Originally Posted by ZRWON

Last September a State Trooper damaged the reputations of many Corvette owners, while being interviewed by television reporters at a tragic, fatal accident scene. Sadly, the damage to Corvette Enthusiasts didn’t end with that interview!
In the March 2005 issue of Corvette Enthusiast many of us were shocked by the magazine’s Inside View column quoting the trooper’s inaccurate statements as true, ie,
“Item: Conway, WA – A speeding Corvette veered across the I-5 median, got airborne and nose-dived a pair of oncoming vehicles. Two died, including the 61 year old Corvette driver. Six were injured.”
Other phrases used by the trooper in his press interview not mentioned were: “Out of control driver”, “Excessive speed”, “Weaving in and out of traffic”, etc. All of these comments were made prior to the accident investigation being completed, so as Paul Harvey would say, “Now for the rest of the story”
The investigation found that excessive speed was not apparent and that in fact the speed was estimated to be 68 to 71 miles per hour. The speed limit on that portion of I-5 was 70MPH. There was so much contradiction between witness statements about the accident that it was difficult for the investigators to get a true picture of what happened.
It was concluded that the Corvette was in the left lane traveling with the traffic flow when some type of debris, thought to be a garbage can lid, either came off a vehicle or was kicked up by a vehicle in front of the corvette. The Corvette driver swerved to avoid the debris, got into loose material and was pulled into the center median, caught air, and the rest is history. It should also be noted that the median in that stretch of I-5 was about the narrowest portion of the median along the corridor so reaction time was very minimal to react properly.
So what is my point? The Corvette driver has once again been branded as some stupid, reckless person who, some might say deserved what he got and fits into the category of magazine’s article. However, the truth is the Corvette driver was a member of three Corvette groups, and was a member of NCRS. He recently received the highest Duntov award for his perfectly restored 1960 Corvette. He was also a good friend to many of us in the Corvette community and he and his wife are sorely missed.
When I read the magazine’s definition of a true Corvette enthusiast, I would have placed our departed friend at the top of the list; not on the list that “does not make the cut”.

Originally Posted by rocco16

Gee, guys, a LEO makes some off-the-cuff comments about an accident and we start howling like he's personally slandered each one of us.