Fun, Illegal Soapbox Racing Becomes Deadly, Illegal Soapbox Racing
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While I know we’ve made the claim that careening down the side of a hill in an out-of-control soapbox racer sounds like fun, ABC7’s story about the death of Michael Joseph yesterday might be a good reminder of why it’s against the law to begin with. Joseph, a 22-year-old Sun Valley resident, died at the hospital yesterday morning after losing control of his racer and crashing into a parked car. According to police, he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. No mention of the incident so far at the San Fernando Valley Illegal Soap Box Federation web site.
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I saw a quick blurb about that this morning and wondered if it was the same group that appeared here months ago.
Sad it happened. Silly boys and their toys, if its any consolation he passed doing something he enjoyed rather than being chained in a corporate cube dying of boredom.
Safety Schmafety! As a lover of downhill concrete, all I can say is that if we’re going to follow our dreams of speed and wheeled joy, sometimes we’ve got to mourn our fallen heroes. Pour one out for Michael.
This is horrible news. Jason, and the rest of the S.F.V.I.S.B.F. have worked so hard over the years to bring this sort of DIY activity to L.A. I can’t imagine that the various law enforcement agencies that graciously, and tacitly looked the other way will ever allow such unregulated fun and games to happen again. But then again, we know its all fun, and games until…
My heart goes out to the Garcia family. And though its no consolation in the face of such tragedy, at least he died while doing something he loved. We all have to go some day, it may as well be while doing something, rather than siting on the couch doing nothing.