----- Original Message -----
*From:* Easy Talk <mailto:Easytalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*To:* tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:tabi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Monday, August 05, 2013 11:31 AM
*Subject:* Fw: comments posted on wctv site ref my accident
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Easy Talk <mailto:Easytalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*To:* fcb-l@xxxxxxx <mailto:fcb-l@xxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Monday, August 05, 2013 7:28 AM
*Subject:* comments posted on wctv site ref my accident
Thought I would post the comments to save you all the trouble of
finding them your self since the site isn't all that friendly.
PandCreturns
Just another agenda just like the bicyclisyts who want to own the
roadways. Why is
it that when just one person has a problem or an issue, the whole
world has to change
their ways to accommodate them? The white cane law is stupid and
dangerous. Traffic
flowing smoothly suddenly having to stop at a green light because
someone raises
a white cane and just walks in to the road is ridiculous!
Blink Blogger
I'm Robert's sister, and it's pretty disheartening to see
the ignorance and lack of understanding displayed in so many
comments of
presumably perfectly sighted individuals! Being blind myself and
using a white
cane instead of a guide dog, I've also had two potentially life
threatening
experiences when crossing at the intersection of Crawfordville
Highway and
Capital Circle because of drivers who didn't even slow down when
making a right
turn on red, much less come to a full stop or "yield the
right-of-way"
(including a dump truck). So I wonder just how many of us will
have to be
seriously injured or even killed before SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING
about the
obvious danger for visually impaired pedestrians!
Despite being forced to accept a certain level of dependence
as the result of our blindness, it seems that doing our utmost to
maintain as
much independence as possible when it comes to simply going to
the grocery
store and performing other necessary
daily activities would be an admirable trait, rather than a
matter of such
ridicule or idiotic commentary. Instead, why doesn't a blind man
being nearly
killed through no fault of his own and because (as the driver
himself told the
police officer) a driver didn't see him (even though he was
crossing the street
in plain view) get the attention of those who have the ability to
make changes
that could literally save someone else from a worse outcome than
what happened
to my brother yesterday? And since both
Robert and my sister-in-law have previously been hit by cars at
the same intersection,
it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the odds of
their continued
safe crossing there are not good.
So I'll conclude with a few constructive suggestions for our
state and/or local law makers to consider. First, is the
convenience of drivers
being able to make a right turn on red worth more than the
potential loss of
life or serious bodily harm it poses to all pedestrians, and even
more
particularly to those who are blind, elderly and otherwise
disabled? I don't
think so. And if even our police officers aren't aware of the
White Cane Law,
along with every driver the reporter asked about it yesterday, we
desperately need
some kind of public service announcements to better inform the
public and alert
them to the need to be on the lookout for blind and otherwise
disabled pedestrians.
Additionally, since NONE of the drivers questioned yesterday
(including
multiple police personnel) were even aware that Florida law
requires them to
come to a full stop AND TO YIELD THE RIGHT-OF-WAY whenever a
blind pedestrian utilizing
a guide dog or white cane is crossing the street (even though
that's clearly
stated in the current Florida Driver Handbook in Sections 5.16.3
and 5.16.4),
the White Cane Law is obviously given woefully insufficient
attention when drivers
take the required test to obtain a Florida driver's license. And
since my
brother literally had to fight for the truck driver to be given a
ticket,
perhaps much more serious penalties and fines should be imposed
and mandatory
whenever any driver fails to yield the right-of-way to
pedestrians as required
by the White Cane Law. Finally, since the
truck driver admitted that he never even saw my brother, I can't help
wondering if he was texting or reading a text message at the time
of the
incident since I'm not aware of anything that would have
obstructed his view. However,
I am personally aware of several serious auto accidents caused by
a driver's texting,
so perhaps it's time to require that the cell phone records of
all drivers
involved in accidents be examined to determine if they were
texting and to
impose very heavy mandatory fines and penalties if that's the
case. After all, NOTHING
ever sent or received in a text message is worth the potential
serious bodily
harm or death of another person just because a driver isn't
paying proper
attention while driving!
Steve Montgomery
As you can see from the post history below that there are most
people that support
what you're saying, and feel bad for what nearly happened to your
brother. They support
your view and what you're trying to do. Two avenues for you to
consider are the news
stations and the state. If it's important enough to you then you
should pursue it.
More laws aren't the answer. Awareness and education can probably
do a lot a more.
Most good people will respond favorably to that.
Sadly, there will always be those who hide behind keyboards and
post their vitriol.
Don't let them deter or draw you into the back and forth. That's
the only way they
win. They'll never admit to you that their life essentially
sucks. You can safely
assume they have self-esteem issues. They're nothing more than
internet cowards.
It's why you see them hide their names and post the things they do.
The Idiot
Hold on a minute, how did this guy know it was a truck, how did
he even know he was
almost ran over if he's blind. Im calling BS on this, do we have
video from the traffic
cams or something. Now all of a sudden this guy can tell what
kind of vehicle almost
hit him. BS
Mrs Moore
He could probably hear it.
xzx
Are you deaf?
The Idiot
Little hard of hearing from working around heavy machinery, but
not enough to claim
a disability or get one of those cool talk to text phones. I just
see this as more
of an agenda piece than an actual story, but to add that the
blind guy said a truck
"almost" hit him, hmmmm, could have been a hoopty with a ragged
muffler. I mean,
did the person passing him, the one that "almost" hit him scream
out " I'm driving
a truck!"? Did someone tell him that he almost got ran over by a
truck.
xzx
You need to get 'em checked -- I can tell between 4 and 18 wheels
literally a half
mile distant -- and up close can discern 10, not to mention load
condition...
No telling what a guy blind from birth can do.
The Idiot
Oh I agree with the semi part, I could hear the low rumble from a
concrete truck
from 3 miles out, makes my back hurt just thinking about it, but
the truck part,
just kinda fishy
budabbott
I know this guy. See him at least two or three times a week. He
goes by the law and
never goes over half mile from the house just to get food. I saw
a comment from a
guy named the idiot which he is and hope you go through the same
thing you asshole.
The Idiot
Oh , guess who didn't see the post? The one that matters most,
the seeing eye dog.
WTH, are you going to run oft and tell him I posted this?
The Idiot
Sheesh, I have a feeling you couldn't fit a toothpick up your
bunghole with a sledge
hammer, oh , btw, i'm reporting you for calling me names, you
hurt my feelings, my
mommas crazy and I'm not afraid to tell on you.
Anon
Seems like it would be common sense to stop if a blind person, or
anyone for that
matter, is in the road! Why is a law needed?!
BeeMooreCareful
Quick question: this happened a while ago but I want to know the
answer just in case
I see it again. Does anyone know who you report seeing eye dog
abuse too? I was driving
down john Knox and this lady had a seeing eye dog. Well traffic
was coming so the
dog didn't go in the street. The woman was yanking on the dog,
cussing at it and
telling it to go. The dog was scared and had his tail between his
legs. I think she
might have even hit the dog. How do you report someone for seeing
eye dog abuse when
clearly they need the dog? Do you call the cops or the animal
cops? And if they take
the dog away...won't she get another?
Mrs Moore
Awww that's terrible!! Maybe stop and ask her if she'd rather get
ran over...idk
that's a tough one :(
PhineasPhreak
I'd have stopped and asked just what the hell she was doing.
BeeMooreCareful
Wish I would have but I was in shock I guess. The dog didn't want
her to get hit
by a car
lowerright
I think you're supposed to report animal abuse to Animal Control.
BeeMooreCareful
Won't they give her another dog? What if she does the same thing
again. There has
to be some sort of rules.
lowerright
I don't know. I honestly never even thought about this before! I
always imagined
this loving relationship between person and dog. I never even
imagined that blind
people were abusing their seeing-eye dogs. Actually the whole
story made me hate
humanity even more than I already did!
The Idiot
Lets sneak up and swap dogs on her, give her one that chases
cars, hahahaha
FredSmithIV
This comment almost makes up for the callous remarks you made
above. This one made
me smile. The ones above are just kinda cold. If the story is a
slight embellishment
of the truth, it doesn't really matter, especially if it makes at
least one person
stop and think. I really do like you switching dogs idea, though! :)
BeeMooreCareful
Maybe you can give her a cat....tell her it's the new thing. Or a
seeing eye lizard...
The Idiot
Seeing eye fish
BeeMooreCareful
Seeing eye tadpole?
The Idiot
seeing eye soap on a rope
The Idiot
give her a box with a furby in it and a rope to pull it
BeeMooreCareful
Or a dead possum....just as effective.
The Idiot
Some people need to be hit, if she was blind you could have done
it and she wouldnt
be able to identify you :)
NotaNewbie
Terrible. But I have to admit I laughed :)
The Idiot
Humor is such a fleeting thing, not everyone gets my twisted
tang, you must have
been abducted by aliens also, usually thats the only ones that
get it.
BeeMooreCareful
Impossible Idiot. I have watched many documentaries and black
people don't get abducted
by aliens, aliens don't even go to the hood. Last time an alien
went to the hood,
ET got shot in a driveby and his spaceship got stolen. A few days
later the spaceship
was spotted with rims on it..blasting the new Jay Z album
The Idiot
Next time watch where you're going blindy Mc blind guy. :)
Steve Montgomery
Change your nic to "a**hole". "The Idiot" doesn't serve you well
enough.
The Idiot
hey relax Steve, not like blindy can read this, thanks for
sticking up for him on
the forum, I just hope you dont trick this guy into thinking
youre his girlfriend.
Steve Montgomery
How crappy your life must be that you need to behave this way on
a news forum. Keyboard
commando = coward. Good for you. Moving on....
The Idiot
What? Guess you feel better picking on me hurting my feelings on
the forum, I guess
none of your friends ever mess with you about any of your non
perfect attributes,
I've got friends with no legs and missing digits and have no
qualms asking for a
high 4 or making cheaper sock jokes, one pair last twice as long.
Ok if this will
make you feel better, I'll apologize to your pal, ... .... ..
.... .... .... .....
. . ... . Will you be my fren now?
NotaNewbie
What an awesome doggie!
thesheepwillalwaysfollow
Good puppy! Well trained and well worth the investment.
Can anyone tell the difference between a person walking his dog
or a seeing eye dog
doing their job? I know about the white cane law, but to be able
to tell the difference
between a seeing eye dog and a dog walking is nearly impossible.
Maybe if the guy had the cane, it would have been different.
Spanky
A person just walking his dog will usually just use a leash.
Seeing eye dogs will
typically be on a U shaped harness.
PhineasPhreak
Atta boy Sherman! Good dog! Glad you're all OK.
As to the White Cane Law, I don't know how anyone can expect 30
tons of truck to
come to a halt in time to prevent tragedy. Kinda like really
expecting a six-lane
intersection to become a four-way stop during a power-failure.
jcrawson
Not only do I know how, but I expect it too. How about people
driving vehicles have
some situational awareness for walkers, joggers, canes, doggies,
no power, bicyclists,
etc.? Secondly, don't drive at an excessive rate of speed, you're
breaking the law
if you do (remember the speed limit is max authorized speed in
perfect conditions).
Third, be in control of your vehicle (if you can't stop in time,
you weren't). How
hard is that?
Steve Montgomery
It's not an unrealistic expectation. This pedestrian didn't just
jump out into the
intersection expecting everyone to come to a quick stop. The
solution is really very
simple: EVERYONE needs to slow down, pay attention, be
responsible, and be courteous.
It really is not that hard.
Gretchen Washington
Walking around in ritchie rich repubic-an side of town you will
hit, they all talk
on cell phone and there fancy cars.
FredSmithIV
Seriously... how sad and pathetic is your life? I suppose you
have a point, in a
way, though. A person is probably more likely to get hit by a
"fancy car" in that
area versus a hoopty on the South side. The distraction by being
on a cell phone
is probably about equal, if not a bit more so on the South side
with justifications
I won't go into. However, you neglected to mention the much
higher likelihood of
one being gunned down in a drive-by on the South side and in the
hoods...
Jason
Jealous much? How about "justification for education" these so
called "rich" people
are not all republicans. They are all from different political
backgrounds, race
and religions. They have educated themselves so they may get the
high paying jobs
and afford the nice cars on the nice side of town.
jcrawson
The good news is they generally have money and a decent amount of
car insurance so
you -- or your family -- are gonna get paid. Better than what I
can say for the other
side of town.
GeniusOne
Aww you are just mad because they are functionally literate and
you are not.
PhineasPhreak
Not likely she's aware of that. She's not aware of much, it
appears. It's so bad,
it may be an act.
xzx
Just possibly an act. Remember tony? "Steeling jobs"?
Same same.
58 comments
