Chaos in Crystal Lake at noon + 30 |
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Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
July 10, 2010
Chaos ruled at 12:30PM today in Crystal Lake at the intersection of U.S. 14 and Hwy. 176, when the funeral procession for the late Trent David Steckel headed from Davenport Family Funeral Home to MCC for a 1:00PM memorial service.
The procession was westbound on Hwy. 176 (a two-lane street, for those of you not in this area) and, when the first vehicle arrived at the light at U.S. 14, the procession stopped. It didn't just stop for a red light; it stopped. And it remained stopped.
Steckel, 24 and a member of the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District and the Lakewood Fire Department, was accorded full Department honors, even though he had died in an off-duty, single-vehicle, motorcycle accident early on July 2. Numerous fire engines from WFRD were there, as well as fire engines and ambulances from other jurisdictions.
The westbound procession was awash in a sea of red emergency lights on all the fire and police vehicles in the procession.
The procession stopped for several minutes at U.S. 14, rather than making its right turn and proceeding to MCC. I was in the gas station on the corner by McDonald's, purchasing gas, when the procession arrived. A police officer in the intersection stopped all traffic and waited minutes for the procession to resume. The procession had to go around a white minivan stopped westbound - why the driver was not directed out of the way, I guess no one will know.
I telephoned the Crystal Lake P.D. to ask the dispatcher to notify a sergeant that the entire intersection was being unnecessary blocked; she said she would have a sergeant call me. All non-procession traffic was required to remain stopped for approximately 15 minutes! An hour later, he still hasn't called.
It probably wasn't the right time to ask for tickets to be issued to the driver of every vehicle using its emergency lights, including the sheriff's deputy at the end of the procession. There is no provision in the Illinois Vehicle Code that allows such use. The fire trucks led the procession, rather than the funeral director's car and the hearse.
Traffic was backed up on east- and westbound U.S. 14 and on eastbound Ill. Route 176. Traffic was also unnecessarily delayed westbound on Route 176, when the procession stopped and remained stopped at U.S. 14.
The Crystal Lake Police Department owes the public an apology and a promise that no future procession will be allowed to halt at a busy intersection and remain stopped for minutes. An officer there to direct traffic should allow all traffic to proceed that does not cross the direction of the funeral procession. All fire chiefs need refresher courses regarding use of emergency lights and should direct drivers to use them only in accordance with State law.
And whether such a large number of fire trucks and ambulances, all on the taxpayer's dime, should be sent to the funeral of a fire department employee who died off-duty on his personal motorcycle is highly questionable.
I acknowledge that I'll be unpopular for even asking these questions. I mean no disrespect to Mr. Steckel or his family by doing so.