This...
Monday, June 28, 2010
A local Patriot Guard rider is on the road to recovery after an attack that could have killed him. Someone hit him with a railroad spike as he rode his cycle. The incident happened near the Kansas Turnpike where it goes underneath K-15 on Saturday. Dennis McDonough was riding home when he noticed what he thought were some kids playing on the railroad bridge.
"Only God can forgive them for it," said McDonough as he lay in a hospital bed.
McDonough is still trying to come to grips with what happened last weekend. As he drove south on the Turnpike, troopers say someone threw a railroad spike over the edge of the K-15 bridge. The spike struck his right leg and broke it in half.
"Don't they have any idea what that could do?" McDonough asked. "I mean, it could have killed me easily. If they' would have hit me in the chest or the face or even my arm, I couldn't control a big bagger with one hand."
McDonough is a Patriot Guard and American Legion rider. He takes pride in honoring fallen soldiers coming home to their final resting place
"Every one of them is a piece of history," he explained. "I respect every one of them. I ride for them and I ride to support their families."
Trooper say there are two state statutes that govern throwing items onto a roadway. One is a misdemeanor that comes with a fine, but if it results in injury, it's a serious felony that could result in prison time.
"We haven't seen a lot of those types of incidents that I can think of around South Central Kansas," said KHP Trooper Gary Warner. "But it truly does concern us when an event like that occurs when somebody intentionally throws an object from an overpass or bridge towards vehicles down below."
McDonough, meanwhile, is trying to stay thankful.
"I can replace the bike," he said. "I'm mostly thankful that my five kids and wife don't have to live without me."
McDonough believes he saw three people at the top of the bridge as he approached it. Troopers say they had a couple witnesses say the same thing, but those three people have not been found. If you have any information about this, you can always call Crimestoppers anonymously at 267-2111.