Posted on 11/09/2005 1:42:34 PM PST by Jean S
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gregg Connell ran a stop sign and caused a car crash that killed another motorist, authorities say.
Connell's car collided with a vehicle driven by David Juhl, 51, on Tuesday afternoon near the town of Griswold. Both men were driving alone.
Juhl died at a hospital. The 56-year-old mayor of the town of Shenandoah, population 5,600, was treated at a hospital.
He was ticketed for a running a stop sign, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker said.
"Physically, he's fine, but psychologically he's a mess," said Michael Gartner, owner of minor league baseball's Iowa Cubs and a longtime friend of Connell's.
Connell, a Democrat in a heavily Republican area, launched his bid for the nomination over the summer, becoming one of six Democrats and two Republicans vying to succeed Democrat Tom Vilsack in 2006. Vilsack is not seeking a third term.
Connell was not considered one of the leading candidates.
AP-ES-11-09-05 1415EST
..if the swimmer was driving a Volkswagen that night he could have been president
Doogle
''He was ticketed for a running a stop sign''
He shouldn't have a run it. I guess the conspiracy theorists will have a field day with this one. If not, they have missed their calling.
"Physically, he's fine, but psychologically he's a mess,"...
politically - he's comatose.
I gathered that when they identified him as a democrat, but how is he mentally after the crash? Another case of the law not applying when you have a (D) after your name?
Prayers and sympathies for the victim's family.
Janklow was a maniac;Connell and Kennedy weren't. And in all three cases a person died.
The only difference in two of the cases is the penalties in the first two incidents varied greatly.
What penalty will be paid for this offense, Kennedy's or Janklow's?
Doesn't make it safe or right.
Several years ago I lost a close friend when his neighbor ran through a stop sign and hit him, killing him.
There is a reason a sign says stop, and treating it like its something minor ignores the loss of life that can and sometimes does accompany it.
Yeah, accidents happen, even to Democrats. It happened on a Tuesday afternoon. It is very unlikely that he was drunk.
Do you remember when National Lampoon ran an ad stating that if Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he would be president? Volkswagen sued and the issue was pulled from the shelves.
Why so vague? Fercryinoutloud, the first sentence of the story says he caused the crash!
"Involved" sounds like he might have been on the receiving end, or a passenger in one of the cars.
They probably hope the Clinton Syndrome will work in his favor and his popularity will be boosted among Democratic voters.
That is because the Des Moines Register is a liberal rag beyond belief and they used up all the "caused" words to blame stuff on the President.
Absolutely. Many years ago, on a very, very strange, stormy night, the victim's father was working to repair downed electrical lines and was electrocuted. He survived but lost both hands. I feel very sorry for both families. Mr. Connell had no chance for the nomination in the first place so this accident did not ruin his chances to get the nomination but this is tragic for all.
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