UPDATE: Man in wheelchair struck and killed at South Bend intersectionTribune Staff Report
A man was crossing the street in his motorized wheelchair at the intersection of LaSalle Boulevard and Hill Street in South Bend when he was hit by a pickup truck on Wednesday, July 23, 2008. (Tribune Photo/MARCUS MARTER) SOUTH BEND — A man crossing the street in an electric wheelchair was killed Wednesday after being hit by a pickup truck. Police said 61-year-old Keith Coros of Granger was crossing LaSalle Street at Hill Street around 12:45 p.m. According to initial witness reports, police said, it appears Coros was crossing the street at the crosswalk, with the walk sign, when he was hit by a full-size white pickup driven by 70-year-old Britt Herbert of South Bend. Police said Herbert was turning right onto LaSalle when he hit Coros. He told police he didn't see the man. Police closed the intersection and roped off the accident area with police tape as they investigated. Traffic was detoured around the area. Still sitting in the street were Coros' electric wheelchair and a pair of shoes. A single spot of blood could be seen on the pavement. Police have said alcohol was not a factor in the crash. Friday, Jul 25 at 8:11 PM LmNoP wrote ...I think the suggestion of the orange flag is a good one. In some cities it is required for the simple reason that wheelchairs are short and hard to see. I know from my own experience that it's almost impossible to see a small child on the right side of the vehicle while in the driver's seat. I rely on the small round mirror. But, for the old man (who I doubt was texting or on a cell phone) to claim he didn't see anyone about to enter the crosswalk sounds possible to me. Friday, Jul 25 at 6:33 PM Kit Kat wrote ...Amazed in SB...no name calling needed..take a chill pill..we still get the point if you relax Friday, Jul 25 at 12:38 PM Amazed In South Bend wrote ...This may help you MORON drivers that think you have the right of way:IC 9-21-17-2 "Walk" and "don't walk" signals Sec. 2. Whenever special pedestrian control signals exhibiting the words "walk" or "don't walk" are in place, the signals must indicate as follows: (1) Flashing or steady "walk" means a pedestrian facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and a person who drives a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian. (2 Friday, Jul 25 at 12:31 PM Amazed In South Bend wrote ...to NO WONDER 11:23am You must be one of those MORON drivers and I think that you need to brush up on your Indiana law Friday, Jul 25 at 11:55 AM Anonymous wrote ...Hey MJ accidents are preventable. You know like STOPPING at a STOP sign or GOD forbid pay attention to your driving while you are driving. Friday, Jul 25 at 11:23 AM no wonder wrote ...AMAZED IN SOUTH BEND these people need to hussle across the road and quit lolly gagging in the cross walks....they do not have the right of way, they are to cross when traffic is clear, Indian laws states that pesdestrians are to yeild the right of way to cars.....common sense says the cars are bigger......duh....stay out of the way Friday, Jul 25 at 10:26 AM AMAZED IN SOUTH BEND wrote ...Yesterday I was waiting to turn left on Lincolnway with a car and a truk in front of me, a pedestrian began to cross the Lincolnway which the pedestrian light told him to do so. I watched in horror as the truck and the car both turned left and began honking and driving directly into the pedestrian which resulted in him having to run to avoid being hit. TO ALL YOU MORON DRIVERS THE PEDESTRIANS ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.... Friday, Jul 25 at 10:14 AM Anonymous wrote ...Keith will be missed, and we pray for his wife and the driver of the truck that God will keep them all in His perfect peace. Friday, Jul 25 at 9:31 AM Jan wrote ...Maybe if wheelchairs had one of those orange bike flags they could be seen better by the drivers of cars. Wheelchairs are somewhat like motorcycles and schoolbuses and are just not seen by drivers of cars and trucks. Friday, Jul 25 at 7:08 AM Anonymous wrote ...Anon. What is your problem? Just because someone is handicap does not mean they cannot enjoy things like a walk. That is so disgraceful. According to the article this man in the wheel chair had the right of way. He was using the crosswalk. Comments like yours are so frustrating and disturbing. Thursday, Jul 24 at 10:12 PM friend wrote ...We knew Keith from coming into our business in Granger. We would always tell Keith to be careful out on the streets. He would always say that he wanted to live life to the fullest and not to be bound to his house. I say good for Keith living and doing as he wished to do. Our hearts go to his wife and family. May God give you peace and comfort. Thursday, Jul 24 at 5:57 PM Furious wrote ...I am not placing blame on the man in the wheelchair. I am only saying that people and more than one saw the whole thing happen and tried to stop. The Man in the chair ran into the truck. That could meant that he may not have been aware of what he was doing. Unrevealed medical issues may also be to blame for the accident and not the driver. No one know why it happenend but it did. Prayers should be given rather than assumptions that the driver was on a cell or being an idiot or any other comments Thursday, Jul 24 at 5:39 PM Anon from Niles wrote ...Keith was a special guy indeed. He and his humor will be sorely missed. Prayers go out to his wife who stood by his side for a long time now. Thursday, Jul 24 at 4:03 PM I wonder ? wrote ...If the truck was turning right on red, I know there is a sign posted that says "No right on red turns between 7am & 4pm . Thursday, Jul 24 at 3:38 PM mj wrote ...People, it was an ACCIDENT... Accidents happen. Im sorry a person lost his life; but the driver of the truck certainly did not do this on purpose. It's like the kid that totalled my motorcycle when he pulled out in front of me, disregarding a stop sign. It was an accident... Yes, he made a mistake, but it was a mistake made without malice. Thursday, Jul 24 at 2:39 PM Lainey wrote ...By the way - how tacky to report that his shoes and a drop of blood could still be seen on the pavement. I'm sure his family is thankful for that little piece of info. Thursday, Jul 24 at 2:35 PM Lainey wrote ...There are a few wheelchair bound individuals in our town. The one we see most will ride in the street when a sidewalk is not available, but he has a flourescent orange cover for the back of his chair for safety. Even so, it's dangerous for ANY pedestrian. Accidents, unfortunately, will happen. Disabled individuals need to be able to get around as well. They shouldn't have to be home-bound. I think there's more the city could do. How about bike lanes on ALL streets that wheelchair users can use? Thursday, Jul 24 at 1:27 PM Anonymous wrote ...Real poor excuse for running over someone. If the driver of the truck "didn't see him" he has no business driving. Thursday, Jul 24 at 1:14 PM Sue Locke Florida wrote ...Keith was a wonderful man and very intellengent was working from home to get homes for the handicap through the state By the way Anon he was on his way for a Drs appointment he and his wife had just had lunch and the Dr was 3 blocks away thought it would be easier on her if he took his chair and went and she could meet him there It,s a sad thing for both of these people and his wife really needs alot of help now Please pray for her as she loved him dearly and been together for many years Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:55 PM Lisa wrote ...For both family's sake please quit surmising as to what may have happened and stop placing blame. I pray that God comforts both families!! Dear Keith we loved you immensely! May God be with the Coros and Smith families!! Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:55 PM No sympathy today wrote ...I agree with furious. My experience on the south side is that wheelchair people make up their own traffic rules. They run along on the side of the road and squeeze vehicle traffic into the left lanes. They j-walk diagonally across the road and never look. And, of course, they all want sympathy when they get hit. Thursday, Jul 24 at 12:31 PM Idiots... wrote .....that is most of the commenters on here are idiots. I bet the 70 yr old driver was texting..NOT! Listen to Furious who SAID they were an EYE WITNESS! Pedestrians are not always faultless, some are quite careless. A wheelchair sits as low as a pre-teen child, add a tall truck & you have blind spots. This would be classified as an ACCIDENT!! If you want to complain then why isn't it mandatory that wheelchairs, scooters & even mopeds have a tall orange flag to aid in viewing them???? Thursday, Jul 24 at 11:33 AM Steve-O wrote ...Why didnt the wheel chair flip over or did they messed with the crime scene. Picture dont make sense. People riding those in public should have a orange flag hanging in the air like a four wheeler on the beach. Thursday, Jul 24 at 11:19 AM Rudolph wrote ...How could you do that... kill some innocent bystander on wheelchair. At least, you should come out of your vehicle and help this helpless individual: Jesus deliver us from this driver that do not care for the bystanders that wait for the bus. Thursday, Jul 24 at 10:39 AM Amy wrote ...Furious does not understand the rules of the road which I have known since I started driving at 16. Pedestrians ALWAYS have the right of way. My god, driving downtown you always see pedestrians. Not so hard to slow down and look. Unfortunately, the driver may never forgive himself, but I bet from now on he is not going to turn right on a green downtown without a little caution first. Always looks for pedestrians. Thursday, Jul 24 at 9:39 AM to furious wrote ...Sure. Let's blame the victim again. The guy driving was not in a 2 ton or more truck..he didn't see the fella in a wheel chair who had the right of way..the guy ran in to me...kinda like, I didn't hit that deer, it hit me...good gravy, get real. You know "someone" that saw it happen. Eye witness stories are notoriously wrong. There can be 6 people on the same street who all see a different thing. Or more often than not, see nothing at all. Stop blaming the victim. Thursday, Jul 24 at 8:38 AM Anonymous/Heartbroken wrote ...My prayers go out to both families. The gentleman who was driving his truck may never forgive himself and that will put great strain on his family. Also the gentleman who lost his life I sincerly pray for his family. Thursday, Jul 24 at 2:06 AM bjk100 wrote ...Ever since they came out with those walk and dont walk signs they have made it almost impossible for a person to cross the street if they dont run across. the traffic has sped up and no one knows the meaning of being courtious any more. I remember sitting at a green light till slower people made it the rest of the way across. now days they just run them over! Wednesday, Jul 23 at 10:14 PM Good Friend wrote ...To furious...If you know anything about the law, you would know the person in the walkway has the right of way. You may want to hold your judgement until the facts are know. Like they say "it is better to be thought a fool then to open your mouth and remove all doubts." Wednesday, Jul 23 at 10:01 PM Troy wrote ...Remember: Click it or ticket. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 9:15 PM Anonymous wrote ...Pedestrians should never "assume" they'll get the right away on a walk light. you always look to make sure. I walk a lot and I've seen more than few drivers disregard the "yield pedestrians" rule. Tragic accident. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 8:23 PM eyespopping wrote ...Hit as the truck was coming around the corner? Was he flooring it? Was he staring at the sky while dragging the guy? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 7:22 PM T wrote ...Sad, slow and look to drive.. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 6:37 PM d wrote ...609 anonymous...the story I read said the man in the wheelchair had the "walk" sign. However it is true that everybody needs to be more attentive. We seem to be reading about poor driving everyday. Motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and now wheelchairs. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 6:09 PM another anonymous wrote ...get over the cell phone people. Get over the blame. A terrible accident happened and a man has lost a life and the driver has to live with knowing that he was involved. NOt all people on the road are idiots and that includes teens and elderly. Stop and take a look at your driving before you criticize others. GET REAL Wednesday, Jul 23 at 6:05 PM Anonymous wrote ...The man that lost his life today was a wonderful person. He was a friend and an advocate for many other wheelchair bound people. He devoted his life to helping others. It is a shame that this accident happened. He will be greatly missed. My prayers are with his family. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:59 PM furious wrote ...I can tell you that I know someone who saw the whole thing happen. First the driver did not hit the man. The man in the wheelchair ran into him at the base of the rear wheel. The Driver of the truck had the green light and the man in the wheelchair ran straight into the truck. The man was not driving like an idiot nor was he being reckless. I personally think you all need to stop assuming that the driver is always at fault. Know the whole story before your assume. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:57 PM John wrote ...He was my friend. He always followed the walk signs. Many of the signs do not work properly in the city. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:51 PM Kit Kat wrote ...I have a big gas hog suv and can see just fine. I acutally have a better view being up high... Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:19 PM Wayne wrote ...This is just sad! They make trucks to high off the ground and wheelchairs to low to the ground, maybe this is a problem that needs to be looked at nation wide. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:15 PM ADA wrote ...South Bend doesn't care about people with disabilities. For two months now I've been trying to get them to do something about a property on E. Jefferson that has bushes covering over half of the sidewalk. I guess they expect handicapped people to go in the road... and get hit on Jefferson where the posted speelimit is ignored by everyone, including the police. Most people are going 60 mph. I guess the people on Jefferson are more important than pedestrians. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 5:05 PM you people wrote ...This poor man was killed it was a tragedy, but the driver that hit him probably feels horriable, i cant imagine he doesnt grieve over this, put your self in his shoes, he just took a life, my prayers go to him, that he will forgive himself, its an ACCIDENT, and i as a short person can not alwasy see the ground in high trucks like that, he may not have seen him, have some sympathy people! STOP BLAMMING EVERYTHING ON CELL PHONES, get with the times people! Wednesday, Jul 23 at 4:53 PM Cathy Blabby 2 wrote ...I am willing to bet the driver was text messaging on his cell phone. Any takers? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 4:50 PM Bill wrote ...Anon- Don't wheelchair bound citizens have the right to cross the street just like you? Do you expect them to stay home and watch Oprah all day? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 4:33 PM Anonymous wrote ...Did the driver of the truck stop, or was this another hit-and-run? Is that the truck in the picture? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 4:20 PM Linda wrote ...Did you even read the article. He was crossing the street and had the crosswalk light. What don't you understand. HE WAS CROSSING THE ROAD! Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:45 PM priscilla wrote ...How sad. My prayers are with his family and friends. This is a reminder to me to pay attention - things happen so quickly and we never get to go back undo an accident like this. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:43 PM Anon wrote ...What the hell was a wheelchair-bound doing in the street? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:23 PM smashedflat wrote ...A truck sitting high up, a wheelchair closer to the ground. I guess it's possible he might not have been seen, especially if the driver was distracted somehow. Just a terrible accident I'm sure. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:14 PM d wrote ...It's a reocurring thems. Eric has a very interesting idea. Ir almost makes me to afraid to walk down the sidewalk. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:05 PM Steve-O wrote ...No comment Wednesday, Jul 23 at 3:02 PM Anonymous wrote ...How could this person not see this man in a wheelchair crossing the street? People are in such a hurry nowdays they don't pay attention when driving. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 2:55 PM Linda wrote ...This just makes me furious! Why are people driving like maniacs? Wednesday, Jul 23 at 2:48 PM Eric wrote ...I’ve said it for years, they need to put roll cages, airbags and HANS devices on those wheelchairs. Wednesday, Jul 23 at 2:46 PM Anonymous wrote ...I'm willing to bet the driver was talking on his cell phone and wasn't paying attention. No? Add a comment |
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Sunday, Aug 10 at 10:44 PM mrs keith coros wrote ...
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS. ACCORDING TO THE POLICE THE FORD F150 TRUCK HAS A BLIND SPOT. I RECIEVED A LETTER FROM THE LADY IN THE CAR BEHIND THE TRUCK. WHAT AN ANGEL SHE IS AS SHE LOST HER HUSBAND 9MONTHS AGO. SHE SAID SHE SAW THE TRUCK DID NOT SEE MY HUSBAND AND SHE LAID ON THE HORN BUT TO NO AVAIL. SHE JUMPED OUT OF HER CAR AND RAN TO KEITH AND PUT HER HAND ON HIS SHOULDER AND SAID HELP IS ON THE WAY.A PRIEST ALSO PRAYED.I WAS BLESSED TO BE LOVED SO DEEPLY BY A SELFLESS MAN.BYE MY LOVE