Driver Unhurt as Van Ends Up in Settlers' Park Pond
Douglas Muldoon of Darien is charged with DUI in the incident, according to Plainfield police.
Updated 9:45 a.m. Sept. 15:
A Darien man is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after losing control of his van and ending up in a pond in Settlers' Park, police said Saturday.
Douglas W. Muldoon, 41, was arrested shortly after the early-morning incident, said Officer Tracy Caliendo.
"It looks like he was traveling down Village Center [Drive] and decided to go through the trees," Caliendo said.
Muldoon's van entered the pond, and Caliendo said he was getting out of the vehicle as police and fire crews arrived on the scene.
No one was hurt in the incident, Caliendo said.
Original story 8:12 a.m. Sept. 15:
Plainfield firefighters responding to a call about a submerged vehicle found the driver unharmed when they arrived at Settlers’ Park early Saturday morning, according to Deputy Fire Chief Jon Stratton.
Stratton said the call came in around 6:30 a.m. after a man lost control of his van and ended up in a pond at Settlers’ Park.
“We were all geared up for a water rescue,” Stratton said, but by the time emergency crews arrived, the driver was safely out of the vehicle. There were no other occupants in the van, he said.
“[The van] was submerged about halfway,” Stratton said.
The driver was uninjured and was released to the Plainfield Police Department, he said.
-----------------------
In This article
-
Plainfield Fire Protection District
23748 W 135th St, Plainfield, IL -
Settlers' Park
24403 W Lockport St, Plainfield, IL -
Plainfield Police Department
14300 Coil Plus Dr, Plainfield, IL
Moe
9:24 am on Saturday, September 15, 2012
Wow! Another crash near 126??? A traffic light really is needed in that area!
<<sarcasm>>
Glad to hear that the driver was unharmed. I couldn't imagine losing control of my vehicle and ending up in a pond. Scary stuff!
Jen Miller
10:40 am on Saturday, September 15, 2012
I, too, enjoy a refreshing dip after a long night of drinking! All joking aside, I'm thankful this story didn't end with any fatalities.
Firemanfred1921
11:42 am on Saturday, September 15, 2012
Does anyone else receive raises like these? This is the salary of the vehicle technician or the mechanic for the fire district. While your home values are going down your taxes are going up and so are the salaries of a mechanic and finance/hr. The district spends money on what they want to spend it on and it's done carelessly.
2011 - $87,180
2010 - $81,913
2009 - $81,882
2008 - $73,203
2007 - $63,075
2006 - $59,564
More exposure of the fire district will continue until regular meeting reporting is done by the media. Would the community like to hear about a person who was uninjured in a traffic accident, a minor injury accidnet, and a bull wandering in the road or how the district spends your 11% of your property tax bill by purchasing half million + fire engines, new buildings, deputy chiefs, and administrative personnel etc.?
FiremanFred's Nightmare
3:20 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012
Hey "Fred", property taxes are dropping. Now, the fun part about dealing with ignorant "taxpayers". Tell me how much money the Vehicle Tech has saved the PFD through proper preventive maintenance. And...compare that number to comparable sized departments in the area. I think, no, I know you will find that the increase in his salary is justified and perhaps under what would be a fair wage. Here is another way to calculate it. Sorry Fred, it requires thought, so here goes...stick with me. What is the prevailing wage in the PRIVATE sector for a mechanic's hourly rate? Lets use sixty dollars (lowball). Sixty dollars an hour multiplied by 2080 (hours worked annually) is 124,800. That's unrealistic for a vehicle technician. I would say that 87,000 is a pretty fair and decent wage, considering that I have not even brought to light the dollars saved. Fred, please go away. Your fifteen minutes of internet fame is coming to a rapid conclusion.
justice
12:02 pm on Saturday, September 15, 2012
Waaaaaaa here is firemanfred crying again about the fire dept. Why don't you start a blog for people who actually care about this.
Ricky Bobby
3:40 pm on Saturday, September 15, 2012
Well I think this comment should be in a different column, we ALL should care about where are taxes are being spent and how. Firemanfred does make good comments....and they r not BS like most people on this site, they r facts
Nicole
8:54 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
If you're not first, you're last :)
Louis Lipps
8:43 am on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Is Settlers Park anywhere near the intersections of Ridge, County Line, and 126? If not then why is fireman Fred in here and why isn't someone screaming about calling Tom Cross and getting some stop lights stops signs and an Emerald Ash borer proof tree to replace all the "lousy" ones their builder planted? Does that flag as inappropriate thing work?
Ed Arter
2:01 pm on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Driver was obviously looking for a car wash.
Baba O'Riley
4:41 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
I came upon the scene just after 6:00 am. At first when I saw the emergency vehicles I feared there was a drowning then I see this van in the pond way off the road. This idiot must have thought the path was a road or something. Whats really scary is that someone could have been walking or jogging at the time. He was getting a field test as I went by. He looked like he was wiped out pretty good. What and idiot.