Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Pedestrian Struck, Killed North of Square

The after-closing time, Sunday morning, fatal accident on Clay Street, north of the Woodstock Square, is certainly a tragedy. A bunch of friends head to a bar for drinking and leave their cars at home. That's smart.

But then they walk home - in the street. Apparently, walking "with" traffic, rather than against it. Even though there was a sidewalk. "The sidewalk was slick." So what?

This is not meant to excuse alleged drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident by the driver who hit and killed one man and injured another. But streets are for vehicles. Sidewalks are for pedestrians.

How were the pedestrians dressed? Dark clothing? Hard to see under good conditions. Probably nearly impossible to see by a driver who is believed to have been drinking.

The blood-alcohol content of the driver will be released by the Woodstock Police Department, and the BAC of the pedestrian who died should also be released.

About two months ago, at a monthly Coffee with the Chief, a question was asked about joggers who run in the street. One of the police officers informed the audience that there is a state law against pedestrians in the street if there is a sidewalk available.

The partiers belonged on the sidewalk, slick or not. Or, if they did walk in the street, they should have been walking facing street, not "with" traffic where they would not see vehicles coming up behind them. I wonder if the P.D. charged them with walking in a street. Had they not been in the street, any driver of a vehicle would have passed them by without contact.

At what bar(s) had the partiers been drinking? What was their own state of inebriation? Were they merely walking home, or were they horsing around in the street? And at what bar(s) had the driver been drinking, if he had?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gus, I walk an hour every day with my dog. The sidewalks are very dangerous when iced. Actually, when people leave snow on the sidewalk, this provides much-needed traction to stop a fall. Yesterday, a walk that normally takes 40 minutes took 50 because of my slowly navigating slick sidewalks and driveways.

Anonymous said...

Gus what is it of any of your freaking business to be making fun of someones loss. I really think that it is very stupid of you to do that. that just show that you don't give a crap about yourself. so you should leave other peoples live alone. I think this is all you can do since nobody likes you, so you should get another life.

Anonymous said...

I'm confused. Is this the conspiracy du jour or is it the city's loan?

Anonymous said...

Gus a creepy old man that has nothing better to do.

Gus said...

The comment by "first kill all the advocates!" was apparently intended to be posted following the article about Tuesday night's Woodstock City Council meeting. It has been copied to that article.

Gus said...

If "first kill all the advocates!" wonders about conspiracy d' jour, he might ask why the Woodstock Police Department refused information about this accident to the Northwest Herald three times before finally releasing it. Read the editorial on Page 10A of the December 5, 2007, Northwest Herald. Police departments commonly withhold identification of persons killed until next-of-kin have been notified, but they say that's what they are doing. Reporters asked for information three (3) times, but it took an editor's call to get it.

Anonymous said...

Gus...

Seriously, these were young adults who were being responsible. They were doing the right thing in walking home, no, they actually planned to walk there and back and not take any chances. This drunken idiot who hit them was driving too fast in an area that was well lit and pleanty wide enough. He was not being responsible. He ran from the accident. He is despicable and should get the maximum penalty by law. I have zero tolerance when it comes to drunk driving. There in NO EXCUSE. He is an adult who got in his drunk intentionally breaking the law. It is not unlike illegals to break the law, they have the mentality that the laws don't apply to them. I onl.y pray this guy gets his due here and isn't able to flee to his homeland. I lost a sister to a drunk driver and another hospitalized by a drunk driver. It changes lives in a profound way. He should be held completely accountable.

Anonymous said...

Gus...

Obviously , you are not a walker. If you were, you would understand why someone in an ice storm would walk on the street instead of a dangerous , unshoveled walk at 2 am. Why do you think people are incited by what you say? Is it because you live in a black and white world? Reality check Gus, this is not a black and white world, there are all kinds of shades. Yes...blah, blah, blah kids should have been walking against the traffic, but the fact was they weren't. Bottom line, this young man would be alive today if this drunken fool was not behind the wheel and driving too fast for conditions ! Drunk driving fatalities are not accidents, they are crimes. Adult people choosing to get behind the wheel of a car of their own free will. Punishments should be treated same in order to deter others. It was a senseless, avoidable loss of a life full of promise. Wake up Gus!

Anonymous said...

My question about the conspiracy du jour was correctly posted. It could be used for most of Gus' comments and should be left where I placed it. The moving of my comment could be construed as a type of censorship. Or conspiracy...Sorry I forgot the "we".

Gus said...

The driver of the truck should have been sober; his windshield clear of ice, snow and fog; headlights on and aimed so that snowblade didn't reduce illumination.
AND the folks on foot should have been on the sidewalk or alert for a vehicle approaching from behind.

I was reminded by postings in the Northwest Herald that I had queried the McHenry County Sheriff's Dept. on October 30 about its Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention unit and that the detective-in-charge had not called me back. I'll try once more before filing a FOIA Request.

Anonymous said...

The sidewalks in this city are horrendous. There is no law requiring people to clear the walkways in front of their homes, which is lame at best. Hell, for that matter there are a large number of areas where the sidewalks have been removed. Drive down Pleasant and you will see some. Instead of repairing or replacing damaged sidewalks our wonderful city council has to blow millions every year on crap like artwork in front of city hall. Why don't you try to walk on the sidewalks Gus, then tell us about how we should not walk in the streets which have been cleared and salted.

Gus said...

The main reason that people do not shovel the snow from their sidewalks is that there is no law that penalizes them for not doing so. A few good people do shovel; and they might even shovel the neighbors' sidewalks, too. As to damaged sidewalks and sidewalks under repair, call Public Works and keep after them. A sidewalk in the 300 block of South Jefferson was finally repaired because I kept nagging Public Works. A contractor "was supposed" to finish the job. How come no one from Public Works rode his backside until he did? Why did I have to call and call and call? (OK, so "I" didn't have to, but I did.)
The issue with Foat's death is not about sidewalks. It's about walking in the street, with traffic, at 2:00AM. It's risky, as they found out. It was fatal. I didn't know him, and I'm sorry for his death.
The City doesn't plow and salt the streets so that pedestrians could use them.
Maybe if 100-200-300 residents showed up at a City Council meeting and each took 2 minutes to pitch the Council on a law to require shoveling of sidewalks, then it might happen. It wouldn't have made any difference at 2:00AM, if snow was falling at that time.

Anonymous said...

Even if sidewalks are cleared, a thin or thick layer of ice can form, which makes walking very hazardous. Cleared sidewalks do little to help pedestrians avoid falls, if ice forms after clearing. Snow actually provides traction to stop a fall and makes walking safer.

Anonymous said...

In my neighborhood the city plows usually go by fast enough to throw the heavy,icy stuff off the streets onto the sidewalk. Should that be against the law as well?

Gus said...

I suspect that one well-placed call to Public Works would end your problem. Have you contacted Public Works about the problem? But are they really? Most snowplows operate at lower speeds. The snow might pile up on the parkway and across driveways but not reach the sidewalk. Are you referring to City of Woodstock snowplows? What street are you talking about? Come on, now. No whining without being specific?

Anonymous said...

Yes, City plows. Not every time but often. Calling me a liar will not provoke me. I don't call Public Works because I do not see it as a problem just a fact of life. My street address doesn't really matter and I do not want you camped out in my neighborhood. Snow and ice aren't really the problem since I see as many people walking in the street in the summer as the winter.

Anonymous said...

We all know you don't own your own home Gus. Do you shovel any walks? You seem to have plenty of free time. Maybe you could hire yourself out to some of your neighbors.

Anonymous said...
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