Q: What happened on July 14, 2005?A: A woman, attempting to commit suicide, ran a red light and killed 3 people.
Five years ago my friend Adam and I went out to lunch.
Our destination was a pizza joint up Dempster Road in Skokie.
We got there, had our lunch, and came back.
But there was a large commotion that delayed our prompt return.
All we were able to see, when we finally got through, was an overturned Mustang.
The next day we learned what happened: it was a suicide attempt.
A 23 year old model tried to kill herself by intentionally crashing her car.
She survived, but the 3 people in the Civic she hit did not.
All three were musicians, and all three worked at a nearby music equipment company.
(very nearby, like - drive past the architecturally unique building every day nearby)
Adam and I couldn't help but think what if...
What if we had left for lunch a little later, or left the pizza place a little earlier?
Would we have been in that car's path?
In 2007, the driver was found guilty, but mentally ill.
One of the three that died had a fund started through the Music Institute of Chicago:
The Doug Meis Gifted Artists of Tomorrow Scholarship Fund.
This Saturday is a benefit at Lincoln Hall for this scholarship.
Doug Meis was the drummer for exo, the headlining band.
This is how I was reminded of this tragedy tonight.
By simply scanning my favorite venue for upcoming concerts.
The memory brought quite a sense of pause to me tonight.
