I'm all for fining adults, but teenagers are stupid and they do stupid things. Trying to force a 17 yr old to come up with $25,000 in a month is just as a stupid as the teenager endangering himself. Stupidity begets stupidity, I guess.
I earned my Eagle and I'm not dumb enough to go off alone. If I were to take on any hike, I'd bring a friend. Scouting enforces the buddy system for a reason. If you get hurt, you've got a friend who can help you out. This guy was not very well prepared. As an Eagle Scout he should already know the scout motto is "Be Prepared".
I guess you do have a point. They should have checked he could afford the rescue before dragging him home.
Will that be cash, check, or charge for this rescue? Seriously though, I definitely would agree with 1,000 hours of community service or something along those lines.
I for one think its stupid to charge people for services rendered which they did not request. ...Although, it was most likely the family which requested the rescue, so I would expect the bill to be on the family.
This is actually good news. It sucks that things have gotten this way but thats the fault of all the stupid people that are putting unnecessary strain on rescue services. And if he can't pay in a month? 'Hey boy... you got a real purdy mouth...' He'll wish they did leave him on the mountain...
In the state of Arizona, and others, if you get caught/stuck in your vehicle out in the sticks on unauthorized land you can get FINED for your rescue. My oldest brother learned this lesson the hard way. You can also be potentially fined if you willfully enter a partially flooded wash in a vehicle in unsafe conditions.
We aren't that backwater up here in NH. Sides, his mouth ain't dat purty. Honestly, the guy is a fool for going off marked trails. He should know better, and that's where the negligence comes in. He was trained otherwise, as he was an eagle scout. Even us locals who don't hike that much know better than to do that, as hiking and mountaineering is covered in local high school gym classes. Anyway, I think the fine thing is motivated for shock value. Shock the people with this, and see how many people will do dumb stunts again. I think he will most likely get it the fine either extended, or changed to a smaller fine and a LOT of public service.
Stupid person doing a stupid thing.Glad that they payed for getting rescued. Espically when a helicopter had to be brought in from Maine
We have a term in the EMS biz called "implied consent." if you are unconscious, got a sucking chest wound, you are implying that you need help and we would help. Now if you are awake with same wound and despite our best lies to get you to the hospital, you can sign a waiver and deny treatment. "Expressed Consent" is when you ask for help. this kid hurt himself, but instead of turning around and getting help, he went UP, continued on his way. He was walking it off, so to speak, until he got stuck- totally avoidable situation. That implied to the rescue workers he'd pay for rescue, not as a victim of an accident, but as an idiot too stupid to stay out of trouble. considering he diverted resources (expensive as hell resources) from another area, his actions were, IMO, just short of criminal negligence. EMS/Fire/Rescue are there for the public, yes. But there should be a fine or what i call an Idiot Fee. It's funny, ambulances charge you for transport. Hospitals send you a bill. so why can't a rural rescue unit judge the incident and determine if you should pay for the rescue? I think they should have that option. Paying $25k with a deadline of next month is harsh for a teen, but i totally agree with their choice. He fucked up and needs to pay for the rescue. EDIT: I gotta love the spin they put on his story- especially the way they praise the kid's survival skills, his Eagle Scout skills and values, no less. But doesn't Scouting teach you to use common sense, to avoid danger, to think things through? So what badge should he get for this? I guess DeltaPrime knows the badge already... The "Here's Your Fine" badge, lol.