The Chainlink

Cab driver hits and kills man on sidewalk at Milwaukee and Chicago

This morning, 6:15 am, cab driver veers onto sidewalk, hits a light pole, flips the cab four times or more, and hits and kills a 30-year-old man who was sitting on a bench waiting for the bus. So horrible. One commenter at the end of the story said her boyfriend witnessed this and estimated the cab driver was going 60 mph.

 

Tribune story is here.

 

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Permalink Reply by Michelle S on September 10, 2012 at 8:22pm

It's encouraging to see that there has been an ongoing investigation and the agencies are taking this incident very seriously.

Now it would be nice if the Tribune would remove the word "accident" from the article and use the more neutral word "crash" instead. "Accident" connotes an event that was the fault of no one, and until a  judge or jury has rendered a final verdict based on full evidence, we cannot assume it was "just an accident".

It would help if the city's Major Accident Unit were renamed "Major Crash Investigation Unit" or something similar as well. Word choice matters.


John Durham said:

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on September 11, 2012 at 5:06pm

Today's news. The prosecutor said the taxi driver had picked up a fare and was going to Northwestern Memorial. He ran two red lights on Milwaukee at Chicago and Noble, and weaved in and out of his lane at high speeds. He did not test positive for drugs or alcohol.

The Tribune used the word "crash" throughout this article (except in the picture caption, which was probably written by a copy or photo editor); thank you, Trib reporter J. Meisner.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cabbie-ordere...

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 11, 2012 at 6:05pm

 until a  judge or jury has rendered a final verdict based on full evidence, we cannot assume it was "just an accident".

Michelle, I usually don't disagree with you, but as to what we can or cannot assume, I do.  The man is charged with a criminal offense.  He is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on September 11, 2012 at 6:30pm

Lisa, I completely agree. We cannot assume that he is guilty, which is why we shouldn't use the words "vehicular homicide" or imply that he acted with any intent, or even that he was reckless. We just don't know the full facts. However, we also cannot assume that there was no wrongdoing, which is why we shouldn't use the word "accident", which implies that it was just a fateful, unavoidable event. Instead, all we have concluded with certainty at this time is that there was a crash. The judge or jury will determine if there was any wrongdoing, or if this was an accident.

Lisa Curcio said:

 until a  judge or jury has rendered a final verdict based on full evidence, we cannot assume it was "just an accident".

Michelle, I usually don't disagree with you, but as to what we can or cannot assume, I do.  The man is charged with a criminal offense.  He is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 12, 2012 at 12:30pm

City records show Kesse [the cab driver] has been a licensed Chicago public chauffeur since May 1987 and had no outstanding moving violations or consumer complaints.

His attorney, Bruce Rafalson, told Judge Donald Panarese Jr. that the case was "a tragic accident" and hinted at possible mechanical problems with the cab, which was not Kesse's normal vehicle.

Rafalson said Kesse, of the 4500 block of North Clarendon Avenue, is a father of five and had never been arrested. In addition to his work with the church, Kesse served as president of a Chicago nonprofit that helps support African immigrants, Rafalson said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cabbie-ordere...

Permalink Reply by Steve Courtright on September 12, 2012 at 5:07pm

Maybe we will never know what happened exactly or where the fault lies, but these heart-rending and life-changing events are almost always terrible tragedies on both sides of the event.

 

It's possible to feel outrage and deep sadness at the same when one reads these reports.  I know I do.  At the end of the day, I mostly just want to go home and give my kids a long hug.  Life is hard.  It's important to be nice to each other.

Permalink Reply by blair on October 8, 2012 at 12:53pm

Again, there is no bus shelter here.  Not even a bus stop - just a bench.

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