[nagdu] Blind man dies of injuries

Sun Oct 10 12:04:14 UTC 2010

Buddy,

I'm so glad you shared this.  Monty and I had a very close call a couple of 
weeks ago.  I keep replaying it in my mind trying to figure out what I 
should or could have done differently.  I have come up with nothing.  With 
your statement about cars going over 30mph my situation does make more 
sense.  I don't know why that didn't occur to me earlier.

In case you're curious...we were crossing a pedestrian crosswalk, the kind 
where you push the button for the walk signal and there is no intersecting 
street.  The speed limit there is 35.  I'd guess that most/all people drive 
at least that fast through there.  I had pushed the button, waited the few 
seconds that I know it takes for the light to change, tried to listen over 
the 40mph wind and crossed.  We made it across the first lane with no 
problem, but just as we were starting into the second lane, Monty stopped 
abruptly.  I could see the car in front of us, like reach out and touch it 
close.

It makes sense that Monty would have only stopped at the very last split 
second given the speed of the car.  Usually he is super traffic aware and 
never gets that close to moving cars.

Anyway we are both fine.  Monty shows absolutely no fear of traffic or 
hesitation, which I am eternally grateful for.  I think if I were a guide 
dog I'd have had a nervous breakdown long ago! *smile*

Julie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 11:38 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Blind man dies of injuries

> Hi Jewel,
>
> It seems likely to me that this happened some way into the crossing. As 
> for intelligent disobedience, according to Seeing Eye's training, a dog 
> cannot reliably judge traffic, and take appropriate evasive action, for 
> traffic that is traveling faster than about 30 miles per hour. At 30, it 
> only takes a couple seconds to go 200 feet. So, there you are.
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>
>
>
> On Oct 8, 2010, at 10:26 PM, Jewel S. wrote:
>
>> I wonder what Mr. Parks' family thinks of all this. Do *they* think
>> that Mr. Parks is as fault because a truck hit him? What happened to
>> the guide dog to not use intelligent disobedience in crossing in front
>> of the truck? It makes me wonder if they were already in the middle of
>> the street when the truck hit them and the truck just didn't stop...I
>> would like to know more infromation about this.
>>
>> Peter,
>> I highly doubt the audible signal had a single thing to do with this
>> death. The intersection where the audible was was 3/10 of a mile away,
>> according to the police (and they would know). Can you hear an audible
>> signal 1/3 of a mile away? I know the ones around Cameron Village here
>> in Raleigh, NC, I can't hear them until I am about 100 feet away, and
>> it is a sign to me that I am only a few minutes' walk away from the
>> intersection.
>>
>> An audible signal, which only chirps when you press the button, has
>> made a huuuge difference for me. They installed an audible signal that
>> requries you press the button to activate it at the corner of Gormon
>> and Marcom, an intersection I have to cross twice to get to the bus
>> stop on the diagonal opposite from where I start. The audible makes it
>> easier for me, because otherwise, I have to wait for someone to arrive
>> in parallel traffic for the light to change, and that is very rare,
>> and traffic is pretty constant on Gromon. But I press the button, and
>> about 2 minutes later, the light goes yellow then red on perpendicular
>> traffic and I get to cross safely with the chirp. I am very grateful
>> for this audible and it has saved me much time, frustration, and could
>> even save my life, since I have actually crossed that intersection
>> thinking I had the go and heard a car coming and thought "Oh shit" and
>> had to rush across to get across to allow it to keep going...what if
>> that car didn't stop before I got all the way across? Now I don't have
>> to worry about that.
>>
>> Back to the topic at hand! I would like to know more information, but
>> I am sure you all do. At this point, I see a potential involuntary
>> manslaughter charge, but I am not sure that the police will follow it
>> through unless the family demands it.
>>
>> I do not like the wording of this article. It sounds very biased
>> against Mr. Parks, and newspaper reporters are supposed to be neutral,
>> with no biases either way. This article sounds like the reporter feels
>> sorry for the driver who was soooo helpless (yea right) and is trying
>> to show that Mr. Parks is at total fault for his own death and just
>> had it coming to him for jaywalking across this street.
>>
>> My two cents worth again,I wonder what Mr. Parks' family thinks of
>> this horrible tragedy? This is obviously a case of in
>>
>> On 10/8/10, Buddy Brannan <buddy at brannan.name> wrote:
>>> Hi Dave,
>>>
>>> Of course we won't, but the language inferring that the blind guy was at
>>> fault should be troubling to all of us. Especially since, as you say, we
>>> don't know what really happened.
>>> --
>>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Oct 8, 2010, at 2:34 PM, David Andrews wrote:
>>>
>>>> Buddy:  None of us was there, so we don't know what happened.  Further,
>>>> the newspaper was not there, and while they believe they got it right,
>>>> they may have, and they may not have.
>>>>
>>>> I am not trying to blame the guy, but none of us will ever know for 
>>>> sure
>>>> why it happened!
>>>>
>>>> Dave
>>>>
>>>> At 08:10 AM 10/8/2010, you wrote:
>>>>> Exactly. Very angry making.
>>>>> --
>>>>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>>>>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Oct 8, 2010, at 9:05 AM, Albert J Rizzi wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Unbelievable. the way it reads it makes the man with the guide dog
>>>>>> responsible and decisive about walking into the path of the truck.
>>>>>> Makes me
>>>>>> sick.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>>>>>> Founder
>>>>>> My Blind Spot, Inc.
>>>>>> 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>>>>>> New York, New York  10004
>>>>>> www.myblindspot.org
>>>>>> PH: 917-553-0347
>>>>>> Fax: 212-858-5759
>>>>>> "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one 
>>>>>> who
>>>>>> is
>>>>>> doing it."
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>>>>> Behalf
>>>>>> Of Buddy Brannan
>>>>>> Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 8:38 AM
>>>>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Blind man dies of injuries
>>>>>>
>>>>>> OK, what's wrong with the following opening paragraph:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> MOORESTOWN - A blind man who walked with his guide dog into the
>>>>>>> path of a pickup truck here has died from his injuries.
>>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>                       David Andrews:  dandrews at visi.com
>>>> Follow me on Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/dandrews920
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
>> -- 
>> ~Jewel
>> Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
>> Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com
>>
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>
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