Sunday, November 30, 2008

balloon part 2

The challenge word this week on another illustration blog is "balloon".
This is the second of two illustrations I did for the topic. Here is the first.
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
On Thanksgiving Day 1997, Kathleen Caronna was watching annual Macy's Parade at 72nd St. and Central Park West alongside her husband and her infant son. In 40 miles-per-hour winds, handlers marching in the parade lost control of the six-story high Cat in the Hat balloon. The errant balloon crashed into a streetlamp. A piece of the streetlamp broke off and struck Ms. Caronna in the head, knocking her unconscious. Caronna was in a coma for 22 days after emergency surgery. She suffered skull fractures, brain damage and partial loss of vision. She filed a $395 million lawsuit against the city, Macy's and the lamppost manufacturer. In 2001, she settled for an undisclosed amount.

On October 11, 2006, a Cirrus SR20 plane piloted by New York Yankees' pitcher Cory Lidle crashed into the Belaire Apartments at E. 72nd Street on New York City's Upper East Side. Lidle and flight instructor Tyler Stanger were both killed. Their plane crashed into Kathleen Coronna's bedroom.

4 comments:

berni said...

Wow, that's quite the story. How unlucky for poor Ms.Caronna and 72nd Street.

Love your drawing--nicely rendered!! [^-^]

Candace Trew Camling said...

wow!! I really love the illustration and story. GREAT ILLO!!!

Richard Cardona said...

Remind me never to go to a Dr. Seuss reading at Yankees stadium with Kathleen Caronna.

Dot said...

Great story... world of bizarre coincidences!