Klecko accidentally kills man

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

cnnsi.com

9/14/05

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former New York Jets player Joe Klecko accidentally hit and killed a man while driving on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx, police said Tuesday.

The 51-year-old Klecko was heading south at about 8:30 p.m. Monday in a 2005 Chevy Suburban when he struck the man, who was pushing a grocery cart, police said.

Ray Peterson, 65, was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges were filed.

Klecko was a defensive end for the Jets from 1977-87 and finished his career with the Indianapolis Colts in 1988. He was a member of the heralded New York Sack Exchange, the Jets' dominant defensive front that included Mark Gastineau and Marty Lyons.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

[sandgk]

Klecko could easily be reamed by the media for this but -- without in any way giving license for vehicular manslaughter -- consider the lines from the report thus:

Joe Klecko accidentally hit and killed a man while driving on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx...
The 51-year-old Klecko was heading south at about 8:30 p.m. Monday in a 2005 Chevy Suburban when he struck the man, who was pushing a grocery cart, police said.

So its dusk and he's riding at highway speed on a road that specifically prohibits pedestrian traffic. Across his path comes a man wheeling a grocery cart -- i.e., a homeless wanderer. Its an ugly huma tragedy and Klecko may likely get a pretty tough treatment in court for this. But, really, how dumb could the victim be? Walking on the expressway in NYC is like painting a big sign on your back - "HIT ME"

 

[BayBuck]

No charges were filed

Looks like it may not go to court.

 

[Steve19]

And it may well have been a suicide. I have a friend who is a policeman and he said that he thinks 30-40% of deaths involving police shootings are "suicide by cop" deaths. He also said thta many pedestrian deaths are suicide as well.

 

[Thump]

I was hoping when I read this that Mark May lived out of a grocery cart.