Waste disposal lands driver up ... a creek
Dave Matthews driver in trouble for dumping human waste in river
Updated: 2:58 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2004
CHICAGO - A bus driver working for the ecologically minded Dave Matthews Band could face prosecution on charges of dumping the vehicle’s load of human waste off a Chicago bridge onto a tour boat, police said Wednesday.
The effluent splattered passengers on an architectural boat cruise passing underneath the bridge the afternoon of Aug. 8, sending the boat back to its dock and some of the disgusted passengers to the hospital for tests.
The possible criminal charges against the bus driver follow a civil suit brought Tuesday against the band and its tour bus operator by the Illinois attorney general.
Police at a news conference showed an image of the bus taken from a security camera trained on the bridge spanning the north branch of the Chicago River near downtown, and said it was the only bus to cross at the time of the incident. It is illegal to dump waste into the already polluted river.
No members of the band, which was in Chicago as part of a tour, were on board the bus at the time.
The bus driver has denied responsibility, saying his bus had been parked at the time of the mishap.
The Dave Matthews Band is known for its support of “green” causes, touting its efforts as a way to offset the air pollution produced by its tour buses. In an interview with Blender magazine last year, Matthews said he recycled his trash ”somewhat obsessively.”
A publicist for the band did not have an immediate comment.
Did Dave Matthews Band Dump Human Sewage On People?
UPDATED: 7:37 AM PDT August 25, 2004
The state of Illinois sued the Dave Matthews Band on Tuesday for allegedly dumping up to 800 pounds of liquid human waste from a bus into the Chicago River, dousing a tour boat filled with passengers.
The lawsuit accuses the band and one of its bus drivers of violating state water pollution and public nuisance laws. It seeks $70,000 in civil penalties.
"Our driver has stated that he was not involved in this incident," band spokesman John Vlautin said in a statement. He said the band "will continue to be cooperative in this investigation."
According to the lawsuit, on Aug. 8 a bus leased by the band was heading to a downtown hotel where members were staying. As the bus crossed the Kinzie Street bridge, the driver allegedly emptied the contents of the septic tank through the bridge's metal grating into the river below.
More than 100 people on an architecture tour were showered with foul-smelling waste. The attorney general's office said no one was seriously injured.
"This incident may be unique, but that does not lessen the environmental or public health risks posed by the release of at least 800 pounds of liquid human waste into a busy waterway and onto a crowded tour boat," Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement.
After the incident, the boat's captain turned the vessel around and took passengers back to the dock. Everyone received refunds, and the boat was cleaned with disinfectant.
"Show me an angel and I will paint you one." - Gustav Courbet
"Quetzalcoatl, plumed serpent of the Aztecs... you are a pussy." - Stephen Colbert
"Really, I'm jealous of how much smarter than me he is. I'm not an expert on anything and he's an expert on things he knows nothing about." - Me, concerning a bullshitter
This is hilarious, I've always been a DMB fan but I was always turned off by Dave's holier than thou politics.
BoTM / JL / MM / HAB / VRWC / Horseman
I'm studying for the CPA exam. Have a nice summer, and if you're down just sit back and realize that Joe is off somewhere, doing much worse than you are.
