On the Brinck

News Comment for 9/22/2011

News stories that involve people we know personally tend to bring out emotion in the reader. Well, I was informed of some news on Tuesday that struck a nerve with me.

Mark Toney, a former resident of my hometown Carroll, IA, was my Cub Scout leader in 2nd grade. He helped my father and me with my first Pinewood Derby car. He taught me how to tie those ridiculous knots. He guided me as I built a birdhouse for a local nursing home. I wasn’t in Boy Scouts for long, but I’ve always remembered how kind Mark Toney was.

An Iowa State Patrolman for 24 years, Toney devoted his life to keeping Iowans safe on the roadways. When my dad texted me Tuesday night asking if I had heard about an accident near Indianola involving Mark, my heart sank. I immediately looked online and began reading news stories confirming what I was afraid of.

With his emergency lights on, Toney’s patrol car left the road, flipped several times, and caught fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Here is an article from the Des Moines Register that talks about the accident and the investigation that is underway to determine what exactly happened.

The article concludes with a quote by Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller.

“I extend my sincere condolences to Trooper Toney’s family and friends, his fellow state troopers, and to Iowa’s law enforcement community.”

Having known Mark since a child, and having attended school with one of his sons for several years, I too, send my deepest sympathies to the Toney family.

This entry was posted on September 22, 2011 at 12:32 am and is filed under Comm 208. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.