Unwritten rule
 

I'm an old school photographer. It was an unwritten rule that if you knew you had just witnessed a fatality, you quit taking pictures. If by chance you got pictures, they were trash that no one would ever see.
I ended up working in the newspaper business and as a sports guy it ticked me off if the news guys published a graphic car crash with a fatality (and I told them more than once).
I realize things are different nowadays, as everyone has a camera and you can find anything on the internet. But please, if any of you IOW faithful are at a racetrack and the worst happens, put the camera away. And please, do not do like some fool in New Jersey did and post it on twitter.

Have things changed so much that we can't show some respect?

Jim Fisher

Re: Unwritten rule
 

Nice post and i totally agree. My Dad has some video footage of two racing fatalities, i was at the tracks and seen them but he has never let me see the footage he shot and he is my Dad!

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Yahoo has a pict on the front page
.
update as of 7:30am
Yahoo has at least taken the picture off the front page. Just the story now.

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Jim I agree with you 100% on this. Luckly I've never had camera in hand when something bad like this has happened.

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local TV station is broadcasting this over and over showing a guy walking around the car. I was they would give a balance reporting, to the good times in the sport we love.

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This is similar to something I wrestled with after the Boston bombings. My job is in the TV news field and sometimes I end up out on news (it has been sports still photos, but because I can run a video camera I never know when I might be needed). On one hand, it is news and as long as it isn't showing anything graphic, it really isn't bad other then respecting the family of the fallen. On the other hand, I personally wouldn't want to see it and would probably want to help out more to the victims then anything else.

Since I have never had to witness a bad accident at a race track, even if I was doing it for work, I would probably stop taking photos/videos out of respect. If I was there for work and I edited the video, I might show the person racing but not the accident itself. If I am doing stills for personal or work, I would probably delete the photos of the accident. Personally, I hope I never have to make that decision.

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when I was shooting motorsports in the past, I always told myself that if I had shots of a fatality, I would finish the roll on the ground (was using film), and hand the roll to the authorities who investigate that stuff, no matter what else was on it. The thing about Jason's crash, it happened in NJ, and they will investigate it.

Let me expound on this a little further, in a situation like last night, its an unwritten rule that you await the families announcement on the extent of the injuries. Even if you know for a fact, how badly injured someone is or in this case if they are fighting for their life. As media there is a responsibility to understand once something is put in print it could be read by anyone in the family of those affected and its your duty as media to allow that information to flow from the correct channels.
Today I feel horrible about retweeting the initial picture of the car and tweet which just started he had went for a wild ride because of the outcome. I should have thought twice about doing that, but those on the scene should have known the seriousness of the situation and not gotten on there phones and sent the image all over.

Hopefully we can all learn something this, I know I did, and I apologize to anyone who got my tweet.

My thoughts and prayers are with the leffler family today

Pete smith
Staff writer LuvRacin. com

Posted via Mobile Device

I've seen a picture of the Jimmy Bryan wreck in a newspaper, Rex Mays, videos of Jim Rigsby, Bob Sweikert, Sachs/McDonald, O'Connor, Vukovich, etc. You're documenting an event. Part of the reality of racing is that it is potentially fatal.

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I disagree respectfully/ how many times did they show dale earnhart's crash, over and over and over. not to mention dan Weldon's horrific crash. I certainly do not wish to see anything gory or graphic, but when these things happen people are curious as to how they happened, less the graphic.

Posted via Mobile Device

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the main hint that something was horribly wrong last night was they stopped the show and left the car on the track. that is a nj law written by the state police racing division. before the car can be moved, they have to investigate the accident. part of the problem was that they didnt announce what was going on to the crowd in the stands and most people dont know about the rule not to move the car.

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I agree with both sides of the fence on this issue. I say you do not release any photos to the public eye. However, continue taking photos and turn them over to the authorities like a previous post stated. It can help determine what happened and hopefully make our sport safer by designing new technology and safety equipment to make sure all of the racers can go home safe at the end of the race. Just my 2 cents...

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Please allow me to clarify what happens at a race track in the worst case situation to meet the legal requirements of the Federal HIPPA Act and to also protect the feelings of the family of the individual. The following is an excerpt from a memo to all of our officials:

"Late in 2003 the Federal Government passed a law called “Health Information Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). Anyone who has been in a doctor’s office since this has passed knows the precaution the medical industry is taking and the paperwork they are providing to protect themselves. Persons involved in auto racing are definitely not immune from this law, as it is presently written, and race officials could be especially vulnerable.

This law prevents anyone (doctors, EMTs, ambulance crews, hospitals, tracks, track announcers and officials) from disclosing any patient information. This includes radio transmissions that might be overheard or intercepted! The consequences of violating the act are federal fines and potential lawsuits from the patient and/or their family.

The only persons who may legally release information are the patient, a designated family member or a person with power-of-attorney."

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There really is no media anymore. There is some half witted “fan” sitting in the stands who happened to take a picture and put it on twitter. Lots of “racing websites” are just some guy sitting in his mom’s basement trying to feel important. Local news is all just aggregated junk, and someone trying to be the middleman who thinks they are the “source”.

I posted a photo to facebook last week of one of our local sport stock cars who broke a front U-joint, sending the car catapulting down the track. Only after I watched the driver get out of the car with my own eyes, and I asked him if he was alright, did I post that photo! I have fortunately only photographed one driver suffer life altering injuries in my time, and he and I are the only two people who have seen those photos.

My thoughts are with his family. Let’s hope we don’t have to discuss how ignorant some people can be too often.

I was watching the news last night and they had a helicopter flying over the track trying to get a shot of the car...no respect just trying to get that "shot" such a sad thing

Posted via Mobile Device

Thank you USSA Racer that is something that everyone should be familiar with if they choose to cover racing, eventhough you'd have to go well beyond what I think is the ethical line to technically violate the HIPAA act. Now if your just some Joe in the stands I guess its your call how your choose to handle the situation but if your media covering the race or event staff you need to adhere to some standard of ethics.

I'm very pleased that someone else understands HIPAA and has relayed it to their staff, so a big hats off to you USSA Racer

Regards, Pete Smith
Staff Writer LuvRacin.com

Posted via Mobile Device

Re: Unwritten rule
 

As much as I agree with this thread, the sad truth is without a picture, there is no news. That is today's society. All of the social media stuff, if there is a picture, people will read and comment. If no picture, many will just breeze by.

Now I will say before I started racing, my dad sat me down and showed me what can happen. I was young and dumb. The picture made it reality and it sunk in hard.

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I believe read once that photo guy got the whooping of his life for taking pictures of a race fatality. Seen some pics on Facebook but I didn't share'm. I feel so bad for the families of drivers have been lost in a racing accident. I lost a clos personal friend years ago to a racing accident. It sucks big time:19:

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I have been around racing my whole life. Specifically sprint car racing. Between my father and I, there has never been a time where there wasn’t a race car around to work on.

In that time, I have witnessed two fatalities. One of which, I stared into the drivers eyes as his life was passing.

Anyone who has witnessed this does not want to see it again. And anyone who has not doesn’t need too.

Tom Paterson

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I found out this morning about Jason & did see the pic on another board. Car didn't look bad as far as roll cage. You just never know, Really feel bad for his little one. Condolences to his Family & Friends.
My wife worked at a Path Lab & couldn't tell me what was up if my paperwork come across her desk.

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I agree 100% with your position of NOT publishing a picture (or pictures) of a fatal accident.

I do NOT however agree that those pictures should be trashed. A death is in vain if change does not result. Pictures provide accurate documentation of an event. Adrenaline does funny things to eye witnesses. It makes them see things that didn't happen and miss things that do. Pictures are far more accurate. Pictures during or at the conclusion of an accident can provide invaluable information to authorities and engineers that can result in changes to make safety improvements. I would encourage all photographers (professional or amateur) to offer your photos of a fatal racing accident to the authorities, safety organizations, (Impact, Simpson, etc) and tracks in the effort to make changes to improve the safety of our sport.

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I don't know if theres a rule or not. But I think the main one to follow is RESPECT both for the Victim and the family and friends. Several weeks out if the video or photos appeared it wouldn't be so hurtfull but a reminder of what was lost.

Doing so immediately, Or at least before a funeral is at Minimum. A slap in the face of those already suffering.

Photos can be a very valuable tool in documenting. AND PREVENTING further injuries or deaths. They can also be very hurtfull if not done the right way and not just for A SCOOP.

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It's part of the sport. Period. If it wasn't, then anybody could do it and nobody would watch. Do what you think is right with "your" pictures/videos but, don't criticize others who disagree with you. My first Indy 500 was 1964. I was 9 years old. We were sitting at the south end of Stand J in turn four and the Sachs/McDonald crash occurred right dead in front of us. It was a tragic, yet, historic moment. It was an incredibly powerful moment in my young life. I'm glad that it has been memorialized and that I can, on occasion, call it up and share with a friend what I experienced that day. If you think that's macabre, maybe it is. It's a natural human instinct to be somewhat intrigued by the subject/event of death. If you deny it, you are more than likely lying to yourself and us. But, it sounds good (your "unwritten rule", that is).

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I'm 60 years old. It's not just "today's society". It's always been that way, in my lifetime.

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My natural instinct is to stop shooting when a bad looking crash finishes (obviously you cant tell how bad a crash might be till its over). The worse it looks the less I shoot.

My gut says dont shoot... then I'll come home and watch a dvd by someone as respected as Dick Wallen which [IIRC] has fatal and vivid crashes with open cockpit/no cage fatalities etc! (correct me please if I am wrong on this?)

Also, I have less of a problem with true race fans, that follow the sport or may even have seen this person race or even talked to them in the pits; As opposed to just two dudes sharing a pic of a guy dying in a race car crash.

I the timing is important.

Cecil98, I agree with most everything you said the danger is part of the allure of our sport , and it is nature aspect of our human psyche to be intrigued by death. I'll even go as far as to say that the ever prevalence of death is what makes what we do in life beautiful.
However the way in which we present that as media is something that needs to be handled with a code of ethics,
I have no problem with someone hanging on to photos, or discussing something that happened with friends, it's when someone post information or images that are available to all without regard to audience. This doesn't apply to fans just media or staff who have been granted addition privileges of access, information needs to flow through the correct channels.

I could discuss this to day's end but a professor I had in a journalism class told me "that 99% of what you do in this field will be exceedingly easy, so easy that almost anyone can do it, it's the other 1% that separates the professionals from amateurs" a situation of a severe injury death is one of those 1% instances. In my opinion any information other than so and so was injured and transported should come from the family or come at the discretion of the family of the injured party.

Pete Smith
Staff Writer luvracin.com
Ohio_openwheel on twitter
Buckeye_openwheel on Facebook

Posted via Mobile Device

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A picture or video of the wreck I can handle. But a picture or video of the person laying dead or dieing after the wreck is a definite NO! For me anyways.

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Pete, Very thoughtful post and I appreciate your response. I don't "think" I can disagree with much of anything you wrote. I do have a question that might bring to me, though, more clarity in your opinion. I'll use several examples: Bill Vukovich Sr., Swede Savage, Sachs/McDonald, Gordon Smiley and Greg Moore. These were all fatals that have been memorialized and can be found and viewed online. The question is, are you OK with these being available for the public to view, or, do you believe they should be pulled and never viewed by the public again? I value your opinion and this is an honest question searching for an honest opinion. I look forward to your response. Thanks! Craig

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Mark Dismore's crash at Indy was similar to Smiley's, but Mark survived, I just happened to be there when Sach's and McDonald crashed, and still have an 8mm reel of it, somewhere, I know where it is, but I am not going to view it anymore, I never even took it out of the camera. Sometimes, nothing will help, other times, you just go on, I still am not sure if I would "mandate" any particular safety device, some folks think that is a guarantee of safety, but try explaining that to a judge and jury, arm restraints, belts, and a helmet/neck support should be the minimum, as well as the heat related items, but IMHO a Hans device, without a helmet support, and tethers so loose you can look beside you, aren't any better than the least you can get by with, which makes me wonder about the judge and jury aspect. Bob