Quote:
Originally Posted by Misty Blue
First a horrible, horrible tragedy happened on the Lake. We can't make it go away. But what I can't understand is why this is BIG news? Yea, it's a big deal for us folks on the Lake and for the unfortunate people involved but why is it front page news for days and days in the papers and WMUR and big media? If the same event happened in a car on I-93 or on a snowmobile on a trail, same facts just different circumstances, same judgement that the press and the public would forget about it in short time.
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This was a lightning rod issue because of her highly visible political position as the head of an organization which presented itself as an advocate for safe boating. She considered herself qualified and entitled to opine on proper,appropriate, and safe boating and hence qualified to influence legislation in this regard. The accident, when it happened, quickly went national because of the inherent irony involved and was the subject on several sites of a great deal of joking, sad as it was for all involved. The accident has subsequently influenced the way Concord views the lake and will undoubtedly continue to do so for some time. We also know that many of our legislators in Concord view this site and/or recreate on Winnipesaukee. In any case, we see this kind of intense media coverage when other public figures are caught in an action which compromises their professed philosophies. The matter stayed in the public eye after the verdict because of the similarly ironic aftermath the next day. Fortunately no one was injured on Rt. 93 and the injuries on Diamond Is.could have been even more significant if they been traveling at 25 -30 MPH instead of the 18 MPH put forth by the defense.
Unfortunately this matter will be in the public eye for some time to come with upcoming sentencing, possible retrial, and potential civil litigation. We can only hope that all the attention to this affair has increased public awareness of some of the safety issues on the lake and therefore positively influence boating safety.