Thursday, October 05, 2006
Who would you rather live near?
Read this story from the Chicago Tribune, and tell me who is the bigger menace to society. Is it the Mexican immigrants -- we don't know if they're "legal" or not -- innocently driving along the expressway? Or could it be the heedless, self-centered Anglo in the oversized vehicle?
Cell phone blamed in fatal Dan Ryan crash
By Jeremy Gorner
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 5, 2006, 9:51 AM CDT
Cell phone blamed in fatal Dan Ryan crash
By Jeremy Gorner
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 5, 2006, 9:51 AM CDT
A motorist talking on his cell phone was blamed by state police for a fatal crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway this morning that killed a 66-year-old man and injured five others, including an infant.
The driver, Joseph Burks, 30, of Chicago, lost control of his sport-utility vehicle and rolled it over another vehicle, Illinois State Police said. The crash shut down a portion of the southbound expressway (Interstate Highway 94) for nearly an hour.
The accident occurred around 1:30 a.m. near 63rd Street on Chicago's South Side.
Guadalupe Gonzalez, 66, as well as the infant and three other surviving victims, was riding in the vehicle hit by the SUV, state police said.
Gonzalez, whose address is listed in Mexico, was pronounced dead at 2:40 a.m. at St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
None of the other occuapants in Gonzalez's vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. Three of the injured remained hospitalized this morning at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, while the fourth was treated and released from St. Bernard.
Burks, who was lone occupant of the SUV, suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention, police said. He was issued several traffic citations. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
Tribune staff reporter Jason Meisner contributed.
The driver, Joseph Burks, 30, of Chicago, lost control of his sport-utility vehicle and rolled it over another vehicle, Illinois State Police said. The crash shut down a portion of the southbound expressway (Interstate Highway 94) for nearly an hour.
The accident occurred around 1:30 a.m. near 63rd Street on Chicago's South Side.
Guadalupe Gonzalez, 66, as well as the infant and three other surviving victims, was riding in the vehicle hit by the SUV, state police said.
Gonzalez, whose address is listed in Mexico, was pronounced dead at 2:40 a.m. at St. Bernard Hospital and Health Care Center, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
None of the other occuapants in Gonzalez's vehicle suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. Three of the injured remained hospitalized this morning at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, while the fourth was treated and released from St. Bernard.
Burks, who was lone occupant of the SUV, suffered minor injuries and refused medical attention, police said. He was issued several traffic citations. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
Tribune staff reporter Jason Meisner contributed.
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
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Hm. We have an interesting issue on that subject here in AZ. The Scottsdale School District was concerned about the data that suggests driving while talking on cell phones is as dangerous as DUI. So they outlawed it for their school bus drivers -- but hey, wait a minute, bus drivers have to be able to call in or get messages from the dispatcher and other legitimate calls. What to do? The School Board is still talking about it.
# posted by 
: 3:42 PM
: 3:42 PM
By the way, we go one step further here in Arizona -- we have all kinds of crazy drivers on the roads, but AZ doesnt allow undocumented workers (aka people who are not citizens) to 1.vote or 2.drive cars. Taxation without representation we used to call it -- in 1776. What did John Stuart Mill do that was so great? Wasnt he an Englishman? At least we dont have an English monarchy to deal with. Mill had some great philosophical thoughts but Disraeli is my hero. An outsider who won and then fought for the little guy!!
# posted by : 4:02 PM
: 4:02 PM
I do not think immigrants are a threat at all-in fact I think they offer valuable contributions to the world around us and I wish they could all have the same rights I have. It seems to me that if they could become citizens they could contribute even more-to everything, including the economy, and we would all benefit. (I can't remember my blogger password-it's been so long since you wrote)
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# posted by : 5:07 AM
: 5:07 AM << Home
