As the days roll by since our “little victory” I find myself renewed in hope, a hope that people banded together by similar tragedies can make a difference in this world, but the shadow of winter still covers the warmth of the sun allowing it to only partially thaw my heart. I celebrate this step in our cause halfheartedly because the one ear who I want to desperately tell about this remains unreachable. I’ve spent hours out behind the house sitting in J.T.’s memorial, where the cedar trees grow tall and clack together when the wind blows, just watching, waiting on that cold stone bench for him. Waiting for a glimpse of him running by his giggles ringing out like a sweet song saying “catch me!” but he’s not there. I while away the afternoon on the front porch where spring has awakened the flowers and their blooms stand tenderly toward the sun hoping he will show to smell their sweet fragrance. Sticking his nose right to them and pulling it back all covered in yellow pollen then moving along to count the buds on the Gardenia, but he has yet to show. I want to see his face, to watch his eyes dance and his smile light up as I tell him what his life has done, the people he has saved and the difference he has made. I want to celebrate this victory with J.T. but as close as I can get is to just sit and whisper at the sky hoping my words go beyond what I can physically see. Perhaps not to his ear but to his heart, and as I close my eyes to imagine his reaction the sun sets on the lonely longing of another day.

As great as the news is that Yamaha has decided to admit some of there design flaws and offered to correct some of the problems IT’S NOT OVER YET! Yes, some of the problems are being fixed but the Rhino’s still have inadequate seatbelts that DO NOT hold an occupant in securely and the roll bar remains unpadded I am optimistic that these issues can be resolved going forward. I am also hoping that this “Repair Program” that Yamaha is offering actually reaches Rhino owners and they have the information they need to fix their machine because if owners don’t know to get them fixed or choose not to, their machine remains a ticking time bomb and it’s only a matter of time before the un-repaired Rhino kills again. Mentioned in the CPSC report, and under reported in my opinion, was this advice: CONSUMERS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY STOP USING THESE POPULAR RECREATIONAL VEHICLES UNTIL THE REPAIR IS INSTALLED BY A DEALER. Please heed this warning if you own a Yamaha Rhino because it is families like mine that know all to well the dangers of an unstable Rhino! It is a bittersweet triumph for our families because it is too late to save our children but I do feel some comfort in knowing that their precious lives have affected this world in a positive way and that going forward lives have been saved through these losses. I know my son J.T. Crow would be proud to have his life linked to this victory.


“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.”
Louis L'Amour

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2009
Release #09-172 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908



Yamaha Motor Corp. Offers Free Repair For 450 and 660 Model Rhino Vehicles
CPSC advises consumers not to use the off-road vehicles until repaired
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Yamaha Motor Corp. U.S.A., of Cypress, Calif., is announcing a free repair program to address safety issues with all Rhino 450 and 660 model off-highway recreational vehicles. Yamaha has also agreed to voluntarily suspend sale of these models immediately until repaired. Consumers should immediately stop using these popular recreational vehicles until the repair is installed by a dealer.

CPSC staff has investigated more than 50 incidents involving 46 driver and passenger deaths in these two Rhino models. More than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers and many involved unbelted occupants. Of the rollover-related deaths and hundreds of reported injuries, some of which were serious, many appear to involve turns at relatively low speeds and on level terrain.

About 120,000 of the 450 and 660 model Rhinos have been distributed nationwide since Fall 2003. Some units have been equipped by Yamaha with half doors and additional passenger handholds, either before or after sale.

Yamaha’s repair includes the installation of a spacer on the rear wheels as well as the removal of the rear anti-sway bar to help reduce the chance of rollover and improve vehicle handling, and continued installation of half doors and additional passenger handholds where these features have not been previously installed to help keep occupants’ arms and legs inside the vehicle during a rollover and reduce injuries. Owners of the affected Rhinos should stop using them and call their dealer to schedule an appointment to have repairs made once they are available and to take advantage of a free helmet offer.

Once these repairs have been made to their vehicles, Rhino users should always wear their helmet and seatbelt and follow the safety instructions and warnings in the on-product labels, owner’s manuals and other safety materials. The Rhino is only recommended for operators 16 and older with a valid driver’s license. All passengers must be tall enough to place both feet on the floorboard with their back against the seat back.

For additional information, contact Yamaha at 800-962-7926 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.yamaha-motor.com



To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

I had an opportunity this week to speak to our communities Civic Club. I was able to share J.T.’s story to a group of women who have children and grandchildren and share some of my journey through grief. During the speech I remembered something President Bill Clinton said during a Memorial Ceremony for September 11TH victims and their families, he said “ There are nothing but victims when we believe our differences are more important than our common humanity…” . I found this quote one that has really hung in my mind, perhaps because I believe that one of the things all humans have in common is the fact that we all grieve. Think about it : we all have suffered some sort of pain or loss in our lives causing us to grieve, the loss of a child, a parent, a spouse, a friend, a divorce or an illness. They are all different circumstances but they give us the ability to help us understand another persons journey and when we can understand another persons journey we open ourselves up to the opportunity to learn something from it and when we do that we begin to create awareness that gives way to change.

What Will Matter
Michael Josephson


Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.


Michael Josephson is a nationally known ethicist and radio commentator. For more information, please visit this site: www.charactercounts.org

© 2003, Josephson Institute of Ethics