Michelle Obama's campaign van in car accident (she's ok motorcyclist injured)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CNN

Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, escaped injury Tuesday when her campaign van was involved in an accident in Hampton, Iowa. A motorcyclist who struck the van was injured.

The accident happened as she was en route to a campaign stop. A motorcycle collided with the van on U.S. Highway 65 in the central part of the state.

The Obama campaign said in a statement, "The motorcyclist was transported to a nearby hospital, and Barack and Michelle's thoughts and prayers are with him and his family at this time. Neither Mrs. Obama nor any members of the campaign staff were injured in the accident."

Police identified the motorcyclist as Timothy Scott Emerson, 41, of Iowa Falls, Iowa. He was taken by medical helicopter to Mercy Medical North Hospital. A hospital spokesperson said he was being evaluated, and no condition was immediately available.

A report from the Hampton Police Department said the van carrying Michelle Obama was trying to make a left turn when it was struck. The motorcycle, which was three vehicles behind the campaign van, attempted to pass and struck the left side of the van, the report said, while traveling on the wrong side of the road.


Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

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They added the campaign event was cancelled. Hope that Mr. Emerson is ok.

[Solar_Power]

1. That SUV must be getting 15 MPG or less

Glad she is OK, though

[Connie_Corleone]

2. It was a Chevrolet Uplander, a minivan. Not an SUV.

Even the article doesn't mention it as being an SUV.

:eyes:

Washington Post blog has the minivan detail: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/10/09/post_129.html?hpid=topnews

[Solar_Power]

3. I don't need a site to tell me what the Uplander is

<img src="">

[Connie_Corleone]

4. Good for you. You can post a picture.

[sandnsea]

7. They can be E85 flex fuel

and can get over 25 mpg. Pretty good for this type of vehicle.

[CRF450]

9. Wow, being a big vehicle makes it an SUV all of a sudden?

Why jump to conclusions just by the looks in your first post?

[tammywammy]

13. Well, obviously the Obama camp is the first to use larger vehicles

I mean I've never seen anyone else's campaign using large (usually black) vehicles to transport people anywhere. I mean don't you know Clinton/Edwards/any other politician always uses a Prius to move from place to place.

:sarcasm:

[snooper2]

16. I'm renting one of those tonight...

just because it's the cheapest Alamo has, cheaper than an economy car. Oh, and by the way, it's a POS :)

[frazzled]

5. Do they have helmet laws in Iowa?

I hope so, or this guy is probably in bad shape.

Since moving to Illinois, I am always shocked when I see motorcyclists or bicyclists riding without helmets: previous states in which I have lived required helmets. Even at that, I was witness to a bad motorcycle accident -- the cyclist was wearing a helmet, but he ran an intersection, was thrown when he collided with a car, and looked in super-bad shape. My husband, a bicyclist, hit an obstruction in the road once and went flying--straight to the ICU. He was in bad shape, but the doctors told him he was the poster-boy for helmet wearing: the helmet was smashed when his head hit a curb, but he had no head injuries, save a large gash across the forehead, some broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a whole mess o' road burn.

Please, wear your helmets. This kind of stuff happens ... and those of us who are driving will be haunted the rest of our lives if something happens to you, even if it wasn't our fault.

[merwin]

6. I read a story a while back about a cyclist who got run over by a delivery truck.

One of the tires actually went over his head. They showed a picture of the helmet and it was mangled, but the guy was fine.

I couldn't imagine riding on a bicycle without a helmet, let alone my motorcycle.

[RamboLiberal]

8. He wasn't wearing a helmet but looks like he lucked out

The motorcyclist, 40-year-old Iowa Falls hydraulic mechanic Tim Emerson, landed on grass softened by three inches of weekend rain and lay still with a cut on his head. He was not wearing a helmet.

"He got in a little bit of a hurry and tried to go around everybody," said Mark Kellar, a friend of Emerson's riding another motorcycle. "I didn't believe he was going that way at an intersection. He went around two other cars that he shouldn't have."

Obama's staff called 911. Emerson remained conscious and lucid as police and paramedics arrived and lifted him onto a body board.

"Our only worry is that he's okay," said Tommy Vietor, the Obama campaign's Iowa spokesman. "We're going to end the day."

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2007/10/09/post_129.html?hpid=topnews

[yellowcanine]

10. I wear a full helmet with face shield. If I hit the pavement face down I should survive without

having my face completely rearranged. It also sounds as if this guy was driving idiotically also - passing a lane of traffic on a two lane road and the last car he is passing was turning left. Very stupid move with or without a helmet. Forty years old too. Old enough to know better. Not a youthful indiscretion.

[Ian David]

12. Those stupid fucking motorcycles are everywhere!

[yellowcanine]

14. "Motorcycles don't kill bikers. Bikers kill bikers."

Someone had to say it.

[flvegan]

11. BREAKING: Motorcycle lobby endorses Hillary

Obama obviously hates bikers.

:sarcasm:

[Dr. Strange]

15. Go sit in the corner!

Naughty!


:rofl: