"Good Samaritan" Scout Leader Dies In Unusual Accident

[EagleInKY 14]

Sad news here in our Council today. The radio reported that Robert Weber was an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster. His wife is an active scouter and he has three sons (a Cub Scout and two Boy Scouts). May your prayers be with his family and his troop.

 

Local Scout Leader Dies In Unusual Accident

Victim Broke Neck Trying To Help Save Young Man

 

A local scout leader was killed while trying to save a young man's life.

 

Rob Weber, 44, of Shepherdsville, died Monday after he stopped to help an 18-year-old man whose car crashed into a pond, WLKY NewsChannel 32 reported. The tragedy took place on the U.S. 50 bridge near Washington.

 

Friends said Weber was on his way to work when he was flagged down by two teenagers who told him their friend was stuck in a car that was sinking in water.

 

It's believed Weber either tripped or jumped over the bridge, not realizing how far off the ground he was, WLKY reported.

 

The coroner's office in Daviess County, where Weber died, said he broke his neck. Weber was scout master of Troop 376 in Okolona.

 

http://www.thelouisvillechannel.com/news/4349758/detail.html

 

 

Another story:

 

'Good Samaritan' leaps from bridge to aid vehicle, dies

Bullitt man tried to reach car in pond

 

WASHINGTON, Ind. -- A Shepherdsville, Ky., man who stopped after a car crashed into a pond early yesterday died when he jumped from a bridge in an attempt to reach the submerged automobile.

 

The man hit the ground instead of the water, Daviess County Sheriff's Deputy Bill Dougherty said.

 

Daviess County Coroner Linden Cullen identified the man as Robert G. Weber, 44. Authorities think Weber either thought there was water under the U.S. 50 bridge where he jumped or did not realize how high he was.

 

Cullen said Weber plunged 18 feet and died of internal injuries.

 

"He was a good Samaritan because he was trying to help," Cullen said.

 

Indiana conservation officers later found the body of the other vehicle's driver in the overflow pond near the U.S. 50 bridge over the White River at the Daviess-Knox county line in southwestern Indiana.

 

Cullen identified him as Corey S. Willis, 18, of nearby Petersburg, Ind.

 

Daviess County Sheriff's Detective Ron Morgan said the submerged car's two passengers escaped after it went off the highway about 5 a.m.

 

They told police that the three of them were heading to Vincennes for breakfast when the car sailed off the road, possibly because the driver fell asleep.

 

Dougherty said the car traveled 700 feet in the grassy median before flying off an embankment and into a pond that catches the river's overflow.

 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050405/NEWS02/504050364/1025(This message has been edited by EagleInKY)

[SemperParatus 1]

Thank you for sharing this tragic story. May his family find some comfort in knowing that he lived and died in devoted service to others...and there is no greater reward than that.

[htc1992eaglescout47553 10]

I actually live about 1/2 hour west of that scene. This post puts this story in another perspective.

 

I first heard about that story on WTHI-TV 10 out of Terre Haute, IN.

 

Here is a 'local' news article from the Washington Times Herald:

 

By Laura Thigpen, Staff Writer

A good samaritan died early today trying to help the driver of a sub-compact Nissan who drove off the Bypass and into the overflow pond under the U.S. 50 bridge at the Daviess-Knox county line. Two of three passengers escaped from the car which went into the water just after 5 a.m. but at least one was presumed drowned, according to Daviess County Sheriff's Detective Ron Morgan, who worked with Indiana Conservation Officers to find the submerged car.

 

While divers searched for the trapped passenger and car, deputies speculated as to whether a Kentucky man, who stopped to help, believed there was water under the west end of the bridge where he jumped, or just didn't realize how high off the ground he was, said Deputy Bill Dougherty, Daviess County Sheriff's Department.

 

But the good samaritan, whose name hasn't been released, broke his neck when he leapt off the bridge. He was dead at the scene and his body was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes.

 

Meanwhile, conservation officers continued searching the muddy pond water for the car and third passenger finally finding it just before 10 a.m. Sheriff Jerry Harbstreit said the car would be dragged from the water and back on to the bridge after conservation department divers spent hours using a pole provided by Washington Township Fire Department volunteers, feeling for metal under the muddy water.

 

"They're certified search and rescue divers," said Sgt. Tony Sanders, an Indiana Conservation Officer with the Department of Natural Resources. "Unfortunately, we mostly end up being search and recovery instead of recovery."

 

Which was the story today when the Nissan and unidentified driver were finally found in the water which is not more than 15 feet deep, Sanders said.

 

"It depends on how the car flipped over and depends on how fast it was going," explained Bill Dougherty, a sheriff's deputy.

 

According to the passengers, who were taken to Daviess Community Hospital, treated and released, the three were heading to Vincennes to eat breakfast when the car went off the road, Dougherty said. They told officers they don't know if the driver fell asleep but when the car ran off the road, it traveled 700 feet in the grassy median before sailing off the embankment and into the pond that catches overflow from the White River.

 

The two swam to the west side of the bridge and flagged down a motorist who took them to the BP station on the Bypass and SR 57 where they called for help. County dispatchers received the first call about the accident at 5:10 a.m.

 

"The third person hasn't been located yet," Dougherty said. "We don't know their names but I was told two are from Pike County and one of them just moved to Washington."

 

It's also unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident.

 

Several lanes of U.S. 50 were closed following the accident, and eastbound traffic was diverted on to SR 241 through Petersburg for hours this morning while sheriff's deputies and conservation officers, along with city police, emergency medical personnel and Washington Township Volunteer Fire Department volunteers searched for the car and third passenger. One westbound remained open.

 

(This message has been edited by htc1992eaglescout47553)

[le Voyageur 72]

Indeed a tragic story, but one that shows what happens when a cardinal rule of rescue work is violated, that being scene/personal safety.

 

Again, a tragic story....wish it wasn't so...

 

 

[scoutldr 732]

Indeed a tragedy, but one that was completely avoidable. As I teach in BSA Lifeguard classes, "Dead heroes can't help anyone". Be sure of your water's depth and underwater obstructions and your own abilities before deciding to "go". "Reach, throw, row, go"

[sassysmom 10]

I am the wife of the scout leader that died. I want to set the record straight. Rob did not try to jump into the water to save the boy. He would not have done that because it was dark and he taught and lived the rule that you don't go into water to rescue someone- "reach, throw, row, go". The woman that had flagged him down has told me that he was on the phone talking to the 911 operator giving directions to the scene. He was not familiar with the area. It was 5:00 in the morning and pitch black. According to the witness, she said that it looked like the bridge was ahead and that they were just on a divided highway that had land between the lanes. She said that when the boy in the water began screaming, Rob immediately went to the side and went over the side as if he was scaling a fence. She said that he let out an exclamation of disbelief as he went over, but it was too late for him to stop his fall. He did viotate a rule of not checking what was on the other side of the median first. He apparently thought it was not too high or he was reacting to the screaming boy and thought he could jump down. I will never be sure. But I know that he would not have done it had he realized the height. He died of massive internal injuries.

[orennoah 11]

Our heart goes out to you and your family.

 

We share, in our small way, your tragedy.

 

- Oren

[EagleInKY 14]

sassysmom -

 

We've never met but we have some mutual friends. I know Rob's accident was largely caused by the factors of darkness and unfamiliarity of the area. He was simply a good guy trying to help and got caught unaware of all the factors. Truly, this could have happened to any of us.

 

It brings back memories of a situation I was in. Several years ago I stopped to provide aid in a situation that turned out to be a murder in process. It could have easily turned out bad for me. I was lucky that the shooter's gun misfired and he ran away, otherwise he could have turned it on me next. When we stop to provide aid, there are always inherant risks. But that's what makes it a selfless act, isn't it?

 

I hope the second guessing that went on here doesn't cause you great pain. We all need to be reminded to be careful when we find ourselves in these situations. There is always confusion about what is going on. Our adrenaline flows and mistakes happen.

 

Rob is one of many fallen heroes in our Scouting brotherhood and will be missed by his friends and family. Our hearts go out to you and yours.

[Lynda J 10]

Sending lots of Hugs Sassymom