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More on Mike Baer

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Illinois

From the State Journal-Register:

RALEIGH - A Springfield man on the campaign trail for an Illinois Supreme Court candidate died in a one-vehicle crash Monday night in southern Illinois.

Michael R. Baer, 29, of the 1700 block of Bent Oak Drive was pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital in Eldorado.

Authorities said they are looking into the possibility the crash was caused by Baer experiencing a diabetic-related reaction while he was driving.

“We do know that Baer called a friend in Springfield about 10 minutes prior to the accident and stated he was experiencing an insulin reaction,” Saline County Sheriff Ed Miller said in a written statement. “We also know that he was a severe diabetic, and the initial investigation points towards a medical reason for the crash.”

Baer was a member of the Illinois Senate Republican staff but had taken a leave of absence from that job to be a campaign aide for Lloyd Karmeier, a Republican judge who is running for a seat on the state Supreme Court from southern Illinois.

Baer had been at a Saline County Republican Central Committee meeting in Harrisburg earlier Monday evening and was driving to another meeting in nearby Hamilton County, authorities said.

Baer was headed east near Raleigh, some 30 miles east of Marion, at about 7:10 p.m. when the 2004 Oldsmobile Bravada he was driving veered off the roadway about 150 feet, struck a culvert, went airborne for 20 feet and landed on the passenger side, the sheriff’s office said.

He was extricated from the vehicle by the Eldorado Fire Department and taken to Ferrell Hospital.

Read the full story. The SJ-R did a good job on this one.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Oct 13, 04 @ 4:29 pm

Comments

I knew Mike Baer from Model Illinos Government and from seeing him around when I was down there

He was a hell of a nice guy

He will be missed by many

Brian M. Cross

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 13, 04 @ 4:46 pm
I got this Information from Donovan Pepper

FUNERAL:
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Bisch Funeral Home West
2931 S. Koke Mill Road
Springfield, IL 62707

BURIAL:
Oak Ridge Cemetery
1441 Monument Ave.
Springfield, IL 62702

Any memorial contributions should be sent to:

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
500 N. Dearborn, Suite 305
Chicago, IL 60610-4901

Brian M. Cross

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Oct 13, 04 @ 6:58 pm