Fortunately for Rob and MF, word from the concessioneers was excellent- last call for beer? "There's no such thing". I suppose the laws are more lenient in Sauget. Did I mention the Grizzlies play in the Village of Sauget, IL, population 249? Well, they do, just a stone's throw from the Oz and a number of other choice venues for XXX girls, all night beverages and Yellow Brick Road, sight of Josh Hancock's collision with an 18 wheeler a mere 60 hours before his second collision which cost him his spanking new rental SUV and his life.
The irony of the lawsuits his family announced today could almost top the irony of the bracelets the Grizzlies pass out if you are a card-carrying 21 year old in their stadium intending to imbibe:
The juxtaposition of the "Please Drink Responsibly" millimeters from the contact info for Rekowski and Associates, Criminal DUI Misdemeanor attorneys makes about as much sense as the Hancock family's foray into frivolous lawsuits.
I've posted on forums today, I've listened to local radio and even read some national coverage and the bottom line on this is that a family is clearly in pain. They have lost their son, brother, nephew, and grandson. He drank himself into a heavily buzzed state at Mike Shannon's and then took off for Clayton, calling friends along the way to join him for a few more hours of partying. Fortunately, he took no one with him when he decapitated his SUV on the back of a tow truck driven by a good samaritan who stopped to help the driver of a Geo Prizm who either stalled or was forced by a collision into a stop in the fast lane of highway 40. The Hancocks are suing them all- Shannon's staff, the restaurant itself, tow truck company and driver, and now here's the kicker- the driver of the Geo Prizm. I've never been in a Prizm, but I briefly had a Geo Metro as a teenager and let me say for the record that a Geo driver does not have a lot of cash to spare. Trust me here. The Prizm driver needs what little he has. After the accident he immediately went to check the pulse of the fatally and gruesomely injured driver who we all learned a few hours later was Cardinals reliever Josh Hancock.
The family of a MAJOR LEAGUE baseball player has decided that they should extract some cash from this kid.
Amazing.
I hate to be the one to break the news to the Hancock family, but so many have taken the high road in covering and discussing your Josh's behavior and accident. The police, the Cards organization, every player, the management at Mike Shannon's, the fans, everyone had nothing but condolences and sympathy even though Josh was driving 68 MPH and on a cell call when his truck slammed into the tow truck. Oh, did I mention he was at twice the legal limit for driving in MO? Yeah, that too.
Well, the pity is no more. I'm fairly certain the Hancock family would not be welcomed to St. Louis anymore. I've never seen such public unity on a potentially explosive issue. Opinions are not a bit mixed. The Hancocks have wrecked their good name and whatever good was left of Josh's with this lawsuit business. Sympathy is gone. The rumor is that Josh's life insurance won't be paid out due to the circumstances of his death and his family is seeking to recoup some of the costs of his lost potential earnings to secure their financial future.
I think perhaps Justin Tollar, former owner of a (likely totalled) Geo Prizm should lower himself to a Hancock level and file a countersuit to try to recoup the cost of the years of psychotherapy he'll need to cope with the horrors he must have seen in the cab of that SUV when he selflessly went to check the pulse of an already deceased Josh Hancock.
I'll bet he could use a vehicle, something a little more substantial than a Prizm. He should get in touch with Rekowski and Associates, I'm sure they'd be happy to help.
