Bomber Needs Your Help - Update 6/29/06

[AJCdice]

Yet another testimonial, late, as I have been out of the loop.

I am happy to support this company, its ownership and the products they have built. Truly an asset to the alpine community.

Off to get my butter!

Good luck

Andrew

[Maciek]

Bomber Industries is the one of few most solid manufacturers standing behind their product I have ever encountered in my life. I have never had any concern about safety of the product I received form the company.

I am supporter of this icon quality and always will be.

Sincerely yours...

[ALPINE]

JACK MICHAUD AND OTHERS HAVE ELOQUENTLY SAID WHAT IS ON ALL OUR MINDS SO WELL. BOMBER IS ONE OF THE CARVING COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS THAT HAS PROVIDED EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THIS RIDICULOUS LAWSUIT IS CLAIMING. AS A 47 YEAR SKIER, AND 15 YEAR CARVING SNOWBOARDER, AND 33 YEAR TELEMARK SKIER, AND 20 YEAR SKI PATROLLER I HAVE SEEN A LOT AND EXPERIANCED ALMOST AS MUCH.

I HAVE 3 PAIR OF TRENCH DIGGERS AND ONE PAIR OF BISHOP TELE BINDINGS.

PRIOR TO MY FIRST PURCHASE OF TRENCH DIGGERS I BROKE BINDINGS AND CRASHED MORE TIMES THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER. ALL ON OTHER MANUFACTURERS BINDINGS THAT COULD NOT COME CLOSE TO STANDING UP TO THE RIGORS OF CARVING. IT DID NOT MATTER IF IT WAS A BIG NAME LIKE BURTON, OR ROSSIGNAL THEY ALL FAILED TRAGICALLY.

I HAVE BEEN SO IMPRESSED WITH THE TRENCH DIGGERS THAT WHEN I UPGRADED MY TELE-BINDINGS THE ONLY ONE I WOULD CONSIDER WAS THE BISHOP MADE BY BOMBER!

I HAVE HAD MY TRENCH DIGGERS SINCE 1995 AND NOT ONE PART ON THEM HAS BROKEN. BOMBER IS THE ONE COMPANY THAT WE AS CARVERS CAN TRUELY RELY ON. IT WILL BE A TRUELY SAD DAY FOR CARVING IF THE %$#^*&^% LAWYERS WIN THIS ONE. BEST WISHES AND GOOD LUCK TO FIN & MICHELLE

PS: ISN'T IT TIME THE LAWYERS ARE SUBJECT TO THE SAME ACCOUNTABILITY THEY SO ENERGICALLY PERSUE OF EVERYONE ELSE.

[Brian]

Fin and Team Bomber

You guys are the best! There are other companies out there but none have your heart & soul nor do do they have the quality product you make for the carving community. I have placed an order for the bindings and starter kit, you can count me and support your success through this issue and you will win this challenge. aloha

Brian

[Guest toddflyingdog]

Just a round of applause for the master!!!!

Pretty sure I'd have given snowboarding up if it weren't for Bomber....

Love the fact that I can trust my life to Fin's quality control!!!

I hate that I am always breaking something, boards, boots, sometimes even my arm! But never do I have problems with my TDs.

Plus above and beyond that; Fin always goes the extra mile to keep me out there carving and happy FIN RULES!!!

Thanks to everyone at Bomber!!!!

[cfj04]

Warren miller Films has donated 7 DVD's to aid the "Bomber needs your help" cause.

With that said - they've given me seven DVD's with proceeds going to the Bomber cause. I spoke with Fin and Michelle and with their permission, these are for sale here for $25.00 per DVD. Proceeds going directly to Bomber - my liitle way of helping raise money for their legal fund. Yes you can buy them for a few dollars less online but this is a fund-raiser for Bomber and includes shipping costs.

Anyone interested can send a check - made out to Bomber, and I'll send you one of their DVD's. There's 7 to choose from including two "behind the scenes" promo DVDs.

The seven films are:

Steeper and Deeper

Ski a la Carte

Endless Winter

Journey

These four are a collector boxed set - Let me know if you want the set

Behind the ski - promo DVD

All Access - Promo DVD

Impact

Email me or reply to this post if interested and I'll send you my mailing address and you can send me your address for shipping. Again, make payment by check to Bomber (I'll pay postage). Remember - it's going to a good cause even if they won't put hardbooters in their films. Consider this your late X-mas/Chanukah gift to yourself.

Curtis

[Thor VonRippington]

I'm not sure where this issue stands, but here is my input.

I have lived in the Rocky Mountain region of Colorado for over twenty years and have been a snowboarder the entire time (a skier before that). I understand first hand the joys of a neck deep powder day and the sorrows of a season ending injury. It never occured to me to blame someone else for what went wrong while I was on the hill. Who do you "blame" when everything goes right? We all know that every facet of skiing and snowboarding is inherently dangerous. That includes the mountain we choose to ride, the run we choose to take and what equipment we choose to take it on. We acknowledge that fact every year when when we purchase our ski pass. We acknowledge that fact at the cash register ever time we make a purchase for any equipment we choose to use. True, there is a huge amount of responsibility on the part of the manufacturer to produce quality gear, but who out there produces products intentionally designed to hurt the people who use them? NO ONE! Illustration: I go up to the ski hill almost every day and only for one reason, to have fun. If I run into someone on the hill and injure them, should I be held responsible to the point of bankruptcy or would paying for the damage suffice? Sadly, only people from America need to make that choice... yes I am American.

I know first hand for a fact that Bomber Industries makes reliable and safe equipment and thier intensions are only the best. I am willing to put my money where my mouth is and would like to purchase the four DVD set and a starter kit. Please contact me via email. Oh, by the way, I also orderd a set of TD2 stepins today and can't wait to mount them on my favorite ride.

[Guest nhsurfergirl]

Thanks Bomber folks, for all you do! Sometimes it seems like the legal profession is the enforcement arm of corporate america; trying to make us all comform -and buy from the big guys- by getting rid of those on the fringe. As far as I know, I'm the only hardbooter at my local playground (hmmmm, this year's slalom gates are wearing plaid pants, how curious. . .), but my partner is looking to switch from the sorels-and-cafeteria-tray she's learning on in a season or so. I started out as a working skier in '72, did my time prepping wooden x-c rentals with tar in freezing shops, learned to tele, started teaching alpine when global warming started to take hold and "nordic instructor" began to mean "constantly unemployed." First try on a snowboard was '85, when I was the hot local tele instructor, got off the lift and pointed it, saw the sky and the ground and the sky and the ground. . .five years later, out of nursing school, bought a Burton Air with Flex bindings and never looked back. Breakups and money issues and life changes saw me back in the slots on skinny skiis for a few years, and late last year, a pair of TD1s from a friend, an old Nitro carver from the back of the rack at a local shop, and boots off Ebay, and I'm smiling again. I've spent the last 30+ years working to support my snowsports, climbing, surfing, and my complete fascination with motorcycles- and I know, all the time, where the responsibility lies when my bindings suddenly rotate under me, or I'm sliding on my back down the front straight at New Hampshire Int'l Speedway. . . oops, my bad. Hopes and prayers for all involved- and $20 on payday for the fund (the season's excesses make the wait necessary). -Gail

[Guest rc30rob]

Unfortunately its the way life is going, blame others (it wasnt me it was him) Isnt it the responsibility of the user to check their equipment in any sport personally before they use it,i wouldnt trust my bike,diving,climbing equipment etc to anyone else but me,if it fails with in a short period then maybe but we all know that if something fails after a longer period ,wear and tear is the natural way of things .How long are these items supposed to last,forever ,i dont think so and if the individual that is making the claim hasnt looked after the said item properly IE they have dropped it ,run it over ,loaned it out to others then tough.Surely if the item was a defective part others would have failed to, by the way it reads on the site it isnt so.Lawyers proffesional truth twisters!In the words of the great bart simpson "man that sucks and blows"

[D-Sub]

just read the above, and...should point out that the heels were apparently new. first day out after receiving from dealer

doesnt justify the rest, or clarify any other possible contingencies, but it is what it is

[fin]

Update: 6/29/06

It has been a while since we gave you guys an update on how this case against Bomber is going and as close as a community as we are, we feel obligated to keep you informed. Keep in mind we will not disclose any specific details of the case for obvious reasons.

As it stands today Joel and Mardi Broadbent have decided to keep Bomber as named in this case. This is pretty much public knowledge if you look on the California Courts website. As much as we would like to put this behind us, it looks like this may go on for quite a while and we have no idea on the outcome as Joel and Mardi Broadbent make the final decision on what happens to us and ultimately our small community of enthusiasts.

Proposal we made to raise funds for Joel Broadbent: after almost 9 months we have not heard a response back from Joel Broadbent on our offer to raise funds for his medical bills. We have no choice but to assume he does not accept this offer us and the community has made. So as of today the offer is closed and we will not be accepting anymore purchases of the “Starter Kit”. We feel it is not fair to continue with this program when it is obvious the funds will now just go to our legal council to defend this case. That should now be the burden of only us as a privately owned company. This also means the funds collected for this offer up to now have now been used in our defense of this case as stated in the original proposal.

We would like to say that we have been overwhelmed with the support from you guys and the community on this. As much as we would like to keep things like this on the “down-low” it has been comforting to know we have a lot of customers we can also consider friends. And this is exactly what friends do, support you no matter what. So huge thanks to everyone on your continued support and we will keep you informed as this moves forward.

[carverchick]

Fin,

As a newly transplanted bomber member it saddens me to see not only you as a company, but us as a family go through this. If there is anything we can do to help, please let us know.

[Guest dragon fly jones]

That is disappointing on so many levels.

Inhernet risk, that is just the blame game going deeper and deeper. Think of a car accident, driving is inherently dangerous, so you wreck then you sue who the other driver, the construction company that made the highway, tire manufacturer, steering wheel manu, carpet manu I know that am taking this beyond the reasonable but this is a time for that. Fin we'll support you!

[carverchick]

Fin,

As I sit here and read through all the posts made to this thread I feel the overwhelming support you have from all of your friends/extended family. It makes me proud to know that I am apart of such a great group of caring and giving indivduals. I know you will get through this tough time, but with all of the support and strength you receive from us it will make it that much easier.

[D-Sub]

was really hoping that new posts here would be a POSITIVE update

If it is true that the decision to name, and keep, Bomber as a defendant was the Broadbent's decision then I have only ONE thing to say

SHAME ON YOU.

[Galen]

Fin, you should consider some sort of legal defence fund, I"m sure folks who could afford it would donate. Most power/utility companies give an option for donating an amount when you pay your bill for financially strapped customers. Maybe give an option to donate when we buy something from the Bomber store? This is BS! The outcome of the case can effect us all!

[Guest]

I haven't said anything regarding this issue up until this point, but after thinking about this, I just have to say: Joel, what are you thinking?

While I can't honestly put myself in your shoes, as suffering such as injury is something no one should have to go through, why must you continue to hurt all of us this way? Because it's not just Bomber industries that's being hurt by your lawsuit, but all of us in the alpine community. We're a close, tight-knit group of snowsport addicts that you are only bringing negative press and detrimental legal costs, to.

Perhaps it would take such an injury for me to be able to see things as you do currently. Barring such a thing, I can't see how my reasoning could be twisted so. Even still, I couldn't in good conscience blame the good people at Bomber for something that was beyond their control. While I am sorry for your pain and suffering, why must you make all of us suffer so?

[skatha]

A little experience on my part.

I see a lady with an advanced neurological condition. She lives in a nursing home where the family doesn't want her restrained. She falls forward from her wheelchair and breaks her first cervical vertebra. She survives the fall and is admitted to the hospital in a hard Philly collar, not a halo, as per the neurosurgeon

I see her in crosscover one weekend. She's making these funny upper airway noises, very phlegmy.

I discuss the case with the nurses and the respiratory therapists. We monitor her O2 sats, I order nebs for her, but she's got an unstabilized cervical vertebra fracture, so I'm limited, plus she's awake, albeit noncommunicative because of her neurologic condition.

She has an acute resp distress and dies later, probably aspirates big time.

The docs get added to the lawsuit originally filed against the nursing home one year later-but not the neurosurgeon, who I still think should have placed a halo.

We all get dropped 1 year later with no damages paid on our behalf by a malpractice insurer. We were added mainly to ensure the focus on the jury was maintained on the nursing home(the lawyers couldn't bring up "but she died at the HOSPITAL")

I understand why it was done but that particular case raised my malpractice insurance rates 300% and I still have to explain it when queried about malpractice cases for, say, getting on an insurance panel, or getting a new malpractice policy.

I checked whether my posts were showing and fully deployed when I stepped in with my new Intec heels this year, everytime....sometimes I needed to wiggle my heel, but it was still my responsibility to ensure my equipment was sound.

I get to start walking without my cam boot tomorrow! Hopefully I'll be able to tolerate working full-time

[Kimo]

I suppose it would have been far beyond logical thinking that the family should have been held partially accountable themselves since they were the ones who chose not to follow the advice of using restraints.

Maybe what we need most to cure the health care system is to first cure the insurance and legal systems. Not a new idea, I guess.

[D-Sub]

and kill all litigation attorneys. well, maybe not all....

[skatha]

I suppose it would have been far beyond logical thinking that the family should have been held partially accountable themselves since they were the ones who chose not to follow the advice of using restraints.

Maybe what we need most to cure the health care system is to first cure the insurance and legal systems. Not a new idea, I guess.

People tend not to want to take responsibility if something bad happens because of their decision-then it's "they REALLY didn't tell me what was going to happen"

People sue despite signing a form consenting to the________. They sue despite initialing the passages stating they've been specifically informed of the risks of________. Our judicial system allows blatantly frivolous suits to proceed....

Interestingly, a state in the NE instituted a no-fault insurance system(I can't remember which one). The incidence of cervical spine injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident dropped to near-zero. Were the cars safer? Or was it because the money in the system disappeared?

Floyd Landis fell while on a training ride for US Postal 3 years ago. He broke his hip. Usually when a young person breaks a hip, the hip is usually pinned, but, the blood supply to the ball of the hip, much like my talus bone in my ankle, is disrupted with the fracture and bone necrosis can develop. If that occurs, a young person usually gets a hip fusion. Why? Hip replacements, with the best joint replacement technology we have, only last about 10 years. You lose bone with each successive replacement and can have a significant leg length descrepancy with repeated replacements. Floyd can reasonably expect to have 4-5 replacements in his life, which, barring a significant advance in technology, will leave him with a huge amount of femur missing, possible chronic pain, and debility....

Is it Lance's fault? Is it the USPS fault? Is it just dumb luck?

Unfortunately, Americans, by and large, cannot accept the dumb luck explanation

[Steve Dold]

I blame trial lawyers and their thirst for money, and their ability to convince the lay public that anytime anything bad happens to anyone, someone else must be at fault. I don't blame the plaintiffs - usually.

I just finished reading about a case in Chicago involving the pilot of a Beech Bonanza who was sued, and lost, and now owes 2 million to the estate of another pilot who was involved in a midair collision with a third aircraft. The Bonanza pilot (defendant) was landing at Miegs Field and was having trouble getting his landing gear to come down. He was talking to the tower about flying away from the airport area and doing some troubleshooting (the proper procedure). Two other airplanes inbound for landing collided a few miles south of the airport, and the lawyer for the estate of one of the accident pilots convinced the jury, who probably knew very little about flying, that the collision wouldn't have happened if the tower controller wasn't distracted by the Bonanza with the gear problem.

Apparently the responsibility of pilots to "see and avoid" each other didn't make any difference to the jury.

So it seems that anytime anything bad happens, it's someone's fault, and that someone should pay. How do you know who is at fault? It's anyone connected with money in the bank.

In Bakersfield there was a mall shooting recently. A gang scumbag (scumbag A) shot another gang scumbag (scumbag B). Now the family of scumbag B is suing the owners of the mall because, obviously, if they had provided enough security there would be no shooting. Who was at fault? The Mall owner. Who wasn't sued? The guy who pulled the trigger, because he has no money.

[Kimo]

Of course, Floyd isn't suing anybody... at least, not that I know of.

Sounds like that defendant pilot needs to seek a judgment of mistrial in the case because he obviously was not judged by a jury of his peers (i.e. other pilots who know a damn about flying).

[D-Sub]

again I say SHAME ON YOU to the people responsible for this. :angryfire:angryfire:(

[Justin A.]

I blame trial lawyers and their thirst for money, and their ability to convince the lay public that anytime anything bad happens to anyone, someone else must be at fault. I don't blame the plaintiffs - usually.

I just finished reading about a case in Chicago involving the pilot of a Beech Bonanza who was sued, and lost, and now owes 2 million to the estate of another pilot who was involved in a midair collision with a third aircraft. The Bonanza pilot (defendant) was landing at Miegs Field and was having trouble getting his landing gear to come down. He was talking to the tower about flying away from the airport area and doing some troubleshooting (the proper procedure). Two other airplanes inbound for landing collided a few miles south of the airport, and the lawyer for the estate of one of the accident pilots convinced the jury, who probably knew very little about flying, that the collision wouldn't have happened if the tower controller wasn't distracted by the Bonanza with the gear problem.

Apparently the responsibility of pilots to "see and avoid" each other didn't make any difference to the jury.

[\QUOTE]

It doesn't really matter who was at fault...the NTSB will rule on it and can (and will) reverse the ruling. Unless both aircraft involved in the midair were flying IFR (and thus the contoller's responsibility), then it would be the overtaking pilot's fault. Tomorrow when Im not so tired I'll type up the actual text from the Federal Air Regulations and we'll see how it was the controller's fault.

________

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