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

[Jewel S.]

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.
>
>
>
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-- 
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com