Who’s to Blame for Tragic Deaths That No One Could See Coming?

We’ve all heard someone say, “You take a risk every time you leave the house.”

Well, not really. The overwhelming likelihood is that if you leave the house, you’ll be back. The chance that you won’t is almost off the probability charts.

That’s what makes the recent but unrelated deaths of Brittanie Cecil and Lori Mason-Larez so dispiriting. It also got me thinking about risk and responsibility.

Eight days ago, Brittanie’s father took her to a National Hockey League game in Columbus, Ohio, as a 14th birthday present. During the game, a puck flew into the stands and struck Brittanie in the head. She died two days later of her injuries.

Deadly risk? At a hockey game? Virtually no such thing. The NHL said it was the first fan fatality at one of its games.

Now consider Mason-Larez’s plight. Last September, she and family members went to Knott’s Berry Farm, but the day ended in horror when Mason-Larez, 40, fell 115 feet to her death from the top of the Perilous Plunge ride. She was strapped into her seat when the ride began, but last week California state investigators said the ride’s restraints proved inadequate, especially for someone of Mason-Larez’s size, nearly 300 pounds. The family is suing.

Deadly risk? At an amusement park? The numbers who have died are infinitesimal as a percentage of the millions of annual riders at America’s amusement parks.

Two deaths that shouldn’t have happened, but did.

Whose fault is it? Doesn’t it have to be somebody’s?

The NHL could erect 50-foot plexiglass barriers between the ice and the stands--and that might be enough to deflect errant pucks.

If Brittanie’s death is one too many, why not build the walls?

The league won’t do it--and shouldn’t--because people go to a hockey game to enjoy the action. For large numbers of people near the ice, a giant pane of glass would detract from that.

As tragically maddening as the girl’s death is, reasonable people would say that nothing could have prevented it except her seeing the puck and ducking.

Without knowing it, Brittanie assumed a risk by going to a hockey game.

Is a high-speed amusement ride in the same category? In an era when parks are revving up the thrills, do riders assume risks? Do they bear any responsibility for deciding to hop on board?

Obviously, you don’t get on a ride--even one called Perilous Plunge--thinking you could fall out of it. But as with all endeavors that smack of danger--even the supposedly fun kind--you decide if you want to play. Skydiving isn’t sold as a lethal sport, either, but it surely can be.

The accident investigator found that Mason-Larez’s seat belt was fastened and her lap bar in place. However, neither kept her from hurtling out of her seat near the top of the ride. The inadequate restraints, the nature of the ride and the woman’s girth most likely all contributed to the accident, he found, but he was unable to assess their relative roles.

I’ll ask the indelicate questions. Should the woman have realized before the ride began that she wasn’t secure in her seat? Could she have told a ride operator?

Or, at 300 pounds, confined to tight quarters and about to begin a ride that had a 115-foot vertical drop at up to 55 mph, did she have any responsibility for her own safety in deciding to try the ride?

The investigator found nothing wrong with the equipment (for example, the seat belt didn’t snap) but concluded the restraints weren’t adequate for extremely heavy riders.

However, the ride operator didn’t caution Mason-Larez that her size might pose a risk.

That failure probably will cost Knott’s insurance company millions of dollars.

Perhaps that’s how it should be. Perhaps the woman had no reason to think before the ride started that it was a bad idea for someone of her size. Perhaps she thought she was snugly strapped in.

I’m not arguing that her family doesn’t deserve a settlement from Knott’s.

Nor am I arguing that life should be risk-free.

I’m only saying that some risks you can’t see coming, and some you can.

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Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Readers may reach Parsons by calling (714) 966-7821 or by writing to him at The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by e-mail to dana.parsons@latimes.com.