagine..the complete💔😢
seeing Barbara and Ian talking about Evan and how they were impacted by this just broke my heart all over again like it was yesterday. He was a young man with so much life ahead of him and so much potential and so much to offer the world. Gone, not forgotten. And my aroha to those who have left comments who also knew them through school or where-ever. Arohanui to you all. Cave Creek is one of those things you just don't forget. I remember Barbara and Ian were so terribly in grief but also so brave about it , to go there and SEE where Evan and his friends had fallen, such a hard thing for them to do, for them to cope with. A very good couple with hearts of gold. Beautiful people with such kindness and strength. Stalwarts of our church at that time and community. I confess I STILL cant watch this documentary in its entirety, have tried several times if it is on TV etc but know it needed to be made . Hopefully the same errors will NEVER be repeated again! Thank you.
I remember seeing a bungled project and was told that they allowed a guy who operated heavy equipment to make the decisions since he was familiar with working with heavy equipment to do the job. My response was that men who operate heavy machinery implement engineering decisions; they don't make them.
What systemic failure? The law required plans to be submitted, analyzed and approved. If there was no retroactive approval process, the top of the platform should have been taken off the pilings and then the plans submitted. If the plans had been approved with bolts, tied in counterweights and the rest, the foundation could have been rebuilt to those specifications. The managers failed to do the very things that are designed to prevent death and injury. This lead to death and injury.
@Lewis Doherty...well said.
And without consequences, sadly- it will happen again. 😢
Absolutely heartbreaking
Judge Noble should have been fired as he was a total idiot with his verdict. A total cop out by cod. Should have sued them.
Suing people back then was unheard of. People lived with their pain. Suing became big business with the woman that burned herself with McDonalds coffee. I believe she got five million for her own stupidity. That was in the States where the saying 'So? Sue me.' came from. Now people sue for just about anything.
sylvia koziarski You don't actually know the story regarding that women and mc Donald's do you? You should go look it up. Today I found out did a good video. Because holy shit man. Learn something please.
@@sylviakoziarski4912 - That isn't what happened. She wasn't stupid. Why don't you look up the case and read about what ACTUALLY occurred before you spew off what the masses regurgitated from the inept news stations. You are just another sheeple.
@ABCD ABCD and what did it take for them to finally change their policy and stop burning their customers? That woman, who won her lawsuit with a huge $$$ award.
Besides the level of negligence being wrong on so many levels, the fact that no one was held accountable & made to pay for this tragedy, increases the likelihood of something like this happening again.
This is awful. Did they implement an audit on current existing
structures and find out how many more of these death traps there
are out there? No accountability is disgraceful.
My heart just aches for these families. the lack of accountability by those responsible is appalling, as is the lack of justice.
A wooden platform with normal nails right on the edge of a cliff top is Madness. Was Health & Safety & Risk Analysis not a thing then, not to mention being aware of litigation for death/injury caused by anything you're responsible for constructing.
When i heard the 2 people say they stepped off trail to relieve themselves, i was a little confused. "A sudden urge to relieve" herself bc of a twisted ankle? That sounded odd. Both had been on that platform the previous day. Although the woman admits to feeling the platform buckle on thursday, the man's response in the interview is suspect. He claims to have felt nothing, but his body language says otherwise. Perhaps both of them didnt relieve themselves at all. Maybe they hung back and watched mr o'day get on with students to get his opinion???? Idk. Just seems a little odd. This ia 1 of the worst cases of negligence ive ever heard of. Everyone involved is just throwing their hands up like"idk. Wasnt me." absolutely maddening. Cant imagine how much anger, resentment, blame, sadness, etc the families have carried all these years.
That was exactly what I was thinking. I can't help but think that neither of them were too keen to stand on it again, after movement of it being discussed/felt the day before. That voice in the back of their head, subconcious or not, telling them to steer clear. Having to "relieve themselves" being the perfect reason to hang back and not be apart of what could happen.....that so sadly, did.
Susan Di Laudo I thought as much something is really wrong here 🤔😢
1980mels those two that decided to wee at that moment in time is not suspect at all . Some comments are making it sound as if they knew without a doubt that something was up and just let them die . Stop making those comments they are as innocent as those that died . Those that constructed and built that damn thing should all be held reliable and it should be appealed and brought to a higher court because there was no justice done here and the presiding judge was a dimwit.
Marcella Sheridan if you read my other comment you’d see I said the exact same thing . It’s right under my first comment how you’d miss that? So chill out and think before misspeaking.
Some people are so stupid it's funny... sort of...
I visited the platform two days after it was made. My friend and I stood out and looked over the edge and my nephew immediately started jumping up and down on the back to see if it would shake. It did and we got off there straight away. We checked it and nothing had come loose but there was a lot of movement. It scared the fuck out of us. As soon as I heard about the accident a few days later I knew in an instant what had happenned. I know all the people involved in the construction of that platform. It changed peoples lives forever.
Omg this is heartbreaking, I never heard of this tragedy. All those beautiful young lives lost. They would be about my age now 💔 my condolences to the poor families 🙏
Ur very pretty Suzan
Darwin Award. “Ten years after the accident, survivor Stacy Mitchell said that he and some other students were shaking the platform hard when it collapsed, which he had not reported at the time through fear of being blamed.”
The previous set of students were jumping up and down on it too the day before. They admitted it though. This platform definitely wasn't safe and the department DID screw up the whole process....but the platform likely would have held up if none of the kids jumped and shook it on either of those days.
that's what kids do I suppose. Doesn't sound like there were any safety signs, weight & no.s limits on platform, considering it was hanging over a cliff edge. This platform should have been made to withstand anything, sadly it would have eventually collapsed because of the shoddy design, implementation and workmanship.
The way I look at it, it’s the designers and builders of the thing that are responsible, even though the kids were fooling around - it’s what kids do and that should have been anticipated. Things like bridges and buildings are designed and built all the time to handle much higher stresses and loads than expected in normal use.
Did they believe that it was supposed to do that for special affects? No thinking on their part
You can practically feel these patents’ pain. It comes right back to them so quickly.
What an astonishing degree of injustice! My heart & prayers go out 2 all the families & the deceased. How heartbreaking! 💔😢
God bless all involved! Group “B” should have never been aloud on the platform after what happened the day before with group “A”.
Where was 'god' or any 'guardian angels' to protect all these people?
@@hiko73 Oh look, the ever-clever atheist strikes again! Gee, you're right. How can we all be so stupid when you can point at every single bad event in history and ask such a question.
Thanks for setting us straight with your wisdom.
@@hiko73 right ?
The Regressive Progressive You know the clever atheist has really valid point. If your so called god really existed why would he allow 14 young people in their prime to die. God is bullshit it’s a fairytale that’s got so out of hand over years. Too many good people die in this world at such a young age and the bullshit that god bothering idiots come out with “ it was clearly their time and god has more important things planned for that person ) Ffs.
What a crock of shit. People use Christian faith as a way to make money now with American tv evangelists and the amount of money you give at the end of a service before you leave church. Fuck sake I have better things to do with my time and money.
@@davedebang-bang6168 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Absolutely deplorable that no one was prosecuted over this. THEY HAD NO PERMIT!!! You can't even put up a chook shed in your backyard without a permit. Another case of "Do as I say. Don't do as I do." I hope the people involved remember the faces of the deceased until the day they die. My heart breaks for all the families. So many young lives, full of promise, cut short.
This is the first time I heard of this. 25 + yrs after the fact. My heart breaks for the families that had to live through this tragity. 🙏💛
An exact duplicate should be made and the original builders ,are to go out on it and jump up and down........
Good ol' medieval justice
Agreed.
Why oh earth would you have 14 people on it regardless of build
@@ladytruth303 I feel so Horrible but
@@Thornspyre81 zz and I would to a zazzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzz3zzaazazzz,azzzzzzzzazzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzaazzzazzazeazazzazzazazzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzazzz the bank and in a or other for you zzz in to zzz the dr. and I the zzz zzz zzz zzz is zzz are the azzzzzzzzzazzzazzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzaaazzzza3zzzzazzzzzazzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzazazazzzzazzzazzzzzzzzzzzzzazzzzzzzzzaazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzazzz zazzzzzzz are the zz,zzthe are zazzzzzzzzzzz of jazz zzz are zazzzzzzz zzz's on z a azalea of zazzzzzzzzzzzzazazz zazzzzzzzzzzzzazazz who a zzthe JAZZ, SINGER OF A BAND AND ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ AND ZZTHE ZZTHE JAZZ IN IS AND A LITTLE ZZTHE ZZZZZZAZHZZZA ZZZZZZ ZAZZZZZZZZZZZ IS IN ZZTHE ZZZZZZZZZAZZZZZZZZZZ AZZZAZZAZZZZE6ZZZZ
Why would ant grown up want tl do such a reckless thing? Those kids were dumb.
I've noticed it wasn't braced from underneath it just hangs out over
the cliff.
@j mcmann There were quite a lot more issues than that
No counter-balance, or tethering cables either.
LINDA it was thoughts like that from the unqualified like yourself perhaps that caused this ....... leave it to the proffesionals
Not very knowledgeable about weight, stress or gravity either
I remember this tragedy hitting the news when I was a kid. So glad to see a documentary about it.
I feel, for the parents. My heart ached when the spoke of life after the loss of their child. I can't even imagine the pain.
I hadn't realized New Zealand was governed by an Autocracy! Seems that way since no one in Gov't or anyone else was held responsible for this National tragedy. Shame on them all, and may their conscious' be forever troubled.
The leader of group B was to be blamed as well as he’d been told by leader of group A that she felt that something was a bit off with that platform and he chose to ignore that information. And everyone involved in its construction and building of it are equally as responsible. The judge was a dimwit and these parents and attorneys need to appeal and to take this case to a higher court with new attorneys. Such a sad tragedy but I simply cannot understand why for the love of god didn’t the leader of group B listen!! RIP to everyone who lost their lives that day . And shame on this judge for not finding fault. Appeal appeal and APPEAL!!!
Hey its funny how team leader B needed to relieve himself as well, leaving that poor man (who was only there because of team leader A), and the kids to fall to thier deaths
YES
Why do you need a ledge on a ledge???????????? Is my FIRST question!!!
Dani Agreed
Dani hahaha hahaha cuz enough is not enough lol like Arby’s beef,ham,cheese,bacon,butter, pastrami,sandwich on a bed of mashed potato and pasta
It's a look out spot it's just better because you have the feeling to be swaying. These Jung people were unlucky enough to literally be swaying 🤪 may they rest in peace
@@Proverbs--tx6yr sorry but thanks for pointing that out. Had to go edit
@@Humgin1234 Holy shit . . I live in Ireland . . are such burgers legit? Bonkers . .
I almost lost my lunch when I saw the shoddy workmanship and sketchy, inadequate specifications. This is a true cautionary tale of what can happen when so-called "experts" try to cut corners and end up sacrificing innocent lives. The guilty parties should have been penalized to the full extent of the law.
My deepest condolences to the trusting, blameless victims and their families.
I have heard of this happening until today.
I just don't understand how this was allowed to be built.
I have no background in building and even I could say it was a giant seesaw. Where was the common sense here?
My father was a builder by trade and remember several times the he walked off jobs because he refused to cut corners for the sake of $.
He would always say he'd rather look for another job than to live with the fact that he built something unsafe.
I love how everyone acknowledges that there were no plans on site.
"Do you have the plans?"
"No, do you?"
"Nope, why would I have such a ridiculous thing?"
"Should we maybe call and get them?"
"Nah, let's just build it. We'll make it up as we go."
DURRRRRRRR
Exactly what the actual F*#=
"She'll be right mate" 🙄
I remember living in NZ when this tragedy occurred. The kids were the same age as my own children. A loss of life like that hurts even more in the smaller communities of NZ. The famous Kiwi Spirit created the perfect attitude for people to challenge the outdoors or anything else. It’s no mystery why Sir Edmund Hillary led the way in the eyes of the world, but New Zealanders have always been keen for challenges. During the time we lived there, there was no personal injury insurance except for workers within their company. When a son was injured whilst on a school trip, due to clear negligence on the part of a go-cart concern, we as Americans were astonished to learn that we could not get help for a serious injury. Our Auckland MP knew of the problem and of the shoddy go-cart joint in particular.
US insurance is more of a problem than not in many ways, but there have to be regulations in place and penalties for those who can’t be bothered to take proper care. Otherwise, one risks becoming like my home country under the criminal trump, who would have been fine with the deaths and the lack of consequences.
Now, I’m home and wish all the best to my friends and fellow countrymen (dual citizenship), especially under the wise and compassionate oversight of Jacinda Arden. Kia kaha, dear hearts.
Thank you.
How could even men that are not qualified builders not realise what they were building was not right .
It's called EGO. White male entitlement at its base form. To think you can just build something like this, makes me SO mad! Ego & stupidity killed all these people.
hiko73 I have done some building but not qualified. To me it all seems Mickey mouse . Properly desighn built wit steel I would of thought .
Disabled Genius It's not hard to figure out that it's your brain that's disabled genius. Piss off
@@hiko73 omg...the SJWs are here. How bout this, idiot...if they weren’t qualified, they didn’t know it wasn’t right.
Steven, the one man who held NO responsibility is the ONLY one who felt responsible for his students.
I only just learned about this. What a tragic story. I also find it amazing that there were any survivors at all, let alone one person who was barely harmed. I've always been wary of platforms, even if they look strong. The guys that built it, were a bunch of complete cowboys. They should have had to answer for their actions. Surely nobody could be that stupid?
To me there are only two main mistakes. One is no Engineer and two is the absence of a qualified builder. Even without an Engineer, a qualified builder would have made it very strong and that person would probably have made it using a belt and braces approach, given the risks of the site.
Justyburger ik
My mum told me about this the other day and said she lived with some of them
I live in the states and found this while searching for cavers stories. What an awful event. I'm a general contractor that works on commercial construction. I have no engineering or structural education of any kind, but even when we are building a wooden footpath raised 2 feet off the ground, we know that through bolts must be used to secure the planking with the pylons. It is completely absurd to think that only nails were used as fasteners. Literally everyone in my company of 40 people would know that this platform is completely unstable. Adding the concrete stairs as a cantilever is about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Even if the concrete stairs had been connected securely, it's still very likely the load would have shifted which could have thrown people over the railing. Would it have been acceptable if only one or a couple children had died instead of 14? Shame on the people involved in this and shame on the government and courts for not holding anyone accountable.
Yep.....that clear platform at the Grand Canyon....ain't going on that thing. I don't care how strong they say it is.
IMO for some reason the sign stands out the most for me. Before sticking that sign in my desk I would have taken a hammer and nail and done it myself, having never used either. There’s no way I could have went home knowing it was in my hands 1 second longer than necessary. Opening ur desk every day for who knows how long seeing that? Irrepressible. Not that it would have changed anything but still the cost of a nail could have saved every soul over 5. The lady that spoke about the children hopping on it the day b4 made me sick. Somehow shifting the blame on them. She should never had said that.
Thank you for the upload...how tragic is this?? I am in Australia but I had never heard of this before!! Absolute disgrace that no-one has been made to be accountable!!
To build something like that on federal land in the United States the builders would have to jump through so much red tape
Yes and no,
from what I saw in the Appalachians there are still plenty of disasters waiting to happen...
locals know about it and are careful to avoid those bridges/quays/trails...
anyone who went to scout-trips there will remember hearing that certain structures are off-limits because they are dilapidated, yet there is no warning on them, nor anything to suggest them to
be any more dangerous than the next one.
Same in Australia. But this was the 90s things have changed and improved a lot
Same in NZ now - this was 23 years ago.
And the reason for red tape is to prevent something like this from happening in the first place.
Ya THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
Never heard of this accident. What a tragedy