Monday, July 26, 2010

Motorcyclist - over the limit (0.214)

On July 2 a motorcyclist died in the Crystal Lake area after crashing his motorcycle. Trent David Steckel, 24, was riding his 2005 Honda VTX 1300C motorcycle shortly after 1:00AM.

According to a press release by the McHenry County Sheriff's Department, "for unknown reasons the motorcycle exited the roadway to the west, into a ditch causing the driver to lose control of the motorcycle, and to collide with a culvert."

Steckel had been associated with the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and the Lakewood Fire Department. An honors funeral was conducted on July 10th.

According to the office of the McHenry County Coroner, Steckel's BAC was 0.214.

6 comments:

Notawannabee said...

I thought you were bad, then I saw the NorthWORST Herald also did a follow up, dragging the family through the mud....he's dead but the family doesn't need the BS. OK he was drunk and his mistake cost him his life....no need to pile on.

Comments seem to be closed on the NWH.

QT said...

Nota- I'm confused how the NWH is " dragging the fam through the mud". I read the follow up, I guess if stating the truth is dragging people through the mud, then so be it. I would call that the truth, he was under the influence. Do you think the public should be kept in the dark when a civil servant breaks the law? I was saddened to read Trent passed, I was even more saddened when I read that he made a conscious decision to get on a bike at over twice the legal limit.

Justin said...

I guess I don't see where this is news. Man dies as a result of an accident a few weeks ago and the Fire Department had a big send off for him. Now the NWH reports that he was DUI. I guess my thoughts are that the family knows the results but what good did it do to report it now that he is buried? Is another fireman going to stop drinking? Public servant or not I don't recall the NWH reporting on previous accidents after the fact and don't understand the necessity. NOTA called it piling on. Maybe Nota was a friend? Maybe if someone other than this driver had been killed or injured it might be newsworthy but now it just seems like little more than an attempt to embarrass his memory. I didn't know the deceased or any of his family but thought it odd the NWH published the results of toxicology. Was this a coroner’s inquest? Sometimes I agree with Nota and sometimes I don't. I mostly side with Nota on this one.

Gus said...

Just, thank you for your respectful questions.

The newsworthiness of this is that nothing was reported previously about alcohol. The media release from the sheriff's department was silent. The print media didn't dig for information.

The BAC was released by the Coroner's Office as part of its investigation into the cause of Steckel's death. The level is significantly higher than the "legal limit" and very likely contributed to the crash.

It will seem insensitive to question giving him an honors funeral; he didn't die in the line of duty. He was a young man who happened to be employed by a couple of fire departments and who died off-duty.

Unknown said...

Just happened to be? Maybe everyone just happens to be employed. You are no better than the NWH trying to pile this on. With your hatred towards civil servants, your last statement does a disservice to everyone that just "happens" to be a firefighter or policeman.

Gus said...

Hans, no hatred at all of "civil servants." That phrase is out-of-date now.

A civil servant was one who worked for a public body and generally at wages below the private sector.

Your attitude is an attempt to prevent an inspection of the waste of public, tax-supported property and personnel for a private funeral and procession.