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#89220 - 03/08/11 02:46 PM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: MadridMan]
esperanza Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 01/06/01
Posts: 775
Loc: New York City
such a sad end to this story. My heart goes out to the family and all of the families of the kids that are studying abroad. This is tragic.

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#89222 - 03/09/11 05:17 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: esperanza]
MadridMan Offline


Executive Member

Registered: 05/06/00
Posts: 9080
Loc: Madrid, Spain (was Columbus, O...
In this article, it was written:
Quote:
In postings on his blog, Bice wrote about his experience in Spain — touching on themes ranging from Spanish food, a trip to Valencia, his initial difficulty with Spanish, heavy homework assignments and Madrid's vibrant nightlife.

Bice was amazed at the party scene, with both Spanish and foreign students often staying out until dawn, but said in a Feb. 9 post that he wasn't imbibing as much as others.

"Before I came to Spain, I was told by all of my advisers that I should try to keep calm at parties and not try to be the typical loud and drunk American," Bice wrote. "I have done exactly that, staying back and watching hilarious drunken events occur from a relatively sober mind. The Spaniards at the party were not following along with this ideology."

On his last post on Feb. 25, he said he was going out: "Hopefully it will not disappoint (I assume it will not). It's in Madrid and it should be a fun night."

He added: "Now, I truly must be going, my Spanish roommates are expecting me to prepare some authentic American food ... Hope they like Hamburgers!"


In that El Pais article I mentioned above, one riverside Spanish neighbor said that the wall to the banks of the Manzanares river was dangerously low, that people might sit on it, fall asleep, and fall into the river - and I first wondered if he thought that BEFORE the body was found. I also said to myself, "Oh no. With comments like his it would seem this country is fast becoming like the USA where the walls & fences are growing and the BEWARE signs are sprouting like the currently flowering almond trees."

A death is terrible no matter where and how it happens, whether it be a family member, a friend, or a stranger. But accidents will always happen be it on the motorway or sitting on a riverbank admiring the scenery. Add alcohol to either of those scenarios and you have an "accident" waiting to happen.

Back in the 1990s one Spaniard told me - as we were walking an unfenced, un-signed Galician precipice - "No judge in Spain would prosecute a land-owner for not fencing/signing this property if someone fell over its edge and died. That only happens in the USA. Any clear-minded citizen knows potential danger when they see it. If they choose to peer over the edge they accept the risks."

Austin's death is as unfair as any death. But can we shut off the wind? Should we try? That sounds UN-natural to me. Or better said, "ANTI-nature". We tend to want to assess blame when bad things happen. That's a natural reaction but it not rational. Sometimes things are out of our hands.

Rest in Peace, Austin.
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#89223 - 03/09/11 05:26 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: MadridMan]
steve robinson Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 02/23/06
Posts: 1158
Loc: Hastings Old Town , England .
I actually agree with the phrase " Any clear-minded citizen knows potential danger when they see it " ... It drives me crazy ( to a lesser extent ) to see messages on Starbucks coffee cups warning that the contents will be very hot .... What ? Are we stupid ? . Unfortunately the US have exported their lawsuit culture to some European countries such as the UK .
MM .. Have they actually found the body and determined the cause of death yet .
How awful must this be for his parents , family and friends in The States .
Actually I just read the article having not see your link originally . One of the American newswires is saying that not only was he young but very tall ( 6.4 ) and physically very fit . That would take an awful lot of alcohol to knock somebody like that over . I wonder whether drugs may be involved ( I hope not ) The results of the post mortem are due by today but not made publi until they have been delivered to Austin' family and the Madrid Magistrates .

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#89224 - 03/09/11 05:48 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: steve robinson]
MadridMan Offline


Executive Member

Registered: 05/06/00
Posts: 9080
Loc: Madrid, Spain (was Columbus, O...
Originally Posted By steve robinson
MM .. Have they actually found the body and determined the cause of death yet.
They have the body, yes, but no cause of death determined yet. Might be one of those mysterious for all time. They only say there were no signs of violence. Anything's possible, of course, but my bet is he went to sit on the river's wall to rest, maybe horizontally, rolled over and "splash". And although the water's only about 6 foot deep there (at that time), the water's impact may have been a factor. Plus, being dark he wouldn't have seen the river-bank ladders at 100 meter intervals.

Saludos, MadridMan
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#89227 - 03/09/11 07:13 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: MadridMan]
MadridMan Offline


Executive Member

Registered: 05/06/00
Posts: 9080
Loc: Madrid, Spain (was Columbus, O...
If you'd like more drama, read the Austin Bice blog - yes, his own personal blog on Blogger entitled "AB's European Tour 2011", detailing his experiences in Madrid, including his last day on this earth.

Saludos, MadridMan
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#89228 - 03/09/11 08:12 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: MadridMan]
jazz Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 05/28/08
Posts: 334
Loc: Madrid
Also I have a son 23 years old, fridays and sabado at night, I don't live by the concern....
My condolences to the family.

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#89231 - 03/09/11 11:35 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: jazz]
teachertraveler8 Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 11/20/09
Posts: 373
Loc: Detroit, Michigan
Madridman,

Thanks so much for posting the link to Austin's blog. It is a precious account of a young man's first wondrous experience with Madrid, a city he clearly loved. (My apologies to Puna for switching between your thread and this one, but I think that you could also find some suggestions from Austin)

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#89232 - 03/09/11 03:59 PM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: teachertraveler8]
MadridMan Offline


Executive Member

Registered: 05/06/00
Posts: 9080
Loc: Madrid, Spain (was Columbus, O...
The autopsy is complete. According to the El Pais Article, he fell backwards into the river and drowned as his lungs were full of water. They say had he died before falling there would not have been water in his lungs - which is logical. A short article in La Razon said he choked on a nut, vomited, and his lungs filled with the vomit.

So how can these two news outlets report different things from one autopsy report??

Saludos, MadridMan
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#89233 - 03/09/11 06:36 PM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: MadridMan]
Yankaluz Offline
Full Member

Registered: 04/28/05
Posts: 102
Loc: SoCal, USA
man! so sad! I've been following this story and unfortunately did not end well.

it also hit home in many ways, knowing Madrid well and having family there, considering myself a San Diegan after having established roots here for so long, so long ago, been to a Gypsy King concert in SDSU, and knowing his city of Carlsbad well too jsut feels odd.
I did not know anyone involved but it sure felt familiar because of the locations involved.

RIP, Austin
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AKA "NO&DO Yankaluz"
,,,si no te mata, te alimenta.

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#89240 - 03/10/11 12:28 AM Re: Missing San Diego State student [Re: Yankaluz]
laduque Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/00
Posts: 596
Loc: San Diego, CA, USA
Reading Austin's blog is heartbreaking! He truly fell in love with Madrid like we all have and was just beginning to discover it's depth.
As MM said, accidents happen everywhere and in many ways. So tragic and preventable.


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