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Spike
Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:12 am Post subject: Bus kills Canadian in South Korea |
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http://www.windsorstar.com/Teacher+life+short/3225720/story.html
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WINDSOR, Ont. � He had finally conquered his demons, but fate robbed him of the chance to help others do the same.
Craig Simmons travelled 10,000 kilometres from home to teach English, and died this month in a South Korean hospital after a bus driver allegedly ran a red light and slammed into him.
"He's in heaven and that's the goal," said his dad Brad Simmons, who lives in Essex and works at the Ford Essex Engine Plant. "We don't want to go early, but we don't have a say in it.
"When you're 26, you're just starting. I've always believed those teen years from 13 to 18 are really tough. It's just when they seem to finally get into life that they blossom. I'm hoping my daughter-in-law still can, I hope she can carry on and life goes better for her. That's my prayer at this point."
Craig, 26, and his wife Kristin -- they were married just 10 months -- had taken off to Cheongju, South Korea, to teach English.
Brad said his son was walking home from school around 10 p.m. He'd been suffering from some health problems, and it was Craig's first day back on his feet. It was June 9, the day before his younger brother Keil's 24th birthday.
"There's a street corner, it's very dangerous," said Brad.
"A bus came along, it must have run the light. It hit him."
Brad said there is video footage, and an eyewitness saying it was the bus driver's fault.
There was major brain swelling.
"They did brain surgery on the left side and got that fixed," said Brad. "Then the right side started leaking and they got that fixed."
But all the ribs on his right side were broken. He also had a punctured lung and lacerated liver.
"For five days they tried really hard to get him straightened around," said Brad.
Kristin kept a vigil at Craig's bedside, remembering an ancient Japanese legend he told her about. The legend stated that a person could be granted a wish of long life or recovery for folding a paper crane. Kristin's goal was to fold 1,000 cranes and surround her husband with them.
As the sound of Craig's laboured breath filled the hospital room, each completed crane provided Kristin with hope of her husband's recovery.
Then suddenly, his blood pressure plummeted and his temperature skyrocketed. He died June 16. Kristin was 500 cranes short.
"But I still plan to finish them as a memory of him and our year in Korea together," said Kristin, still in Korea.
In honour of Craig's birthday, his family and friends wrote a memory, prayer or scripture verse on a piece paper and folded it into a crane. They'll give them to Kristin when she returns to Canada.
While he was still reeling from the death of his son, Brad said his mother-in-law succumbed to cancer. She died June 23 -- Craig's birthday.
"It's been really hard," said Brad, who also lost his own father to a car crash in 1995. "I work at Ford's Essex Engine Plant, and all the guys there support you and do everything they can do. But it's just been a firestorm."
But for now, Brad's thoughts are with Craig's young wife in Korea. He said the couple met at Bible college and got married last August.
They headed out a couple of weeks later on their overseas adventures.
Travelling half a world away to help strangers was just Craig's style. They'd already done extensive missionary work in northern Quebec, Mexico and Africa.
Craig, whose mom Laurie Pepper is from Windsor, was planning to start his masters of theology in the fall at the University of Toronto.
"He'd been trying to figure it out whether he wanted to be a minister or do the missions work," said Brad.
"He could teach anything. When he was a kid, he taught me to skate. He could work with people. He was so special. Unfortunately, we're not going to really see the outcome now. I wish I could."
It wasn't always so clear that Craig would find his way.
"Like many young people, he faltered when he was young," said Brad.
"He was having a tough time. He was drinking and stuff like that. Just not going the right way. You try to work with him as a parent."
Then he met some people from a Christian youth group at his high school in Petrolia.
"I'll tell ya, it was like a massive turnaround," said Simmons.
"He just took off. You could tell he'd found his calling. He lit right up. He sparkled and started becoming the way you'd want your child to be. Happy and concentrating on what he was doing."
When he met Kristin, the transformation was complete.
"He was a big guy, six foot two, 250," said Brad. "Sometimes he could be kind of nasty. But when he met Kristin, it was like a changed person. He just became so gentle."
Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/Teacher+life+short/3225720/story.html#ixzz0sXueqrue
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recessiontime
Joined: 21 Jun 2010
Location: Got avatar privileges nyahahaha
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:33 am Post subject: |
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| sad story, makes me sympathize for Canadians. |
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Forward Observer
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Location: FOB Gloria
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 9:48 am Post subject: |
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Life is cheap in the ROK.
Sister Sarah's husband got run over by a bus and was in three hospitals for months. His foot was destroyed. |
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nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 10:40 am Post subject: |
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You can't trust the green light at pedestrian crossings. Cars still tear through.
Remember to take extra care crossing the roads, guys.
Brings to mind this from yesterday:
Dead English teacher's family gets payment for future US income
The English teacher, who had a masters degree in education, was riding a motorcycle in December 2007 when he was hit by a bus that crossed a three-way intersection, running a red light, in southern Seoul. His teaching contract expired in July the following year.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/07/117_68579.html |
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Mr. Pink
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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| That sucks. I hope the bus company pays out of the nose. That is the only way they are going to learn to follow safety rules. |
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sojusucks
Joined: 31 May 2008
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Sorry to read about the loss, OP. There was nothing in the Korean newspapers. It is important to remember to look before crossing the street, even on a green light, and make sure you have health insurance because you never know when you could end up in the hospital. |
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CentralCali
Joined: 17 May 2007
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Pink wrote: |
| That sucks. I hope the bus company pays out of the nose. That is the only way they are going to learn to follow safety rules. |
Nobody will learn anything from it. The bus company won't pay anything immediately as it is the insurance company that will pay. Of course, the insurance company will raise the premiums for the bus company but not a soul at the bus company will draw the logical conclusion that it'd be cheaper in the long run to not cause accidents. The bus driver won't worry because he's not the one paying the premiums and, if he's suspended, he'll treat the time off as a bonus vacation, upaid but vacation nevertheless.
What's needed is:
- Police actually arrest someone for egregious dangerous violations of the Road Traffic Law.
- Prosecutors vigorously pursue a case against both the employee driver and the employer company, especially if someone dies due to their negligence.
- Insurance companies raise the rates for bus/taxi companies by more than a token amount when there's a serious accident and, if that doesn't work, cancel the bus/taxi company's policy.
- Bus and taxi companies institute a "secret shopper" program. They'll hire people to ride and report drivers who are unsafe and reward good drivers.
- Two tier case: criminal case for the illegal act and civil litigation for the death.
- Korean society in general to embrace the concept of safety.
Years ago, while studying in Seoul, I went on a date with one of my classmates. When I asked her what 안전 제일 on all the signs at construction sites meant, her response was, "It means nothing. It's just decoration." Not a thing has changed since then, except there are more drivers and more pedestrians, both groups oblivious to safety. |
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Arthur Dent
Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Location: Kochu whirld
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| Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2010 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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Condolences to his family and friends.
I came close this way last week. Stepped back just in time as the bus roared through the green lighted pedestrian crossing.
This won't change soon.
CentralCali, aren't the drivers paid per trip? Isn't this why (other than the general "Bali Bali fever" here) the drivers are always in such a hurry?
CentralCali wrote:
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| # Korean society in general to embrace the concept of safety. |
and this.... |
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sketcha
Joined: 05 Sep 2007
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 11:43 am Post subject: |
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guys, do be careful around roads, I've seen a few close-calls ... each time I want to grab the driver and beat some sense into them
it's great to be able to relax and enjoy worry-free walks, but stay on your guards when you're near the roads
sad thing is, most of these drivers dont take safety seriously, they couldnt care less |
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BoholDiver
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, getting to your destination 5 minutes faster means they get 5 minutes more smoke break.
| sketcha wrote: |
guys, do be careful around roads, I've seen a few close-calls ... each time I want to grab the driver and beat some sense into them
it's great to be able to relax and enjoy worry-free walks, but stay on your guards when you're near the roads
sad thing is, most of these drivers dont take safety seriously, they couldnt care less |
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farfromhome
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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tragic and beautiful (and just a tad overdramatic) article.
RIP craig and grandmother. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Forward Observer wrote: |
Life is cheap in the ROK.
Sister Sarah's husband got run over by a bus and was in three hospitals for months. His foot was destroyed. |
I wouldn't call it 'destroyed', but it sure was ugly as heck for a time.
The article is one of my biggest fears in SK. I just don't believe that the streets/sidewalks are safe. |
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Koveras
Joined: 09 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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| At one intersection I got so used to being bumped by cars that I would just roll onto the hood, roll off, and continue on without breaking my train of thought. It's unfortunate that buses have no hoods to roll on. |
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balzor
Joined: 14 Feb 2009
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| Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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| nautilus wrote: |
You can't trust the green light at pedestrian crossings. Cars still tear through.
Remember to take extra care crossing the roads, guys.
Brings to mind this from yesterday:
Dead English teacher's family gets payment for future US income
The English teacher, who had a masters degree in education, was riding a motorcycle in December 2007 when he was hit by a bus that crossed a three-way intersection, running a red light, in southern Seoul. His teaching contract expired in July the following year.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/07/117_68579.html |
Rule of thumb I tell new people is ALWAYS let a Korean, especially an older person go first. Cars will stop for them |
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Forward Observer
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Location: FOB Gloria
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| Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
| Forward Observer wrote: |
Life is cheap in the ROK.
Sister Sarah's husband got run over by a bus and was in three hospitals for months. His foot was destroyed. |
I wouldn't call it 'destroyed', but it sure was ugly as heck for a time.
The article is one of my biggest fears in SK. I just don't believe that the streets/sidewalks are safe. |
No, not literally...but it looked so bad! It was what, 4-5 months of hospital and therapy before he was able to get out and go home iirc |
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