Image Credit: Tafari K. Stevenson-Howard/Getty Images
Tragedy befell the lighthearted game show Cash Cab Friday when a producer for the Canadian branch of the show struck and killed a pedestrian in Vancouver. The driver was returning the mobile set to a storage facility after filming for the day wrapped when he hit the 61-year-old Surrey, British Columbia, resident in the city’s Downtown Eastside district. The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, died in a local hospital soon after the collision.
Andrew Burnstein, president of Castlewood Productions Inc., which produces the show’s Canadian version, issued a statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and his friends and his family. My heart also goes out to the driver of the vehicle, a member of our technical staff, who is shaken and devastated by this tragic accident, as is our entire team.”
The driver and members of the Castlewood team are fully cooperating with the Vancouver Police, who are still trying to determine the full circumstances of the accident. No charges have been brought against the producer.
i don’t think 61 qualifies as elderly. sad though.
That’s exactly what I thought. But yes, terribly sad. This person probably had another decade or two in him. At least it wasn’t during the actual filming of the show; it worries me that someone is driving around while hosting a game show.
so you don’t talk to your passengers while you drive?
Natalie, I am sure almost everybody talks to their passengers when they’re driving. However we don’t have flashing lights inside our car that look like a disco. And think about this, how does the host know what questions to ask? He either has a monitor that he reads them from or has an earpiece where the questions are relayed to him. Either way his full attention is not on the road.
if you would have read the whole story you would have noticed that the accident happened when someone was returning the cab. not while filming the show
“Friends don’t let friends drive game-show-hosting.” (And, yes, I know the driver was returning the cab…but I still think the premise for the show is idiotic. Even stupider than texting while driving.)
“stupider”…HA!
Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
Claire: I love using “stupider”. Not sure if it’s a real word, but it works for me! Gets the point across, right?
Killed by a game show. Try that on for size.
an if you had read her post, you would see that she said that she was glad that IT DIDN’T HAPPEN DURING THE SHOW..
If you watch the show, the driver gets his questions through an ear wick…just like rock stars.
“Stupider” and “stupidest” are correct usages. They are also a good way to describe Claire.
61 qualifies as elderly when a twenty-five-year old is writing the article. Some people 61 look many years younger, some especially those who smoke or drank, drugged, etc. (or those with lots of stress) often look very old.
I’m 30 and 61 is NOT elderly.
Thanks, Nicole. I just turned 61 and don’t think I’m elderly, either.
61 is NOT elderly. Unfortunately, that stupid comment sticks out in a story that should be focusing on the tragic death of a HUMAN being, elderly or not.
To Glenn: You had to know you’d be eating that foot you stuck in your mouth, when you decreed that some people of 61 years of age”who smoked,drank,drugged etc, or had a ‘lot of stress’ look much older. HA! You must be emotionally younger than whatever your years. Look kid, I am 60 years old and I smoked, drank,drugged & lots of rock & roll on the ‘etc’ end a good 40 plus years worth. In terms of the stress factor, I have five adult children, 14 grandchildren, & 3 great-grandchildren. Stressful enough for you? I worked in corporate America for almost 30 years. Now THAT’S stress! Been married & divorced a total of five times (husband #3 & #5 are the same heavy metal guitarist-yes, you’d instantly recognize the name). Managed to snag a couple of graduate degrees along the way & only recently just went cold turkey on liquor & cigarettes, gave up heroin & coke years ago & today I’m in the BEST shape ever, plus, I’m an accomplished playwright. All that & everyone STILL tells me I look around 48! Never had botox,fake boobs,facelift,lipo or any of that nonsense. Never needed it. My point son, longwinded though it was, is that you can’t generalize or stereotype ANYONE according to some narrow perimeter. My doctor says I have excellent muscle tone & excellent genes. OK?
61 isn’t “middle aged” as some like to say. What else do you want to call it?
You are awesome. Seriously.
austria: Do you know the meaning of the word ‘some’?
I had heard about this earlier, but just read the details. The first thing I thought was that elderly was not the proper description. But aside from that, a sad accident for all concerned.
My heart goes out to the family. and all involved.
LOL, that was my first thought, too!
Agreed! 61 is NOT elderly!
it is if your 20….
It was only a matter of time. I’m surprised Ben Bailey hasn’t had numerous accidents in NYC by now.
This wasnt the New York show. There are several versions of this show, not just Ben Bailey’s show. Also, it says a producer of the show was driving, NOT the host.
@Ryden: I think Deke was remarking that Bailey’s driving on the New York show always looks a bit scary. I agree, but it may just seem like he’s never looking forward. If the producer of the Vancouver show was in the accident, it may have been the car that follows the cab. I also agree with the others who wonder when 61 was considered elderly. Do Canadians live shorter lives?
I’m pretty sure Deke got that part
The article states that the show was finished tapeing for the day and the producer was returning the van to storage.
Regardless of where or when the accident happened, I think posters are making a statement about the relative danger to pedestrians and other drivers in the set up of this game show. You have a driver asking time-sensitive questions to contestants in the back set. This driver’s attntion is being diverted from DRIVING by either being fed audio questions or reading a monitor.
@luke – americans have the highest mortality rate than any other developed nation – canadians have one of the lowest…
@filmboym: That’s interesting — and I’m not surprised by it. Americans take way too many risks. Canadians seem less stressed. So, 61 in Canada is hardly considered elderly.
@Luke On average Canadians live almost 3 years longer than we do in the USA.
When the F&*K did 61 become elderly? especially in a day and age when people are only living longer. Then again with a name like Lanford, you must be like 12.
What a stupid comment. What does his name have to do with his age? Would it make sense to say with a name like Ryden, you must be like 70. And yes 61 is elderly. After sixty you are officially old.
Are you 60? You might redefine it when you reach that age.
After 65 you are considered ‘old’.
Seriously, of all the things to say about this, we get comment after comment about how 61 isn’t “elderly”? Get over it already, good lord.
I’m 61… and 61 is not elderly!! Now all you damn kids get off my lawn!
The poor guy is dead because of this idiotic BS show that nobody watches. Who gives a f**k if he was elderly.
Why do you care about this article then, eric? “Cash Cab” is not idiotic… at least not the New York version. And the guy didn’t die because of the show; he died because a driver hit him. The fact that he was returning something to a storage facility related to this show is entirely incidental and has nothing to do with the show itself. It’s like saying that a truck with “Whole Foods” on it was related to the supermarket. It’s the driver and the victim…everything else is trivial.
If you get a senior discount at the movies, you are old! (J.K.!)
This headline is misleading. People automatically assume that the accident occurred during (and because of) shooting. Not the case. Gotcha headlines usually don’t bother me but this one does because I love the show and this is just a sad coincidence.
i agree.
berd- crack me up. I was just reading the contents of this article to friend emphasizing the words “elderly” and “sixty one”. Then i scrolled down and saw your comment.
I agree now a days 61 is not elderly. Sad to hear any dead caused by the entertainment industry itself.
Misleading headline to use the word “elderly.” that’s not even retirement age. Whoever did that should be corrected or reprimanded. Your publication does itself a disservice.
Life isn’t fare …
Nice…
After 50 ,you’re elderly , get over it or come to terms with you ,bunch of elderly folks!! And that world wide.
If he was using a walker with grey hair I might refer to him as elderly without knowing he was 61 (i know it didn’t say anything about a walker, but if someone looks older than they are at 61 they would be referred to as elderly)
Where can I get a walker with grey hair?
Hey “youngin”: maybe you might want to look up the spelling of your screen name before casting aspersions. You may be young but you’re still stupid.
Vapid, stupid and shallow youth. That’s a choice. Not a good one but it’s always existed. The young always think they invented everything. Sadly, they could learn a thing or too from the elderly..whatever age fit’s that particular label.
That said, enjoy your youth since it won’t be with you forever no matter how much plastic surgery you decide to use or not. Age is a state of mind. Sometimes I feel 100 and at others like a teenager. I am 58. I’m positively creaky at times. I’m also well educated, funny and happy. The alternative is death. Funny, but, isn’t that what this tread topic started out to be about..someone who died due to an accident before some youngster got all ageist and freaked out? “Oh no, the elderly” as if it’s not gonna happen to them. It will and I hope they can deal with it. It’s really unattractive to see someone who has self loathing and clearly this youngster is banking on looks and good luck with that. Yeah, stupid is forever…with ya on that Dave.
youngin. some young people are very mature in their approach. You, however, are a mindless twit.
“Youngin” is not only immature, but his punctuation sux also.
Amen! Your more concise than I am..thank you.
At my elderly age of 52, I love when so many of the youngin’s are finishing behind when I race.
I’m 23 and I don’t think 61 is elderly. It’s not. After 65 is considered old.
So that must be official then, huh? All that wisdom at age 23..bwaahhhhhh
As Lewis Black once said: “forty is not the new thirty, fifty is not the new forty. Forty is forty, fifty is fifty”. Know your age and act it. Sixty-one is old. Oh, yes, and the old lady died, that was part of the story too.
61 is “old” yes, but its not “elderly”. And who the heck is Lewis Black. And this has nothing to do with “know your age and act it”. And it was a MAN who died, not a Lady.
@AcaseofGeo: Lewis Black is a comedian. @Flay: Lewis Black was telling jokes, not giving a lecture on the science of aging.
too bad. I like that show alot.
It’s going to have to change its name from Cash Cab to Crash Cab
Tasteless, but funny
61 is elderly? The author is an idiot!
Yes he’s an idiot, cause he called a 61 year old elderly. Who the hell cares. All the news stories describe him as such, and it’s a fair statement, even though you may disagree.
61 is elderly. Yeah, okay. And even if Landon is 12, he should have an editor (who is probably 14). Journalism ain’t what it used to be…
Why does everyone focus on terminology? I have grey hair and I’m 46. Let’s focus on the tragedy and think of the victim, family, and everyone else involved.