Get well wishes for Lt. Carlson, MCSD

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
June 13, 2013

I hear that "Get Well" wishes are in order for Lt. Don Carlson of the McHenry County Sheriff's Department. He was injured in a vehicle crash in Boone County recently - reportedly a single-car crash in the early morning hours. Get well, Don.

So far, the "regular" media hasn't picked up the story. There has been no news reporting in the Northwest Herald or the Rockford Register Star.

And word is being kept pretty quiet around the McHenry County Sheriff's Department. Was there a mysterious deer that suddenly appeared in the middle of the road and then vanished without a trace, causing Carlson to swerve and run off the road?

Which is worse - hitting a 150-lb. deer or ramming a tree? Frankly, I'll take the deer out. I hope.

On the other hand, if I were a little tired in the middle of a night or if possibly I'd had a couple of drinks, my reflexes might be slower and my instinct might be to swerve. Alcohol won't be a factor for me, because I won't drink any alcohol if I am to drive around here. If I had just one beer (yes, really; only one) and got stopped, my car would get towed and I'd get tossed in the slammer for DUI, even if the BAC came out at 0.01%.

Then I'd have to walk until I could scrape up the $500 impound fee and wait out a Not Guilty verdict in a jury trial 3-6 months later, before I could get the $500 back. And I'd still be out the towing fee ($150) and storage at $40/day. But then I'd find the nastiest shark I could to sue.