Hope you don't end up with this doctor if you're in a wreck.

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The following editorial appeared in the South Bend Tribune on January 18:



Quote:
Protect yourself or pay the consequences

Common sense and personal responsibility are declining these days. In their place, blaming others for your misfortunes is pervasive. The Tribune is promoting this concept with headlines like "Son died because of phone" (Dec. 26).
A van driver illegally pulled out in front of a motorcyclist. The van driver was talking on a cell phone at the time. The cyclist was killed in the accident.
There is no question the van driver caused the accident, but the motorcycle rider is largely responsible for the severity of his injuries and subsequent death. Common sense should tell people that if they are going to share the streets with other vehicles weighing several thousand pounds, then they should have some sheet metal around them. An error by another driver is a constant threat whenever and whatever you drive. A smart person would protect himself with a similarly sized vehicle. People can't depend on the law to protect them; they must do it themselves or face the consequences.
Cell phones or not, accidents will still happen. Unfortunately, there are no fender benders with motorcycles.
My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the victim's family over this tragedy, but please don't put all the blame for his death on the other driver or a cell phone. Unfortunately, I see this scenario all too often in my profession.

Dr. William Rozzi
Orthopedic and trauma surgeon
South Bend 


WTF is wrong with this guy???  Personal opinion should not enter into the treatment of a person.

William B. Rozzi, M.D.
Orthopaedic Medical Group, INC.
109 S. St. Louis Blvd..
South Bend, IN 46617
574-282-1217

Call and let them know how you feel, I did.....

Hmmmm..... my college roommate is now an R.N. at St. Joseph Regional Hospital in South Bend.  I will give her a call and see if she knows this guy and if she does what she knows about him.

QuoteCommon sense and personal responsibility are declining these days..

Apparently ignorance is on the rise... Its people like this jackass that cause me to have bad days and roadrage damn idiots.

Ima give him a call most definately...

unfortunately, this is a risk us motorcyle riders take but i disagree with the doctors comments...imo, if it was proven that the van driver was really talking to his phone and occupied the rider's right of way without looking...he can be held liable for the riders death thru reckless driving (not really the legal term but you get the point)...

That's like saying, "Don't blame the driver or the 12-Pack he drank... Blame the kid that couldn't jump fast enough."

What an ass...

hmm, i guess a bicyclist couldnt get killed like that, nor a pedestrian for that matter.  Van pulling out paying more attention to his phone then anything else.

I have a modular Fulmer. Its awesome.. Its super sturdy. They are used by the RCMP . So they are good enough for me.. I think I paid like $149. for it, and it is great!

I'm just waiting for a night when I'm loaded and decide to leave that guy a message... hilarity will undoubtedly ensue... at least before they take me to jail.

Why doesn't someone just send a copy of the article to the medical association in his state?  I'm sure he'd have fun explaining his opinion to a Morals and Ethics committee.

If he feels we should all drive vehicles of similar size and structure, then I assume he drives a semi to work every day?!?!

Frist, I don't agree with what he is saying at all nor support his views on the subject. Everyone needs to vent sometime, esp in high stress jobs.

However, the reason I choose not to reply to him is because he must see a good number of riders going in/out of the hospital. For someone who's life is dedicated to helping people and him not being a rider himself and also from what I've heard from others not invloved in the sport, there are people that beleive motorcycle accidents are a waste of life.

To have someone's life in your hands and beleive they are being reckless (by driving a bike) and then expecting you to fix them all up if something happens and not ebing able to in many cases must be a frustraiting thought.

Just looking at it from a different view.

Obviously, the guy needs to be put back into place.  What if it was a pedestrian hit by a car while crossing the street?

I'm sure he drives the biggest SUV he can get his hands on.  His drivel tells me that he's of the opinion, like many people, that the roadways are an arms race.  "Survival of the the most massive."  It's a sign that he's unwilling to take responsibility for himself, as he expects the SUV to do it for him.  Sadly, he's wrong.  Current SUV roll-over crash statistics prove that out.

In addition, it shows what a poor doctor he is.  Regardless of what he thinks, he should not be allowing his personal opinions to affect his job.

Quote from: GeeP on January 25, 2006, 09:21:32 AMI'm sure he drives the biggest SUV he can get his hands on.

Even money says he drives a Cayenne Turbo S...takers?

he's right.

the drivers of the red and green vehicles are obviously at fault:





this is the recommended family vehicle



... and the guy who gives these recommendation is a doctor? with studies and all?...

The monster-trucks are the worst...  My hick-ass-brother has one... I drove that damn thing...  If some little roadster pulled next to me, there's NO WAY I could see it.  I COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING!!!!!

Screw those things...  and that Dr.

I live in South Bend and here is what the Father of the victim wrote in Yesterday's Letter to the editor in response to this idiotic  Doctor .  He is affiliated with St. Joseph Hospital.  If ever in an accident or need hospital care here in the "Bend" goto Memorial.



In response to Dr. William Rozzi's letter "Protect yourself or pay the consequences" (Voice, Jan. 18):
It is clearly evident that education does not always bring forth common sense.
Rozzi exemplifies insensitivity and being uninformed with statements such as "the motorcycle rider is largely responsible for the severity of his injuries and subsequent death."
That is a cruel and uncalled for statement which is offensive to the innocent.
A parallel example would be to blame a pedestrian when he or she was killed by a drunk driver as they crossed the street while they had the right of way.
Obviously roads are dangerous and so we as drivers must do our part to keep them safe.
We must start by recognizing it is not OK to multitask and drive at the same time.
This means we should not: eat and drive, shave and drive, smoke and drive, talk on a cell phone and drive, read and drive, work on your laptop and drive. Where does it stop?
Let's get back to the basics! Both hands on the wheel with an attentive attitude will decrease accidents and deaths by the thousands yearly.

Roy R. Souza
Mishawaka
The writer is the father of Justin Souza, the man killed in the accident Dr. William Rozzi wrote about. -- Editor

I bet he was holding back a hell of a lot of anger in that letter. I'd be furious.

More responses from the South Bend Tribune.....   

Uninformed opinions written at the expense of the respect for others are opinions not needing to be heard. I was very offended in the response by Dr. William Rozzi (Voice, Jan. 18) to the articles related to cell phones.
    First he insults an intelligent man he knows nothing about by claiming that he was responsible for his own death without even knowing the true incident that transpired. Not only does Rozzi offend any friends and family of the young man killed in that crash, he also insults any motorcycle rider in the area.
    It's OK to be against the issue, but why involve arguments you know nothing about, resulting in pain and grief for others? Unfortunately, every day I am faced with the lack of respect and kindness our society has for others.

    Jessica Brenay
    Mishawaka


    Common sense is not so much the issue in the case of the van driver who killed the motorcyclist referred to in Dr. William Rozzi's letter (Voice, Jan. 18). I would think the issue is safety and to be more alert of what is around you.
    Is Rozzi saying we should all drive semis because they are the biggest on the road? Or that if you go to a big sale with lots of people you should be sure to weigh at least 300 pounds or more so you don't get run over by bigger people? I don't see how you can put the blame on the motorcyclist just because his vehicle is smaller.
    Cell phones cause a lot of problems. I have seen many things being done wrong because the person is talking on a cell phone. Sitting too long at a stop light, not using their turn signal, stopping at an intersection that has no stop sign, crossing the center line ... and I could go on.
    The point is, pay attention to your driving and to others who are driving. Be really sure to pay attention to Rozzi's driving; he might be driving something really big.

    Bob Overton
    South Bend