Blind World Magazine

Chicago Sun Times, Illinois.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006.

The 18-year-old driver of a car that struck a blind woman crossing a North Side street Monday will likely face three traffic citations, including a state law that protects the disabled, police said.

Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said that at about 6:15 p.m., a car was traveling southbound on the 5200 block of North Winchester Avenue when the driver made a left-hand turn onto Foster Avenue. At the same time, a visually impaired woman walking with a seeing-eye dog was crossing Foster Avenue when she was hit by the car, Mirabelli said.

The woman was taken to a local hospital where, according to police reports, she was listed in critical condition, Mirabelli said. A nursing supervisor at Illinois Masonic was unable to provide any information, citing federal patient privacy laws.

Police Major Accident Investigation Unit Investigator Jon Cacciatore said the 47-year-old woman was "in pretty bad shape." He declined to provide her identity because her family had not yet been notified.

The driver of the car, a mid-1990s two-door Acura, will likely be cited with not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, striking a pedestrian in the walkway, and violating a state law against injuring people with disabilities, Cacciatore said.

"The kid's a good kid though," Cacciatore said. "He stopped to render aid" to the fallen woman.

The seeing-eye dog apparently was not injured in the accident, Cacciatore said.

http://www.nbc5.com/news/7777353/detail.html.

End of article.

Any further reproduction or distribution of this article in a format other than a specialized format, may be an infringement of copyright.