Man who fell from car struggled with parasite (CAUTION: Pix on thread may be unappetizing)

East Valley Tribune ^ | December 10, 2004 | Irene Hsiao

[NCjim]

A man who either fell or jumped off the roof of his moving Mercedes-Benz in Scottsdale has been identified as an acclaimed chief financial officer for Phoenix whose struggles with a parasite might have caused his behavior Wednesday. Kevin Keogh, 55, died about 3 p.m. after he climbed onto the roof of the car he was driving east on Camelback Road with arms outstretched, similar to actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Titanic.”

Police haven't determined if the death was suicide or accidental, Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey said.

Keogh contracted the illness a couple of years ago while on vacation in Mexico and his wife, Karlene, told city officials "she believes the parasite impaired his frontal lobe inhibition, said Toni Maccarone, a Phoenix spokeswoman.

The specifics of Keogh's illness were unavailable, but he had been receiving treatment, city officials said.

Will Humble, bureau chief for disease control for the Arizona Department of Health Services, said that in general, tapeworms can invade brain tissue and cause brain damage. People can get tapeworms from eating undercooked pork in Mexico or pig feces on vegetables, he said.

"Usually, it's someone who’s from Mexico who comes up here as a migrant or someone who is binational that goes back and forth a lot. Very seldom is it a tourist who goes shopping and has a street taco or something," Humble said.

The worms have long incubation periods, ranging from weeks to 10 years, he said.

Autopsy results won't be available for a couple of months, Bailey said. Keogh, who had worked for Phoenix since 1976, made $164,000 a year and supervised 300 employees and part of the city’s $1 billion budget, Maccarone said.

“There is nothing we can do to replace Kevin,” City Manager Frank Fairbanks said at a news conference. “Kevin was more than a professional; he was a person.”

Bailey was not aware of any notes or documents Keogh left behind.

Witnesses told police the car was going about 40 mph when he got on the roof. Wednesday, police said the car was traveling 50 mph.

Police found his body on a sidewalk near 68th Street and Camelback Road, about 300 yards from where his car crashed into another, Bailey said.

Outside of work, he was known to be a patron of the arts and for his work with charities.

Keogh and his wife started the Arnold Keogh Health Foundation, which provided health insurance to mostly working-class women and their children.

“Kevin is very, very community minded," said Phoenix Vice Mayor Peggy Bilsten. “It’s sad for me for a number of reasons. They were a beautiful, beautiful couple, just a great example of what a good couple should be."

Bilsten is a member of the foundation board and a friend who had worked with Keogh for 10 years.

Keogh was reserved and noted for his sense of humor, co-workers said. He had no children.

"He made Phoenix a better place to live," Fairbanks said.

City and State magazine named Keogh one of the top 11 financial innovators in the country in 1993. The magazine selected Keogh the best finance director in the nation in 1987.

He held a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science from Iona College in New York and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.

Jeff DeWitt, the assistant finance director, will serve as the interim chief financial officer, Maccarone said.

“He’s probably one of most intelligent, very professional, very, very good finance directors. I learned a great deal from him in 10 years," said DeWitt, who called Keogh his mentor and worked with him daily.

Kevin Randolph, 25, a counselor intern at Brophy College Preparatory School who lives in Phoenix, suffered minor injuries after Keogh’s car plowed into the back of his 2000 Plymouth Neon.

He recalled thinking, "I've been hit, but there’s nobody in the car.” Randolph was stopped at a red light waiting for a man to cross Camelback on a bicycle.

The man later told Randolph he was grateful Randolph's car blocked him from the runaway Mercedes.

[miliantnutcase]

lol

[Revelation 911]

And steak? No problem...the only beef problem we've had here is due to E. coli in hamburger. Cook them medium well, but continue to enjoy your steaks rare.

chicken tar tar is the real problem

ok ok ....Im done

[lsee]

Cruise control (slaps forehead)...Thanks, I was scratching my head over that one! hee

[Nataku X]

Thank you for the information. :o) I guess I can sleep easy. :o)

Lunch's always Cheez-its. Healthy, huh?

[processing please hold]

OK. I'm revolted. BYE

[TC Rider]

A man goes to the doctor and is diagnosed with a tapeworm. The doctor recommends a powerful drug with serious side effects.

The man is nervous about the drug and asks if there is any other cure.

The doctor tells him to return the next day with a hard boiled egg and a lemon cookie.

The next day he returns, the doctor inserts the hard boiled egg in the man’s butt, followed by the lemon cookie.

This continues for 4 more days when the doctor tells him to bring another egg and a ball peen hammer the next day.

On the 6th day, the doctor places the man on the table and inserts the hard boiled egg, but no cookie.

A few minutes pass.

A few more minutes pass.

After about 10 minutes, the tapeworms head emerges and asks, “Where’s my cookie?”

The doctor then hits it with the ball peen hammer.

[Nea Wood]

A coworker of mine claims the same thing happened to a relative of hers. He bought a pork burrito from one of those ubiquitious Mexicans who sell from carts on the streets of Southern California.

[Nataku X]

Thanks... so it's either getting a bellyful of growth hormones or a bellyful of parasites... but, of course, I guess the latter's worse than the former. :-)

I'll sleep easier now. :-)

[Nataku X]

*NX's dense like lead, apparently...*

[moonhawk]

"...The worms play peanuckle on your snout..."

I believe that would be "pinochle."

YMMV

[Stentor]

No, I think certain types can spread to cause Cysticerci in the brain

The first episode of the Fox Medical drama House was about this subject.

[Jhensy]

There was a more scary one then The Tingler, as I recall, also a 50's movie, with more realistic brain/spinal-column creatures. However, the name escapes me.

"Fiend Without a Face"!!! One of the great, freaky 50's horror movies that scared the crap out of me as a kid on late night TV in the 60's-70's ("The Fly" and "The Thing" were the other two).

IIRC, some nuclear mishap causes people to die, and their brain and spinal cords come back to life, and fly around and strangle you, then feast on your flesh. A family is holed up in a house and these things are trying to bust in, flying through the boarded-up windows, down the chimney, etc. Serious nightmare stuff.

Everybody's killing them left and right, with axes, guns... the effects are surprisingly gory and gross for the 50's. Recommended!

[beebuster2000]

"Kevin was more than a professional; he was a person.”

Wow- that just about says it all.

[Pharmboy]

You are correct, sir; I was just focusing on meat on the hoof. But chicken can surely be a source of E. coli as well...

[Jhensy]

More "Fiend Without a Face".

[Tealc]

Which type is it? :)

[asgardshill]

I believe that would be "pinochle."

I disagree. It was probably canasta (a great old game that deserves a comeback).

[valkyrieanne]

What is this "struggled with a parasite" nonsense? That immediately brought to my mind an image of some guy wrestling with a tapeworm the size of a squid.

Oh, I get it - it's the new politically correct way to say that someone was *infected* with a parasite, but that would be too harsh and callous. So we "struggle" instead. Barf!!!

[Rebelbase]

Could be one of Hathor's.

[paul51]

"after he climbed onto the roof of the car he was driving" That's dangerous

No easy trick either