Attorney O'Quinn Killed in Houston Wreck

[create.peace]

Source: houston chronicle

Prominent Houston attorney John O'Quinn was one of two men who died this morning when their speeding SUV slammed into a tree on Allen Parkway after the driver apparently lost control, police said.

"I'm stunned. The community lost one of its biggest assets," said Rick Laminack, who worked with O'Quinn from 1987 until 2006. "He was a great lawyer who shared a lot of his wealth with people who needed help.

.....

"Big man, big loss," Laminack said.

He also was a prolific giver to Democratic Party candidates. In the 2006 governor's race, he was the single biggest donor to Democratic nominee Chris Bell's unsuccessful campaign to unseat Republican Gov. Rick Perry. O'Quinn gave Bell $2.5 million.

O'Quinn gave more than $200,000 to Democratic candidates last year, and he donated $4,800 to Houston Mayor Bill White's U.S. Senate campaign."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6692411.html

[question everything]

1. Speeding SUV..

why?

Sad, what a waste.

[Hello_Kitty]

2. Seriously. I hope we don't find out the driver was texting. eom

[maddezmom]

3. sad news

:(

[HowHasItComeToThis]

4. WHY WAS IT SPEEDING?????

WHY SHOULD HE SPEED?????

[WriteDown]

5. Listening to Sammy Hagar? nt

[Zodiak]

11. Houston

On the freeways around Houston, the average speed goes over 80 mph easily. They might have just been going with the flow of traffic, which will run you off the road if you are not going fast enough.

At least it was that way in the early 90s.

[struggle4progress]

12. It's Texas: the posted speed limit means "If you drive this slow, we'll squash you"

I don't remember anybody paying the slightest attention to speed limits on Texas roads

[coffeenap]

6. I think there is something wrong with me, the first thing I think

of when a Dem. dies unexpectedly is foul play. Oh, I so hope to be wrong.

[Rebubula]

7. Just because...

...you are paranoid...well you know the rest.

However, shit happens and good people die in fucked up ways every day.

[glinda]

17. convenient though wasn't it?

[Cha]

21. I know..

it crossed my mind too.

[xxqqqzme]

8. That SUV is a twisted mess.

Not surprised it was fatal.

[AnneD]

9. We have been having lots of rain lately...

and the roads are slick. Lots of twists and turns on that road. And an SUV too. Throw in a little speed to the mix and you have a disaster waiting to happen.

As for speeding-sorry to say the only thing that seems to slow Texas drivers down is $5 a gallon gas.

Seriously, this was a good guy and he will be sorely missed. He was a kind and generous person that shared his wealth.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Neither man was wearing a seat belt, said the police sources, who asked not to be identified.

says the story.
I read in the local paper here of 2-3 deaths a month, and many more serious injuries, because of speeding and no seat belts, in our county.
Flat out amazes me how many people die every single month, most of them in single cars "leaving the road at a high rate of speed".

[mwb970]

14. I've noticed a repeating pattern here in central Ohio.

Judging from newspaper reports, the most common fatal driving incident occurs in the middle of the night with a 19-year old male driving passengers at high speed under the influence of alcohol without a seatbelt on a winding country road.

Incidents like the above are gradually being supplemented by stories of drivers inexplicably "losing control of the vehicle", even under ideal driving conditions, making one suspect that distracted driving of some kind is to blame in at least some cases.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. Why, your guys and my guys must be related.

Same here. We are a tiny town smack dab in the middle of nowhere, very rural.
Except there are a lot of accidents in the middle of our 4 lane main street.
Just a few minutes ago, I looked at the paper.
4 people hurt in a 2 car collision on the 4 lane main drag, one young female hurt after her SUV flipped twice
on a single country road. In one week.

[WriteDown]

15. Then they were idiots...

So that solves that.

[MadMaddie]

18. But you will hear it's their right not to wear seatbelts

I take the precaution because there are too many stories of people getting thrown out and then rolled over by their own vehicle.

[WhiteTara]

20. the 75 in Dallas made me a seatbelt believer

those people are crazy.

[cleverusername]

13. Rain + excessive speed

It was drizzling when the accident happened. Probably hit a slick spot at excessive speed. People always speed on this road. It's a main thorough fare into downtown with no traffic lights.

[benny05]

19. Thanks, K & R

My thoughts are with his family.

What the Chronicle did not report though is that O'Quinn was also a big supporter of John Edwards. When I saw this story, I thought "wasn't he a big buddy of JRE?"

If you are interested, you can see my post at Benny's World.

[excess_3]

22. truck-type SUVs are unsafe

I work at a rent-a-car place, and have driven everything.

a big SUV, does not handle like a car. period.

20 over
rain
....
please, don't drive like that