Suicide is a terrible issue that’s all-too-prevalent in society, but apparently, a recent suicide attempt in Kenosha County led to a fatal accident near Walworth.  The most tragic consequence of this attempt is that another man, an attorney from Illinois, was killed.  This horrifying story was reported by The Week Extra. 

“Arthur J. Kuhnke.

Lawrence ‘Larry’ Ptasinski.

On Dec. 30, 2006, their paths crossed.

One wanted to die. The other celebrated life.

A sequence of events, described often as tragic, left a family shattered and a depressed man sinking even lower than he already felt.

Kuhnke took an entire bottle of Tylenol PM that day, wishing to kill himself.

Instead, he took the life of Ptasinski, a 57-year-old lawyer from Park Ridge, Ill., who was shopping during a weekend retreat to his condo near Geneva Lake.

It was Kuhnke’s third suicide attempt, at least, since late summer, defense attorney Les Johnson said.

The now-39-year-old Delavan man was attempting to drive from East Troy to his home in Del-Mar subdivision, near Delavan Lake.

He ended up in Walworth.

Several witnesses called 911, reporting Kuhnke driving recklessly through the streets–failing to stop at intersections, running vehicles off the road and weaving his own truck off the pavement several times.

Police couldn’t find him in time to stop him.

On the 100 block of Kenosha Street, about 8:30 a.m., Kuhnke drove into the rear of a car parked directly behind Ptasinski’s parked Volvo. The force of the impact spun Ptasinski’s car forward, striking and killing him. He died about 5:50 a.m. the next day.”

As this story shows, sometimes there is just no way to avoid the reckless actions of another.  However, the family is not without legal rights.