[nfbmi-talk] Andy Virden

[Fred wurtzel]

Hi Dave, 
That is all true.  I would respectfully submit, however, the driver has the
burdon  of responsibility for controlling their car.  The police ought to
give the pedestrian the benefit of the doubt and issue a ticket.  Then, the
court can determine who is at fault.  This is not just blind pedestrians who
will always be considered at fault, no matter what, but I am aware of
several sighted pedestrians who were hit with no consequences, including 2
deaths here in Michigan.  

it is difficult to blame the pedestrians in the Colorado incident when they
were at a bus stop.  A driver has the duty to drive according to weather
conditions.  Obviously the driver in Colorado was out of control.  They
should have been held responsible for reckless driving, at a minimum.  Where
is the accountability?  Now people are being ticketed for seat belt or cell
phone offenses and yet killing someone is treated with impunity.  I think it
is wrong.

Best Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of David Andrews
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 4:14 AM
To: NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Andy Virden

Fred, As much as Andy's death saddens me, I also think we shouldn't jump to
conclusions about what did or didn't happen.  The driver may have done
something wrong, he may not of, and we may never know for sure.

Dave

At 09:31 PM 3/13/2011, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>
>
>here is another pedestrian killed and the driver not charged or even 
>ticketed.  Andy was a community leader.  I don't get it.
>
>
>
>Advocate for blind Andy Virden hit, killed by vehicle in Waite Park
>
>By Lisa Schwarz and Ben Katzner . lschwarz at stcloudtimes.com, 
>bkatzner at stcloudtimes.com
>
>. March 13, 2011
>
>Print this page
>
>E-mail this article
>
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>
>void(null);
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>
>WAITE PARK - A longtime leader of the National Federation of the Blind 
>Central Minnesota
>
>Chapter was killed Friday night when he was hit by a vehicle in Waite Park.
>
>Andrew Virden, 83, was dead at the scene of the incident at Second 
>Avenue and First
>
>Street North, according to Waite Park police.
>
>Virden, who was blind and was using a white cane, was hit in the 
>traffic lane about
>
>8:05 p.m. by a northbound vehicle driven by John Willenbring, 19, of 
>Cold Spring.
>
>Police believe Virden was crossing Second Avenue North from west to 
>east when he
>
>was hit.
>
>No charges are pending, according to police. The driver was not injured.
>
>"It was a big shock this morning," said Gayle Gruber-Bengston, former 
>secretary of
>
>the Central Minnesota Chapter of the NFB.
>
>"He was very friendly, he's had a lot of contacts in the community and 
>especially
>
>in Waite Park," Gruber-Bengston said. "He had a lot of friends in town."
>
>Virden and Gruber-Bengston met more than 50 years ago at Virden's 
>vending stand,
>
>which used to be located on St. Germain Street in St. Cloud. 
>Gruber-Bengston said
>
>that she didn't remember exactly when that was, but Virden left an 
>impression.
>
>"He was intelligent. He knew what he was talking about, very well 
>read," she said.
>
>"He seemed to know a lot of people by name if he heard their voices
enough."
>
>A 1946 Technical High School graduate and a 1950 graduate of St. Cloud 
>State University,
>
>Virden had been blind since childhood. He became very active in the 
>National Federation
>
>for the Blind and was a longtime force in the Central Minnesota 
>chapter, serving
>
>as its president.
>
>He was active in DFL party politics and in 2009 received a lifetime 
>service award
>
>at the fifth Paul and Sheila Wellstone Dinner in St. Cloud.
>
>He was grand marshal of the Waite Park Spass Tag Days in 1981 and was 
>the Wheels,
>
>Wings and Water parade grand marshal in 1986, among other honors.
>
>"He is going to be missed ... he knew a lot of people in town,"
>Gruber-Bengston said.
>
>"A lot of people knew him as someone who cared about people."
>
>A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph's Catholic 
>Church, Waite
>
>Park. Daniel Funeral Home, St. Cloud, is handling the arrangements.



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