Open Letter from Pastrana

[captainwhoopass]

Not a smart move Travis- you just opened yourself up to a lawsuit by admitting fault in this letter.

[Abe_Froman]

I don't think he opened himself up any more than he already was. I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to prove any of the facts he provided in this letter, other than the one fact he didn't take responsibility for, the deer.



I admire his honesty and willingness to bare his iniscretions before the public. I don't think I would.

[TatdNPrcd]

Mistakes in judgment happen throughout our lives but none more often than when we are young. If we learn from them then at least we wonÂ’t make the same ones over and over again.



The pain you feel at the injuries your friend received is obvious in your letter. That displays a level of humanity not often found these days.



Thank you for taking the time to both write it as well as the courage to ask that it be posted here in this very public forum

[ollie]

Captain, you are unbelievable. How can you possibly chastise Travis for admitting he made a huge mistake and taking responsibility for it?? You are a sad, bitter person and a perfect example of why America is the Land of the Lawsuit.



I respect Travis and his writing that open letter. I wish him and Matt the best, and a speedy recovery from this tragic ordeal. I also wish them blind eyes and deaf ears to the people like Captain.



-Ollie

[captainwhoopass]

No, that's no what I said. I admire the fact that he would admit his fault openly, because it is something that is difficult to do. I was pointing out that doing it in a public way could open him up to legal action. Why do you think he said himself that his friends told him not to do this? Don't you think they told him the same thing? I also wish him the best, which I said in the other story on this subject- go look it up and stop chastising ME for pointing out a sad fact of our society.

[seruzawa]

Too bad this guy didn't realize how dangerous it is on mountain roads at night where there are deer. Definitely not smart to race around when they are foraging around at night. I've known too many who have hit deer even when driving at legal speeds.

[rsheidler]

I suspect that you are correct -- any of the facts in his message are probably either evident from the evidence (wait, that is redundant!) or were already included in his statement to the police.



Probably is tactically better to get his spin on those facts.



I admire him for owning up to his errors in judgement.

[red916]

Respect.

[rsheidler]

True, several years ago, a friend of mine was riding his Ducati at about 100mph (that is what he admitted to the police) up Chalk Creek Canyon (near Coalville, UT) when he hit a deer.



Luckily for him, he was wearing race-spec leathers and helmet -- he flew over the deer and slid forever. His helmet had maybe 2 square inches not ground almost through the shell. He ended up with a broken collarbone, the Ducati had a bent fork and required some new plastic. Pretty sure the deer didn't fare quite as well.



That incident, along with a couple of close calls myself, is part of why I decided to take my fast riding to the track instead of the street. Just too many deer-vehicle accidents in Utah!

[thecrumb]

I cannot understand how someone who is a racer would ever take any vehicle on any public road and endanger not only himself but everyone else around him.



Sounds like he learned his lesson the hard way and he is DAMN LUCKY no one is dead.