letters to the editor
August 25, 2012 11:28PM
Updated: September 27, 2012 11:00AM
Grateful for help
after car crash
I am hoping the people who helped me last on Aug. 15 during a car accident on 95th street and Showplace drive will read this and know how grateful I am for their help.
Someone found my seven-pound poodle who jumped out of the car and ran and others consoled my daughter and asked me repeatedly if I needed help.
I was so shook up that I feel I didn’t thank them enough at the time. These folks did not only help me in my time of need but restored my faith that angels do walk among us.
Deborah Goddard
Naperville
Bicyclist hits another,
then goes on his way
It is great that we live in a town that makes strides to be bicycle friendly for the safety of bike enthusiasts. But who is keeping the bike trails safe from those same exact bicycle enthusiasts?
About three weeks ago, my sister-in-law was out on the bike trail on Washington Street in Naperville. She and my niece were taking a ride on the trail, like many of us do, to improve her health and enjoy the beautiful summer morning.
It happened on July 31st at about 8 a.m. right where there is an entrance to the path on 87th Street.
As she rode from the little trail where you turn onto the path, another bicyclist hit her in the side (like a T-bone hit). He was going extremely fast, with little or no attempt to even slow down. This person landed on top of her, bike and all. She landed face-down in the grass and could not get up.
It gets worse. He picked himself, and his bike, off of her 5’2” inch frame and started to walk away. Did he even mutter the words, “Are you okay?” Nope. He did not check to see if she could get up. After two attempts, she could not. She couldn’t even move.
My niece, went after him asking if he had a cell phone so that they could call 911. He gestured, in sarcastic way, that he did not have a phone. My niece got her mother’s cell phone out of her pocket, as she lie there unable to move, and called 911.
She followed after him, and asked if he could at least wait for the ambulance to point him to where my sister-in-law was. At least he did this, then immediately left. He just took off, all the while not knowing or caring what condition she was in. For all that he knew, she could have been paralyzed. At this point, she could not move.
There was a good Samaritan there, a man who talked to my sister-in-law trying to calm her down while she waited for the ambulance. The injuries she sustained were a compound fracture of the lower lumbar which resulted in her having to wear a back brace for six weeks (at least), and have close monitoring of this injury so no further injury will occur.
She is being monitored closely because this fracture is dangerously close to her spinal cord. She is in a tremendous amount of pain, which she is trying to manage. There will be physical therapy. And anyone who has ever injured their back knows that things will not be the same for her even after it heals.
She is a teacher, so she is not even able to start out the year meeting her new students. She cannot drive, even short car rides are painful. It will be a long recovery for her.
I hope that the person who did this reads this. What kind of person walks away from someone that you literally ran over? How do you sleep at night? Do you wonder if she is okay? Do you have a daughter/wife/mother? Did she ruin your record time? Did she inconvenience you? I just cannot wrap my brain around the fact that you could walk away from someone in this situation when you don’t even know if they could walk.
It was an accident — an unfortunate one. But what makes it more unfortunate is how you walked away from her. I’ve talked to friends of mine who ride trails in Naperville. One friend uses the same trail that my sister-in-law was on, and recently was concerned over the speed-bikers and feared for their own safety. She has witnessed them cutting through the center of two lanes and speeding through when some are not moving fast enough for them.
Please consider this story when letting your children or loved-ones ride their bikes on the path. I’m not saying that this is an every day occurrence, but there is someone out there without any regard for people. And please, remember the bike trails out there are for everyone, even those not trying to break any speed records.
Donna Kern
Naperville
Sign code changes
harmful to city
Naperville residents should be aware of an action that will substantially impact the appearance of our community. This is the weakening of codes related to posting multiple real estate signs. Previously existing codes limited posting of real estate signs to “No more than one real estate sign per lot” and “One (1) temporary sign is allowed for sale, lease, or rent, of residential property.” (Code sections 5-4-4,10. and 5-4-8: 4.1.).
Last week, the City Council altered code to allow multiple real estate signs “along each property line abutting a public right-of-way.” This will allow signs to be posted not only in front yards, but back yards. In fact, it would allow some homes to post three signs. Changing the code is an extremely bad idea for the following reasons:
Community Appearance: If every home for sale with a street-side backyard has an added for sale sign it would add literally hundreds, if not thousands of signs on almost all of Naperville’s streets and thoroughfares. Currently, very few real estate signs are posted in back yards (only those in violation of previous code), which is why our streets are relatively attractive.
Homeowner association/ city beautification: Many of Naperville’s homeowners associations such as mine have spent thousands for common fencing on major roadways; plus stone, iron & brick entrances, lighting, flowers, etc. In addition, the city has spent substantial taxpayers’ funds to create attractive fencing, walls and parkways, such as the large faux brick walls at the recently constructed Washington and 75th street intersection. They weren’t meant to be backdrops for advertising.
Safety: Many neighborhood fences are literally inches from heavily traveled sidewalks. These signs are typically all metal or large wooden posts. There are many bicyclists (including children), runners, mothers pushing baby strollers, etc. who could potentially be injured.
Other signs: If real estate signs are allowed to expand will other commercial ventures (home improvement contractors, roofing, etc.) demand similar access to streets? This could significantly compound the problem of sign proliferation.
These changes resulted from a simple request to the Code Enforcement (CE) department to enforce long enacted codes. CE not only provided lengthy denials that the statute was as clearly stated, but then instead of enforcing the code followed-up with actions to formally change the code. It seems they are unmindful of the primary mission of sign code enforcement which is to maintain the beauty of our city.
Keith Brumbaugh
Naperville
City shouldn’t have
given in to Walmart
A big hooray for Kent Bevel and his stance against the City Council’s cave-in to Walmart to the tune of $1.75 million taxpayer dollars.
The tone of the quotations of the Council members reported in the article in the Sun of Wednesday, Aug. 22, suggests that Walmart threatened to leave the city altogether and that the Council therefore gave big bucks to one of the world’s wealthiest companies.
Is this how business should be conducted? What principle is involved here? Only the bottom line, I guess. For shame.
John Eckman
Naperville
Dog probably loved
ride on the roof
I don’t know about you but my Labrador just loves to stick its head out the window when the car is moving.
That nose to the wind with the ears flopping in the breeze all that motion with the air rushing by is Labrador heaven, it’s almost like riding a motorcycle. Mitt Romney probably had to drag the dog off the roof.
My Lab got so excited about a car ride it would jump in through the open car window even when we weren’t going anywhere. How many dogs ride in the back of pickup trucks?
Thomas Cechner
Lockport
