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Bill O'Rights · 07-03-2003, 07:37 AM

<b>Dropped rock ends couple's love story</b>

<i>BY LYNN SAFRANEK AND MICHAEL O'CONNOR
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS

Michelle Fergus bought her first new car a few years ago with money she saved while working two jobs.

On Tuesday night, a landscaping stone thrown from an Interstate overpass did more to Fergus than break the windshield of that car. It took her life.

Fergus, 34, and her fiance, 25-year-old Chris Reinert of Council Bluffs, were driving north on Interstate 680 about 10 p.m. when the stone was thrown from the Sprague Street overpass. The couple were driving to the assisted living facility where they work.

Police are looking for a light-colored van that may have been on the overpass or in the area at the time, said Officer Cathy Martinec. The van may have had a "For Sale" sign, she said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at 444-5656 or Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP.

The stone broke through the 2001 Mazda Protege's windshield, creating roughly a 10-by-12-inch hole, and hit Fergus in the face, said Sgt. Cathy Cook. A stone found inside the car matched the shape of the hole.

Reinert drove Fergus to Methodist Hospital, where she died, Martinec said.

"It's so cold and so chilling," said Fergus' mother, Nancy Fergus of Gering, Neb. "You don't believe it."

The overpass is one of the few freeway overpasses with walkways without a fence in the Omaha area.

Police consider Fergus' death a homicide because of where the stone landed, Martinec said.

"It would have to be thrown," she said.

At least two more incidents of people throwing stones off the same overpass this week have been reported, Cook said. One incident was reported Monday, she said, and the other was Tuesday.

Police were canvassing the area near the Sprague Street overpass Wednesday, seeking anyone who might have seen what happened, Martinec said.

That part of the Interstate was closed from about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday until 7:30 a.m. Wednesday while investigators examined the scene.

Fergus, who is originally from Hastings, Neb., and Reinert planned to marry next May in a midnight Renaissance wedding, her mother said.

Fergus and Reinert met in January through mutual friends, said Reinert's aunt, Sheila Payne of Omaha. The couple were living with Reinert's mother in Council Bluffs, she said, and had put down a deposit Monday on an apartment.

Recently, Reinert and Fergus had a handfasting ceremony, which is the pagan equivalent of a wedding, Payne said.

"Those two were so much in love that you would not believe it," she said.

Fergus loved caring for everything around her - whether it was driving from Omaha to Hastings to take her grandmother to garage sales or taking in abandoned ferrets, her mother said.

In a released statement, her family said they hope whoever is responsible for Fergus' death realizes the consequences - all for "the thrill of watching that object fall into oncoming traffic."

The Nebraska Department of Roads has responsibility for the Sprague Street overpass and most of the other Interstate bridges in the metro area, said Dale Butler, maintenance superintendent for the department's Omaha district.

The Sprague Street overpass, built in 1968, is not the only one in the metro area that has a walkway but no safety fence, Butler said. The L Street overpass on the Kennedy Expressway, for example, also lacks a fence.

Butler said new standards require fences for overpasses that are built with walkways. The standards took effect more than 10 years ago, he said.

Butler said the Sprague Street overpass is scheduled for replacement in the next several years as part of an I-680 widening project and would get a fence then.

Asked whether Tuesday's incident warrants building fences on the Sprague Street bridge and similar ones, Butler said fences are not a foolproof solution.

"A fence is not going to prevent some idiot from climbing up there and dropping something on someone if that's what they are intent on doing," he said. A fence "is like a padlock. It keeps an honest person out."</i>

This has been a problem in this area for some time now. It's only been a matter of time until someone was killed. I can't imagine why someone would get a thrill out of dropping items (ie bowling balls, concrete blocks, large chunks of ice in the winter, etc.) into oncoming traffic. What kind of sick and demented mind would even contemplate such actions.

07-03-2003, 07:37 AM	#1 (permalink)
Bill O'Rights will always be an Alyson Hanniganite Location: In the dust of the archives	Dropped rock ends couple's love story <b>Dropped rock ends couple's love story</b> <i>BY LYNN SAFRANEK AND MICHAEL O'CONNOR WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS Michelle Fergus bought her first new car a few years ago with money she saved while working two jobs. On Tuesday night, a landscaping stone thrown from an Interstate overpass did more to Fergus than break the windshield of that car. It took her life. Fergus, 34, and her fiance, 25-year-old Chris Reinert of Council Bluffs, were driving north on Interstate 680 about 10 p.m. when the stone was thrown from the Sprague Street overpass. The couple were driving to the assisted living facility where they work. Police are looking for a light-colored van that may have been on the overpass or in the area at the time, said Officer Cathy Martinec. The van may have had a "For Sale" sign, she said. Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide unit at 444-5656 or Crime Stoppers at 444-STOP. The stone broke through the 2001 Mazda Protege's windshield, creating roughly a 10-by-12-inch hole, and hit Fergus in the face, said Sgt. Cathy Cook. A stone found inside the car matched the shape of the hole. Reinert drove Fergus to Methodist Hospital, where she died, Martinec said. "It's so cold and so chilling," said Fergus' mother, Nancy Fergus of Gering, Neb. "You don't believe it." The overpass is one of the few freeway overpasses with walkways without a fence in the Omaha area. Police consider Fergus' death a homicide because of where the stone landed, Martinec said. "It would have to be thrown," she said. At least two more incidents of people throwing stones off the same overpass this week have been reported, Cook said. One incident was reported Monday, she said, and the other was Tuesday. Police were canvassing the area near the Sprague Street overpass Wednesday, seeking anyone who might have seen what happened, Martinec said. That part of the Interstate was closed from about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday until 7:30 a.m. Wednesday while investigators examined the scene. Fergus, who is originally from Hastings, Neb., and Reinert planned to marry next May in a midnight Renaissance wedding, her mother said. Fergus and Reinert met in January through mutual friends, said Reinert's aunt, Sheila Payne of Omaha. The couple were living with Reinert's mother in Council Bluffs, she said, and had put down a deposit Monday on an apartment. Recently, Reinert and Fergus had a handfasting ceremony, which is the pagan equivalent of a wedding, Payne said. "Those two were so much in love that you would not believe it," she said. Fergus loved caring for everything around her - whether it was driving from Omaha to Hastings to take her grandmother to garage sales or taking in abandoned ferrets, her mother said. In a released statement, her family said they hope whoever is responsible for Fergus' death realizes the consequences - all for "the thrill of watching that object fall into oncoming traffic." The Nebraska Department of Roads has responsibility for the Sprague Street overpass and most of the other Interstate bridges in the metro area, said Dale Butler, maintenance superintendent for the department's Omaha district. The Sprague Street overpass, built in 1968, is not the only one in the metro area that has a walkway but no safety fence, Butler said. The L Street overpass on the Kennedy Expressway, for example, also lacks a fence. Butler said new standards require fences for overpasses that are built with walkways. The standards took effect more than 10 years ago, he said. Butler said the Sprague Street overpass is scheduled for replacement in the next several years as part of an I-680 widening project and would get a fence then. Asked whether Tuesday's incident warrants building fences on the Sprague Street bridge and similar ones, Butler said fences are not a foolproof solution. "A fence is not going to prevent some idiot from climbing up there and dropping something on someone if that's what they are intent on doing," he said. A fence "is like a padlock. It keeps an honest person out."</i> This has been a problem in this area for some time now. It's only been a matter of time until someone was killed. I can't imagine why someone would get a thrill out of dropping items (ie bowling balls, concrete blocks, large chunks of ice in the winter, etc.) into oncoming traffic. What kind of sick and demented mind would even contemplate such actions. __________________ "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.