Posted on 12/10/2004 5:13:28 AM PST by NCjim
A man who either fell or jumped off the roof of his moving Mercedes-Benz in Scottsdale has been identified as an acclaimed chief financial officer for Phoenix whose struggles with a parasite might have caused his behavior Wednesday. Kevin Keogh, 55, died about 3 p.m. after he climbed onto the roof of the car he was driving east on Camelback Road with arms outstretched, similar to actor Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Titanic.”
Police haven't determined if the death was suicide or accidental, Scottsdale detective Sam Bailey said.
Keogh contracted the illness a couple of years ago while on vacation in Mexico and his wife, Karlene, told city officials "she believes the parasite impaired his frontal lobe inhibition, said Toni Maccarone, a Phoenix spokeswoman.
The specifics of Keogh's illness were unavailable, but he had been receiving treatment, city officials said.
Will Humble, bureau chief for disease control for the Arizona Department of Health Services, said that in general, tapeworms can invade brain tissue and cause brain damage. People can get tapeworms from eating undercooked pork in Mexico or pig feces on vegetables, he said.
"Usually, it's someone who’s from Mexico who comes up here as a migrant or someone who is binational that goes back and forth a lot. Very seldom is it a tourist who goes shopping and has a street taco or something," Humble said.
The worms have long incubation periods, ranging from weeks to 10 years, he said.
Autopsy results won't be available for a couple of months, Bailey said. Keogh, who had worked for Phoenix since 1976, made $164,000 a year and supervised 300 employees and part of the city’s $1 billion budget, Maccarone said.
“There is nothing we can do to replace Kevin,” City Manager Frank Fairbanks said at a news conference. “Kevin was more than a professional; he was a person.”
Bailey was not aware of any notes or documents Keogh left behind.
Witnesses told police the car was going about 40 mph when he got on the roof. Wednesday, police said the car was traveling 50 mph.
Police found his body on a sidewalk near 68th Street and Camelback Road, about 300 yards from where his car crashed into another, Bailey said.
Outside of work, he was known to be a patron of the arts and for his work with charities.
Keogh and his wife started the Arnold Keogh Health Foundation, which provided health insurance to mostly working-class women and their children.
“Kevin is very, very community minded," said Phoenix Vice Mayor Peggy Bilsten. “It’s sad for me for a number of reasons. They were a beautiful, beautiful couple, just a great example of what a good couple should be."
Bilsten is a member of the foundation board and a friend who had worked with Keogh for 10 years.
Keogh was reserved and noted for his sense of humor, co-workers said. He had no children.
"He made Phoenix a better place to live," Fairbanks said.
City and State magazine named Keogh one of the top 11 financial innovators in the country in 1993. The magazine selected Keogh the best finance director in the nation in 1987.
He held a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science from Iona College in New York and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University.
Jeff DeWitt, the assistant finance director, will serve as the interim chief financial officer, Maccarone said.
“He’s probably one of most intelligent, very professional, very, very good finance directors. I learned a great deal from him in 10 years," said DeWitt, who called Keogh his mentor and worked with him daily.
Kevin Randolph, 25, a counselor intern at Brophy College Preparatory School who lives in Phoenix, suffered minor injuries after Keogh’s car plowed into the back of his 2000 Plymouth Neon.
He recalled thinking, "I've been hit, but there’s nobody in the car.” Randolph was stopped at a red light waiting for a man to cross Camelback on a bicycle.
The man later told Randolph he was grateful Randolph's car blocked him from the runaway Mercedes.
Cruise Control.
That's dangerous
I don't know about that... it worked fine for Rowan Atkinsen, aka Mr Bean. He went to a store, bought a huge comfy chair that wouldn't fit in his car, mounted it on his roof, and then drove around [very hilly area] somewhere in London perhaps. He used a broom or mop to manage the brakes, a brick for the accelerator [those little EU cars don't need no stinkin japanese cruise control]. His feet I think somehow reached the steering column.
Bump.
That photo is disgusting.
I've got the willies.
I'd say this illustrates more than one sort of parasite. What value can the city government possibly add to make it worth a billion a year?
No offense, but I swear CortiSlim contains tapeworms.
< |:)~
Two words: cruise control.
It's real...information is good. If it prevents one Freeper or lurker from ordering a taco on a vacation from a stand in Mexico City, than it's worth it.
Coming soon to a family member near you courtesy of uncontrolled illegal and uncontrolled legal immigration of people with various disgusting diseases and parasites from third world pest holes. Another reason the thank GWB II for cracking down in this problem (OH wait, he doesn't want to crack down on them. He wants to give them amnesty)
What really happened, this guy ingested whole the little worm at the bottom of a tequila bottle. Happens a lot in Mexico, occasionally in Texas ... those little worms are a bitch.
Tapeworms? I thought they lived in the intestines. Is this supposed to be trichinosis?
I read of an old treatment for tapeworms. It was absolutely horrifying. Abandon ship now if you are the least big squeamish...
The victim (and tapeworm) would be starved for a period of time. Several people would hold down the victim while some pungent food was placed in front of the victim's mouth. Eventually, the tapeworm would emerge to take the bait...
I know every time I set my cruise control and climb out on the roof of my car, I am always aware that I may accidentally fall off.
If this was one of those slobs who doesn't wash his hands after leaving the bathroom, well he got he deserved.
Meanwhile, anyone who ever shook hands with him should consult their doctor.
There was a more scary one then The Tingler, as I recall, also a 50's movie, with more realistic brain/spinal-column creatures. However, the name escapes me.
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