| Author | Message | ||
     Vjb77  |
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/120504_ns_toys_motorcylcle.html | ||
| Gschuette  |
What a shame. Drivers need to be taught that it is hard to judge the spped of a bike so if they are in doubt just to wait. I also feel horrible for his family who were looking forward to spending more time with him in his retirement. | ||
| Iamike  |
The car driver was charged with DUI. I doubt any schooling would have helped, other than the electric chair. | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
40000 member lynchmob? | ||
| Newfie_buell  |
Very Sad Indeed | ||
| Outrider  |
Truly a tragic incident that could have been prevented by the Parade Marshal's and the City that issued the permit for the parade. | ||
| Bomber  |
hard to stop drunk drivers -- they are determined | ||
| Xlcrguy |
Driver charged in 'Toys for Tots' death By Brett McNeil Tribune staff reporter Published December 6, 2004, 11:23 AM CST A 74-year-old Chicago man was charged today with drunken driving and other offenses in connection with the death of a correctional officer killed while riding a motorcycle in the Toys for Tots charity parade. Arcirio Rodriguez, of the 2100 block of West Wilson Avenue, also was charged with negligent driving, failure to yield right of way and failure to stop at a stop sign in connection with the Sunday morning accident on the city's North Side, authorities said. Rodriguez was taken in critical condition to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he underwent surgery, police said. He was listed there in stable condition this morning. Frank Griseto, 55, of the 6400 block of Blodgett Avenue, Downers Grove, an off-duty DuPage County sheriff's deputy, was riding his motorcycle north on Western Avenue at 10:28 a.m. when a car driven by Rodriguez pulled into traffic from Cornelia Avenue, police said. Griseto, who was riding a "full-dress" Harley-Davidson in the 27th annual Toys for Tots parade, could not stop in time and struck the car broadside, police said. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic, where he was pronounced dead at 11:17 a.m., said a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office. Longtime participants in the charity ride, which collects toys for needy children and regularly draws more than 20,000 motorcyclists, said they knew of no other fatal accidents in the history of the event. "It's the first fatal accident in the 20 years that I've been doing it," said Roger Genschorek, a Downers Grove resident who knew Griseto through friends but was not traveling with him during Sunday's trip from the Dan Ryan Woods to a North Side Marine Corps center. Griseto was hired as a sheriff's deputy in October 2003 and worked as a guard at DuPage County Jail, officials said. "Even though he was with us for only a short time, he was respected and well liked by all who knew him," DuPage County Sheriff John Zaruba said in a statement. Neighbors said Griseto, a regular rider in the Toys for Tots Parade, worked as a fitness and weightlifting trainer for the Indian Boundary YMCA in Downers Grove before taking the sheriff's deputy job. He also taught karate for children and self-defense for adults, neighbors said. Griseto and his wife, Gloria, had no children and instead doted on three dogs they adopted from area shelters, neighbors said. A DuPage County sheriff's deputy turned reporters away from the Griseto home Sunday night, saying family members declined to comment to the media. Josie Zielinski, 58, cried as she remembered her friend and neighbor Sunday night. "He had such a good heart, that man," said Zielinski, whose husband, Jerome, was a close friend and motorcycle-riding partner of Griseto's. "He knew Jerry has a bad back, and when it snowed Frank would be over here shoveling the snow." | ||
| Grndskpr  |
40000 member lynchmob? try 63000 as of last count Truly a tragic incident that could have been prevented by the Parade Marshal's and the City that issued the permit for the parade How is that, there were 63k motorcycles on the road, there were blockers designated for each tier, each tier was lead by a sponsor fire truck or semi(i was behind the Teamster truck this year) There are cops at every major intersection, there are blockers for all other intersection, there are other car clubs that come out and block what they can, blaming a city for this death caused by a drunken motorist is like balming wisconsin for all the bad HD dealers out there, its just wrong, this was a situation, that was caused by a drunken senior citizen, who should have stayed at the bar/home and not gotten into his car, simple really, but it was his mistake that killed someone and injured another motorcyclist, and i feel he should be punished to the full extent of the law, R | ||
| Outrider |
"Witnesses to the accident describe the scene in anger.....of a street they believe should have been closed to traffic." Roger...This is what I was referring to. It is a quote from the original article in Vjb77's post and it most certainly implies neglect on the part of either the Parade Marshal's and/or the City. Will be interesting to see how this plays out in reference to potential lawsuits. Regardless, I am truly saddened that the incident marred the event and for the life so tragically lost. | ||
| Outrider |
Addendum...I was not excusing the driver of the car from any responsibility. The quote suggests that had the intersection been properly closed (blocked) the incident may not have occurred. Additionally, kindly note that the original article stated there was a break in the parade and that is when the driver turned into the intersection. Drunk or not, I can envision this break tempting a lot of people to do the same. Especially since it is extremely unlikely that everyone driving in that part of Chicago was aware of the parade, it's route, times and road closures. | ||
| Midknyte |
Add to that, even if the road would have been blocked off, someone who is "sufficiently" (for lack of a better word) drunk, can and will still do harm. Everything about this sucks so bad. | ||
| Newfie_buell |
You can't blame the City or anyone else for this incident!!!! Fact is that "The Driver Should Have Never Been DRINKING AND DRIVING" Thats where the blame and liability lies!!!!! | ||
| Grndskpr |
Drunk or not, I can envision this break tempting a lot of people to do the same. No you cant, because you havnt done it, the break they are refering to consisted of about 4 to 6 motorcycle lengths, being in the parade, you see these breaks all the time, they come from riders trying to stay with one another, and once you have been in the parade, you would see why not all streets can be blocked, and how most people park there cars, sit back and watch, again, until you have done it, you wouldnt understand how stupid or drunk this guy was R | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise)  |
People tend to be stupid & drinking just makes it a whole lot worse. Couple years ago we had a funeral for our HOG director who had passed away. Police escort with both cars & bikes. We had about 150 bikes in the funeral procession & we actually had cars trying to cut into the line. Hmmm, police cars, funeral tags on the bikes, etc etc & yet they still are frickin retarded. | ||
| Outrider |
Rog...Again, I am not excusing the driver in any way. My point has nothing to do with "how stupid or drunk this guy was." As for the need to cover all the cross streets, please don't lecture me on that. I am not looking for an argument. I am just relating fact from experience and the (now) two articles I have read about this incident. You are correct in that I wasn't there. However, I have participated in a number of parades both smaller and larger. Most were the Love Rides in LA, the Toy's for Tot's runs in both LA and Orange County, However, I also have seen the preparation and safety precautions taken right here in Milwaukee for Harley's 100th Parade. Trust me, all parades are run pretty much the same regardless if it is a tiny town Independence Day Parade featuring the Grade School Band, a Circus Parade, Mardi Gras, or the Macy's (?) Christmas Parade. The responsibilities for the safety of the parade and the spectators rests both with the parade organizers and the City that issues the parade permit. Heck, the same responsibility even applies to a typical BRAG Club ride. That is the reason for the waivers, which are usually easy to get around in court. As I said this is a very tragic event that never should have happened. However, whomever was responsible for protecting that intersection wasn't very effective and if no one was assigned to the intersection, I would not bet against a wrongful death suit being filed naming the City and the Parade Organizers as co-defendants along with the actual perp. Right or wrong, it's the American Way and the reason why everyone involved carries insurance or is self insured as in the case of many large cities. Additionally, I firmly believe that the family of the deceased is entitled to more for their loss than they can most likely get from the perp and his insurance carrier, if he even has one. | ||
| Outrider |
Dyna...Yes, many folks are retarded and place their own agenda above the respect and safety of others. The worst part is this refers to folks in general and not just the Juicers and Stoners. Heck, you see it every day in traffic, not to mention in virtually all aspects of life. |
