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    Fellow Deliverymen Struck Silent by the Death of Charles Kimbrough

    By David Meents | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Thu, Feb 23, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
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    COMMENTARY | I am sure you have seen it: A large delivery truck parked on the side of a busy road, with bays open -- roadside -- where workers are unloading their product. This is not an unusual thing. I, myself, work for the distributors of Budweiser, Monster, and other popular beverages at the Markham warehouse of City Beverage in Illinois. In fact, most of our deliveries are roadside, and involve working in the street, which is naturally a hazardous place to labor. So it was with terrifying reality that the tragic death of Charles Kimbrough, 45, reached our warehouse this morning.

    All of us are aware of the danger. All too frequently we are faced with close collisions, are forced to make light-footed escapes, and regularly have to plaster our bodies against our trucks to keep from being hit. Never, though, did we expect to hear that someone had died from the actions of a drunk driver in this exact scenario. Kimbrough was crushed between a CTA bus and his delivery truck when the allegedly drunken Walter Thompson collided with another vehicle, toppling the dominoes that ultimately took the life of a dedicated employee. Not only this, but the accident injured four others that were near the scene. Thompson is facing two charges of aggravated DUI, and hopefully many years in prison for his reckless behavior.

    There was hushed conversation in the office at work today as this tragedy was recognized by our own drivers and warehouse men. "How could this happen?" some of the rookies asked, but the more experienced of the crew know all too well the regularity of the close calls on the open road, even unoccupied by drivers under the influence. "…It just doesn't make sense how close drivers get to us while [we are] working," said Eugene Wilson, a 12-year veteran of the trade, and my coworker. "…We shouldn't have to carry fear with us while we work."

    Nothing but the actions of Walter Thompson are to blame for this man's death, but maybe if drivers would give deliverymen more space to work in, future accidents and casualties can be prevented. Today (and probably for many days to come) we all took it slow, unloaded our product with our eyes over our shoulders, and worked silently, struck by the loss of a fellow brother in distribution.

     

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