[nagdu] Blind man struck, dog killed this morning in Burlco, New Jersey

Thu Oct 7 22:08:05 UTC 2010

I just saw an article that says he was not at the intersection, a fact that was noted as highly unusual for this guy, who appears to be very well known in his neck of the woods.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY


On Oct 7, 2010, at 5:58 PM, Jewel S. wrote:

> What I don't get is why they don't immediately arrest the driver for
> assault with a deadly weapon! A vehicle, in legal terms, is a deadly
> weapon when it strikes another person, unless it is not the driver's
> fault (such as a person jumping in front of the vehicle). If the man
> was wearing a reflective vest, crossing at an intersection and walking
> with a guide dog, why the hell didn't the truck stop?
> 
> Over and over, I see "no charges have been pressed and it's under
> investigation," but in a case like this, isn't it obvious it was the
> driver's fault? White Cane Laws protect blind pedestrians from fault
> at intersections,a nd some protect blind pedestrians even if they
> cross where there is no intersection or crosswalk. The fault *always*
> ies ith the driver at intersections if the person is obviously holding
> a white cane or working with a guide dog.
> 
> Things like this is why I want to see police stings at intersections,
> with people crossing with a white cane and requiring people to
> completely yield. Here in North Carolina, that means coming to a
> complete stop until the blind pedestrian (with white cane or guide
> dog) is completely across the crosswalk (on the sidewalk or over the
> curb). This means you can't zoom in front of the pedestrian (as I've
> seen many times, where they decide they have just enough time to sneak
> in front of the pedestrian), and they can't zoom behind the pedestrian
> because hey, the pedestrian isn't on *that* part of the crosswalk
> anymore...but what if the blind person gets confused by the sound of a
> car moving behind him and turns back? Not everyone has good O&M
> skills, and some people have additional disabilities that mean they
> are disoriented. I know this from personal experiences. I have days
> where I am in a fog. A friend told me she saw me crossing a street,
> wavering and looking obviously confused, turning around in the middle
> of the crosswalk, and walking back a few steps. I don't remember the
> situation, as I was in a bad fog due to a new medication I was taken
> (a strong pain killer that affects memory and orientation). She told
> me later that she pulled over, stepped over to me and gestured for
> cars to stop, because they were zooming around me on the crosswalk
> since they had the green light and didn't want to wait for me...this
> left me stranded in the middle of the crosswalk between traffic. Thank
> goodness my friend came along when I was completely out of it.
> 
> It is absolutely ridiculous all these pedestrians getting hit in
> crosswalks. It is not just blind pedestrians, though they are more
> likely to get in the papers. Hundred of pedestrians get hit by
> vehicles while crossing at a crosswalk, and many more get hit while
> jaywalking (a no-no, but it happens). There needs to be some kind of
> program to enforce the law and force drivers to pay attention to
> pedestrians. For one, they need to stop texting, talking on the phone,
> reading, eating cereal (I've seen this!), applying makeup, and
> browsing the internet while driving. They need to pay attention to the
> road and their surroundings, not what is going on in the vehicle. I
> think for one, driver's education should be stricter, and all states
> should require full driver's education classes before taking the test.
> Here in North Carolina, driver's education is not mandatory, and I
> think this is part of the reason there are so many horrid drivers in
> North Carolina.
> 
> Ok, rant over. Back to your friendly chat.
> 
> 
> 
> On 10/6/10, Ginger Kutsch <gingerKutsch at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Blind man struck, dog killed this morning in Burlco
>> CourierPostOnline.com . October 6, 2010
>> http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20101006/NEWS01/10100605
>> 9/Blind-man-struck-dog-killed-this-morning-in-Burlco
>> A blind Moorestown man and his guide dog were struck by a vehicle
>> while crossing a township street this morning.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Gordon Parks, 68, of New Albany Road, was crossing Camden Avenue
>> with his guide dog Wendy about 9:30 a.m. when they were struck by
>> an eastbound pickup driven by Tabernacle resident Wayne T.
>> Morris, 72, police said.
>> 
>> The dog, Wendy, was killed by the impact and Parks, who was
>> wearing an orange reflective vest, was thrown into the westbound
>> lane of Camden Avenue, police said.
>> 
>> Parks was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital in Camden,
>> police said. Park's condition was not immediately available. N
>> 
>> No charges have been filed in relation to the accident, which
>> remains under investigation.
>> 
>> Anyone with information about the accident is asked to contact
>> Sgt. Randy Pugh or Patrolman George Hubel at (856) 914-3045.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> ~Jewel
> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/buddy%40brannan.name