Disabled Fisherman Dies

Here's an unusual story from the Chicago Tribune (free reg.),

A 76-year-old North Side man who was fishing on a pier at Montrose Harbor died Sunday after his motorized wheelchair propelled him into Lake Michigan, police said.

Duong Le, of the 900 block of West Lakeside Place, was sitting in the wheelchair and fishing with friends about noon when he and the wheelchair somehow fell into the water, according to Chicago police spokesman Matthew Jackson and the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Without unreasonable exaggeration, this incident creates a dilemma for the nanny-state do-gooders. Who to blame? Should they express outrage and file suit for compensation from the chair manufacturer for not warning of the dangers of fishing while in a wheelchair? Should they demand that laws be passed to require all fisherman to wear life vests? Should there be reserved fishing spots with tethers and chocks specifically designated for the wheelchair bound fisherman?

Don't be surprised if a floating wheelchair shows up in the marketplace soon.