It Might Be the Land of 10,000 Lakes, But You Could Get Fined $1,000 If You Swim Across One
A Minneapolis man went for a swim in Lake Nokomis (pictured above, Minneapolis skyline in background) Tuesday night, only to find Minneapolis Park Police waiting for him when he got out. Officers cited 41-year-old Dr. Tom Kleven for swimming too far. Kleven, who is training for a triathlon later this year, said he was attempting to swim shore-to-shore around 7:30 p.m.
He said he was half way across the lake when a lifeguard ordered him to turn around. When he got back to shore, Kleven said police were waiting for him.
"We should be allowed to swim in the lake wherever we want to," said Kleven.
HT: Reason
Note: There are no motorboats allowed on Lake Nokomis.
4 Comments:
Nanny States, by design, won't let a private citizen be. Freedom is now considered too dangerous. Too many old fugly wonen are in charge now, and boy are they control freaks.
On the flipside - maybe the city is looking out for its own fiscal interests by attempting to minimize costly rescue and recovery operations of swimmers who went too far and then realized too late that they were in over their heads?
The city is also protecting itself from liability in a land of lawsuits. Reducing liability exposure is a very powerful motivator. Most cities have adopted water jets, and enclosed children's climbing equipment/slides to minimize drowning and falls for example.
A possible compromise would be allowing the swimmer the option of being supervised by his coaching team in a boat. A signed waiver would likely not be strong enough to withstand court challenge.
Why is a law against boats OK, but not a law against swimmers? Does someone get to decide one is unsafe but not the other? If so, what criteria is used?
Post a Comment
<< Home