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News & ArtsWednesday, June 13, 2012
Crime One Person Dies, Another Is Seriously Injured Falling from Gasworks
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Jun 13, 2012 at 1:03 PM
Several days ago The Stranger received a distraught e-mail from a woman whose 19-year-old nephew died after illegally climbing on—and falling from—the corroded gasification equipment at Gas Works Park on May 25. His name was Lucas, he'd just graduated from high school in Boston, and he was in the midst of a cross-country road trip with friends at the time.
"The young man had fallen from an estimated distance of 30 feet on the north side of a fuel tank," Seattle Fire Department wrote on its blog. "The area the man was climbing in was cordoned off with razor wire fencing and no trespassing signs."
His aunt, Christine Perez, was concerned that his death went unnoticed by Seattle residents—there were no obituaries in local papers and no mention of the accident in the local press.
"I would just like people to be informed about these gas towers," writes Perez. "I would also like my nephew, Lucas Voss-Kernan, to be the example of what could happen if you risk climbing these towers. I do not want his death to have been in vain... the community needs to know. Tourists need to know."
Of course, Seattle residents and tourists should already know. No one accidentally illegally climbs on decrepit old factory equipment surrounded by fences, razor wire, and "no trespassing" signs.
But people do it all the same. Neither the parks department nor the Seattle Police Department could provide detailed records on how often accidents like this happen, but the Fire Department notes that on May 12, medics responded to calls that a 25-year-old fell from the equipment and broke his leg, and medics have responded to at least four other fall-related calls since 2006.
And anecdotally, it seems that everyone knows someone who's climbed the structures. Most have been fine, but others have fallen, broken a bone, had a metal plate screwed into their skull, or died. Mention the park and everyone's got a story of an injury, and yet these stories typically go unreported.
Which seems to indicate two things: That the fence, signs, and razor wire are remarkably easy to get around, and the accidents that result are almost viewed as mundane. And that isn't right.
If there are gaps or holes in that fence, the parks department should patch them. Perhaps they should also double the size of their signage, maybe add something jazzy like, "Do Not Climb on This Equipment or You Might Die. We're Fucking Serious."
And people should start taking those warnings seriously.
2
He climbed over razor wire that is clearly marked to prevent him from playing on something that is dangerous. I know I'm supposed to feel sad but this is called to stupid to live.
Darwin wins.
Darwin wins.
3
Yes, let's spend money the city doesn't have because people are stupid. Damnit I sound like an anti government asshole here.
4
The way this usually works is eventually someone sues, the city decides the item is an attractive nuisance, and demolishes it. :P
6
Ehh, I don't know if this is Darwin Award worthy. This seems like pretty typical 19-year-old male behavior to me.
7
This is really sad, and it's true: we do have a blind spot as to how dangerous climbing on that equipment really is because we all know someone who's done it. That being said, even a mile of razor wire isn't going to stop a teenager on a cross country tourist trip from climbing on some scary looking cool shit. I doubt anyone checks the local obits before embarking on some dangerous trespassing for kicks and photo ops.
Personally, I've never climbed around on there. Because I don't want to fall down and break my head open. It's pretty obvious that climbing around on huge, old, rusted machinery is unsafe, with or without razor wire around it.
Personally, I've never climbed around on there. Because I don't want to fall down and break my head open. It's pretty obvious that climbing around on huge, old, rusted machinery is unsafe, with or without razor wire around it.
8
Wasn't this a "very special" episode of "Punky Brewster" or "Silver Spoons"? And did we not learn anything, peoples?!
9
There are structures everywhere that, if climbed, can result in death. You don't need to tell anyone not to climb them because, well, it's fucking obvious. But when you're young, no amount of signage is going to put sense in your head. It's either there already or you are going to get it soon. That doesn't change the fact that he was loved and will be missed. And for that, his loved one's have my condolences.
10
Young men pull dumb stunts like this all the time, and occasionally they die. I feel for their families. It must be tremendously difficult to lose someone is such a stupid, senseless way.
11
This would not have happened if he was wearing an approved trespassing helmet. One designed specifically for trespassing - a bicycle helmet is not good enough.
12
Once again, Vince said it best. My heart aches for the family. Such a terrible loss.
Young men take chances. Sometimes the law of averages catches up with them.
Young men take chances. Sometimes the law of averages catches up with them.
13
Publicizing it runs the risk of causing more people to actually give it a try, that's why they don't report it. Copycat suicindes are a real phenomenon, and doing death-defying stunts is appealing to a significant fraction of adolescent males.
14
I have never understood why the city doesn't tear down the structures behind the fence. You would think the equipment in the covered areas would be enough to get across the point that a gasification plant used to stand on the park grounds.
15
Having grown up going to Gasworks and still going there with the dog, I've never understood why people would climb up the fenced off parts (I understand the thrill), but the fact that it's so run down you'd get tetanus just by looking at it. To me the risk/reward just isn't worth it.
That said, I love the post-apocolaptic feel it gives the park and I hope they never tear it down.
That said, I love the post-apocolaptic feel it gives the park and I hope they never tear it down.
16
I hate that so many people think death of young people is acceptable.
I am sure each of you has done literally hundreds of things that could have resulted in your death, and an idiot blog commenter would have written "Darwin award" on your death notice.
I am sure each of you has done literally hundreds of things that could have resulted in your death, and an idiot blog commenter would have written "Darwin award" on your death notice.
17
The trouble with making factual assessments based on anecdotal evidence is that you often end up with convenient but untrue facts.
Cienna and zobot@7 - I don't know anyone who has crossed the fences and climbed the Gasworks structures (and the year it became a park roughly coincides with me entering the risky teenage Seattlite age group). If I don't know anyone who's done it then it doesn't ever happen, right?
Cienna and zobot@7 - I don't know anyone who has crossed the fences and climbed the Gasworks structures (and the year it became a park roughly coincides with me entering the risky teenage Seattlite age group). If I don't know anyone who's done it then it doesn't ever happen, right?
18
@6 - The phrase "was 19 years old" in an obituary should be an automatic Darwin award nomination.
19
@16 if I died doing some dumb shit, a Darwin Award would need to be deservedly handed out. Such as when I drunkenly almost fell through a stair that wasn't there. Supposedly. At least that's what I was told.
20
@14: Sometimes the removal and subsequent clean-up process would be so expensive that it's just not worth it. This is usually why the EPA gets involved with Superfund sites and similar programs.
21
On the Kalalau trail on Kauai, there's a sign that gives a running tally of how many folks have died falling off the cliffs. It over 80 when we went, and there were idiots everywhere, letting their kids walk in crocs in the rain on a muddy, slick trail on top of a 500' cliff that dropped straight into the ocean. It's a couple miles in, but it should be at the start.
The Parks Dept. may wish to add a similar sign tallying injuries and deaths.
Christine Perez: i'm sorry for your loss, but the community DOES know, and that information is readily available to tourists.
Also, @7: there is, in fact, an amount of razor wire that will stop a teenager from climbing those towers - after all, there's a combination of razor wire & fencing that will stop prisoners from climbing prison walls.
The Parks Dept. may wish to add a similar sign tallying injuries and deaths.
Christine Perez: i'm sorry for your loss, but the community DOES know, and that information is readily available to tourists.
Also, @7: there is, in fact, an amount of razor wire that will stop a teenager from climbing those towers - after all, there's a combination of razor wire & fencing that will stop prisoners from climbing prison walls.
22
I am pretty sure it garnered at least a one-paragraph article in the Everett Herald ehen it happened. I do not have the ability to search for it at the moment.
Y'all are too young to remember that way back when the park opened, there were no fences. Only the 'No Climbing' signs were in place. Folks were expected to honor the signs, few did, so Parks put up fences. It was a couple of years later, if I recall properly.
Y'all are too young to remember that way back when the park opened, there were no fences. Only the 'No Climbing' signs were in place. Folks were expected to honor the signs, few did, so Parks put up fences. It was a couple of years later, if I recall properly.
23
@ 14, the structures are around because they're neat to look at. I love old industrial buildings.
@ 16, unless you're proposing something concrete to counter the deaths of young people who take risks like this, I would say you're out of line here. The fact is that there will always be kids who break the rules and defy the odds, and some will pay with their lives. If you don't accept that, then you don't accept a fundamental component of youth, and the human condition in general. And I say this even though I was the kid who never got in trouble, never climbed anything but the easiest tree, never would even consider climbing the gas works if I'd grown up there.
That said, good, strongly worded signage, coupled with good fencing, would keep all but the most daring kids out of the structures, and there would be fewer injuries and deaths. Most kids who do that stuff downplay the risks, but that's a lot harder when facing a sign that, for example, informs you of how many people died or were seriously injured doing what you're about to do. Again, some will do it anyway. THAT CAN'T BE HELPED. But perfection is never the goal in safety, and the fact that nothing is perfect is never a valid argument against a safety proposal.
@ 16, unless you're proposing something concrete to counter the deaths of young people who take risks like this, I would say you're out of line here. The fact is that there will always be kids who break the rules and defy the odds, and some will pay with their lives. If you don't accept that, then you don't accept a fundamental component of youth, and the human condition in general. And I say this even though I was the kid who never got in trouble, never climbed anything but the easiest tree, never would even consider climbing the gas works if I'd grown up there.
That said, good, strongly worded signage, coupled with good fencing, would keep all but the most daring kids out of the structures, and there would be fewer injuries and deaths. Most kids who do that stuff downplay the risks, but that's a lot harder when facing a sign that, for example, informs you of how many people died or were seriously injured doing what you're about to do. Again, some will do it anyway. THAT CAN'T BE HELPED. But perfection is never the goal in safety, and the fact that nothing is perfect is never a valid argument against a safety proposal.
24
@16 The headline could very well have read "Teen dies doing something he knew he shouldn't be doing." If any of the dumbass things I did when I was a kid had resulted in my death, I'd only have myself to blame and would accept my Darwin Award with grace.
25
Cienna:
Does the aunt know you posted this to SLOG? If so, I question the wisdom of you doing so. The "Darwin award" comments were inevitable, and if I was a member of this kid's family, I would not want to read them.
If the objective of this post was truly "community awareness", you should've closed comments.
Does the aunt know you posted this to SLOG? If so, I question the wisdom of you doing so. The "Darwin award" comments were inevitable, and if I was a member of this kid's family, I would not want to read them.
If the objective of this post was truly "community awareness", you should've closed comments.
26
Cienna - I don't know anyone that was stupid enough to try to scale the fence and climb the structures, and I had plenty of friends that did stupid stuff in high school. Mind your hyperbole.
27
@#16
People need not be so callous. The young man's death is a tragedy, and his family and friends have my sympathies. None of this changes the obvious truth that a young man who is dies in an accident after ignoring posted warnings, circumventing a chain-link fence topped with razor-wire, and climbing thirty feet up a decrepit rusting structure has caused his own death.
People need not be so callous. The young man's death is a tragedy, and his family and friends have my sympathies. None of this changes the obvious truth that a young man who is dies in an accident after ignoring posted warnings, circumventing a chain-link fence topped with razor-wire, and climbing thirty feet up a decrepit rusting structure has caused his own death.
28
@25
Nothing Cienna Madrid posts is for the good of the community or of humanity.
She's a troll and she licks her chops at this kind of thing. Most of what's posted on this blog is the same formula: stupid act + somebody got hurt + government must do something. Or must not do something, if that's the more shocking and anti-social position to take (e.g. graffiti or the suicide fence), because it's all about the page views.
( @26 I don't know anybody dumb enough to have climbed that thing either. I suppose not everybody has the same proportion of jackasses in their circles.)
Nothing Cienna Madrid posts is for the good of the community or of humanity.
She's a troll and she licks her chops at this kind of thing. Most of what's posted on this blog is the same formula: stupid act + somebody got hurt + government must do something. Or must not do something, if that's the more shocking and anti-social position to take (e.g. graffiti or the suicide fence), because it's all about the page views.
( @26 I don't know anybody dumb enough to have climbed that thing either. I suppose not everybody has the same proportion of jackasses in their circles.)
30
Gasworks is a noxious, decrepit eyesore that would be better replaced by flat green lawn. I know, I know—it's polluted and expensive to remove. Still, it's a syphilitic chancre on the lip of Seattle.
31
Darwin darwin darwin! A dude is dead because he ignored a sign and he deserved it and now I'm gonna act all smugly superior about it. I ain't never jaywalked or broke the speed limit or otherwise done something dangerous because I figured I was man enough to handle the consequences or everybody else was doing it or I was bored or in a hurry. Darwin darwin darwin!
32
Beyond a certain point, added razor wire just makes it more challenging to Darwin Award contestants.
33
@23: i think the actual reason they're still around, but fenced off, is that demolition & mitigation of the hazardous material was prohibitively expensive. the hill is also hazardous soils that have been capped.
34
"If there are gaps or holes in that fence, the parks department should patch them. "
Maybe the reporter should take herself down there and find out.
Maybe the reporter should take herself down there and find out.
35
@#28
I can't say I've paid enough attention to notice what sorts of things she posts, but I'm not sure a glance at her post archive supports your contention.
I can't say I've paid enough attention to notice what sorts of things she posts, but I'm not sure a glance at her post archive supports your contention.
36
They could add more razor wire, someone would cut their fingers off trying to get through, and then complain that the city needed to put a barrier around the razor wire with a sign warning them not to grab it.
37
I have to say I think society might be better off if we weeded out the kind of people who think "Darwin award" comments make for witty commentary on a kid's death. Especially the ones who say essentially the same thing about...oh, let's say about 32 comments into the thread. Callous and unoriginal! Congrats!
38
While it is very sad. No amount of signage and razor wire is going to make up for a lack of reading comprehension and common sense.
39
If my kid died, I would want his death to mean something, too. This poor woman is trying to make sense of something senseless.
My condolences, and god I hope it never happens to me.
My condolences, and god I hope it never happens to me.
40
@21 - funny, that is exactly the example I was going to cite. That sign on the Kalalau trail is very effective. (And if anyone reading this loves backpacking as I do - that 11mile hike is my all time #1. HIGHLY recommended)
41
So, four fall related calls in 6 years? Sounds like the signs and razor wire are doing their job pretty effectively. Some people are going to go where signs say not to. I've done it. Probably do it again. But, as the saying goes, you makes yer choices, ya takes yer chances.
Sorry for the loss of your son, Ma'am.
Sorry for the loss of your son, Ma'am.
42
"There's a sign at Ramsett Park that says, "Do Not Drink the Sprinkler Water" so I made sun tea with it and now I have an infection."
45
@16 "...each of you has done literally hundreds of things that could have resulted in your death,..."
nope. Don't project your life on others, okay?
nope. Don't project your life on others, okay?
46
Aww, the aunt of the stupid dead kid is sad that he didn't get local attention. She also assumes that everybody else in the world is just as clueless as her brood.
If he hadn't fallen from this structure, he probably would have died going over a waterfall like all those stories we were getting last year. It's the same type of "the rules don't apply to me" stupidity.
If he hadn't fallen from this structure, he probably would have died going over a waterfall like all those stories we were getting last year. It's the same type of "the rules don't apply to me" stupidity.
47
I do think this should be in the news, just because I do believe that it's news. If most people climb on the towers and escape unscathed (the others get in accidents of ranging severity), then a death is an outlier and I'd consider it newsworthy. It might also serve as its own warning to future boys and girls (mostly boys, and it probably would not).
However, I reallllly disagree with the "MORE PRECAUTIONS" message, because it's nonsense. This was an accident, pure and simple. The majority of deaths between toddler-age and old-age occur because of accidents, and it always sucks, but more signs, money, and safety precautions won't help all that much. I also won't even call this "stupidity" (those of you who are have a bad case of egoism and forgetting-what-it's-like-to-be-19 syndrome). This is just plum bad luck. He may have acted stupidly, but we all have, and we've all just been luckier. I count my lucky stars that I never fell out of my loft and broke my neck when I was 19 in my tiny apartment when I was blacked out. And a big giant middle finger to those who say "he deserved it," or anything along those lines. Get off your high horses, and stop acting like you're some flawless, rose-scented shit straight from God's ass. It's like you all think you've never acted like a fool. Come on.
But again, I don't like the whole "MORE SAFETY" stuff either. Just think, if there were police everywhere, making sure we didn't get injured, maybe nobody'd get hurt! If there were nets attached to every building that might catch us when we fall, nobody'd die from falling! If our cars just drove themselves and had sensors to stop them from hitting any other car, there'd be no accidents...
... and all of our autonomy would vanish in a moment's notice.
More...
However, I reallllly disagree with the "MORE PRECAUTIONS" message, because it's nonsense. This was an accident, pure and simple. The majority of deaths between toddler-age and old-age occur because of accidents, and it always sucks, but more signs, money, and safety precautions won't help all that much. I also won't even call this "stupidity" (those of you who are have a bad case of egoism and forgetting-what-it's-like-to-be-19 syndrome). This is just plum bad luck. He may have acted stupidly, but we all have, and we've all just been luckier. I count my lucky stars that I never fell out of my loft and broke my neck when I was 19 in my tiny apartment when I was blacked out. And a big giant middle finger to those who say "he deserved it," or anything along those lines. Get off your high horses, and stop acting like you're some flawless, rose-scented shit straight from God's ass. It's like you all think you've never acted like a fool. Come on.
But again, I don't like the whole "MORE SAFETY" stuff either. Just think, if there were police everywhere, making sure we didn't get injured, maybe nobody'd get hurt! If there were nets attached to every building that might catch us when we fall, nobody'd die from falling! If our cars just drove themselves and had sensors to stop them from hitting any other car, there'd be no accidents...
... and all of our autonomy would vanish in a moment's notice.
48
Also, I seriously hate how so many Seattleites are all "have compassion for the lesser fortunate! Social programs! Taxes! Save the planet!" and then are sooo quick to condemn a kid for acting like a fucking kid.
49
I guess we were just too distracted by a bunch of random shootings of innocent bystanders to give a shit about a kid who can't read warning signs.
50
@37
I agree. As soon as we DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, we should cull this fucking herd.
@ a lot of you
Man, you're a bunch of squares, huh?
I agree. As soon as we DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, we should cull this fucking herd.
@ a lot of you
Man, you're a bunch of squares, huh?
51
If the kid was already not aware that falling from a height was dangerous, no amount of signs or razor wire would dissuade him.
This is not a case of being ignorant of the danger, but rather knowingly ignoring the danger to act like a 19 year old kid. You can't stop that.
Also, industrial style fences are really easy to get over/through, even when they have razor wire and are well maintained. All you need is either a thick blanket, or a bolt cutter/tin snips. This does not apply to fences at prisons.
This is not a case of being ignorant of the danger, but rather knowingly ignoring the danger to act like a 19 year old kid. You can't stop that.
Also, industrial style fences are really easy to get over/through, even when they have razor wire and are well maintained. All you need is either a thick blanket, or a bolt cutter/tin snips. This does not apply to fences at prisons.
53
Leave it to Seattle to create a park on top of a toxic waste site...and then encourage children and families to flock there.
Read the signs next to the whirly-gigs....the sand is poison.
54
Sad for the family. Young men die in diverse and frequently stupid ways.
2007 stats state unintentional injuries as the number 1cause of death in males 15 to 19 ( 47.5%) and males 20 to 24 ( 46.7% ) http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/2007/AllMen2…
No doubt God lets young men die stupidly because of the homosexuals. His Aim is notoriously bad.
2007 stats state unintentional injuries as the number 1cause of death in males 15 to 19 ( 47.5%) and males 20 to 24 ( 46.7% ) http://www.cdc.gov/men/lcod/2007/AllMen2…
No doubt God lets young men die stupidly because of the homosexuals. His Aim is notoriously bad.
55
Blame it on the testosterone and his still-developing 19 year old brain. Poor kid. Poor family. But the fact that this so rarely happens shows the razor wire is working.
58
At some point young adults need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. If you play with fire, you are going to get burned. Just as if you trespass over a razor wire fence and ignore all the large danger warning signs, the chances of getting hurt are potentially in your favor. I feel a little at awe that the author, Cienna, is asking that more be done to prevent such accidents. A young man that will climb a razor wire fence to fulfill his mischievous act will practically do near anything physically possible to fulfill his dangerous desire. To place a larger, more youthful appealing sign to help prevent future incidences is purely ignorant. Kids will be kids and unfortunately kids do stupid things, sometimes costing them their own life. No matter the amount of flashy signs placed in plane view, teens will still drink, drive fast, cliff jump, and climb onto the gasworks structure.
59
At some point young adults need to start taking responsibility for their own actions. If you play with fire, you are going to get burned. Just as if you trespass over a razor wire fence and ignore all the large danger warning signs, the chances of getting hurt are potentially in your favor. I feel a little at awe that the author, Cienna, is asking that more be done to prevent such accidents. A young man that will climb a razor wire fence to fulfill his mischievous act will practically do near anything physically possible to fulfill his dangerous desire. To place a larger, more youthful appealing sign to help prevent future incidences is purely ignorant. Kids will be kids and unfortunately kids do stupid things, sometimes costing them their own life. No matter the amount of flashy signs placed in plane view, teens will still drink, drive fast, cliff jump, and climb onto the gasworks structure. @ suddenlyorcas – Great point. Even if this boy wasn’t tragically killed at the gasworks, his need for adrenaline and lack of respect for danger signs would have likely have caught up with him sooner than later.
60
Those structures were unfenced for years, if I recall correctly.
And for a few years at least, the Space Needle observation deck looked (way cooler) like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangespace…
This is sad, but I don't know if we win by covering every structure up with more and more fencing. At some point the world kind of sucks like that, doesn't it?
And for a few years at least, the Space Needle observation deck looked (way cooler) like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/orangespace…
This is sad, but I don't know if we win by covering every structure up with more and more fencing. At some point the world kind of sucks like that, doesn't it?
61
"Voss-Kernan’s family asked him to share that Voss-Kernan’s death was not anyone’s fault...."
My sympathies are with the family, and I understand why they need to believe this, but the takeaway is that doing stupid stuff can get you killed.
My sympathies are with the family, and I understand why they need to believe this, but the takeaway is that doing stupid stuff can get you killed.
62
Bring flowers for the Solstice Pageant at Gas Works after the Fremont Solstice Parade on Saturday.
64
@21 I believe that the purpose of fences around prisons is to slow down the prisoners enough to detect and intercept them. If there were no guards, someone would find a way to climb or cut the fence.
65
Please have some respect for this family. Seems like this was a good kid with a promising future.
http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/newton/2012…
http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/newton/2012…
66
I fell last week and squeezed through the fence so I didn't have to climb over the barbed wire. Climbed all the way to the top cat walk and there was a plank missing. I fell forty feet broke my pelvis in three places and my ankle. I have hairline fractures in my ribs and messed kidneys lungs and blatter. Don't climb at night time or ever. It was one of the stupidest things I have done and I am fortunately alive.
67
I fell last week and squeezed through the fence so I didn't have to climb over the barbed wire. Climbed all the way to the top cat walk and there was a plank missing. I fell forty feet broke my pelvis in three places and my ankle. I have hairline fractures in my ribs and messed kidneys lungs and blatter. Don't climb at night time or ever. It was one of the stupidest things I have done and I am fortunately alive.
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