This appears to be an accident from what we can gather. Our heart goes out to family and loved ones. I am not including this as one of the official doctors in my unintended series.
I hear nothing but kind things about this New York MD who would leave apples and protein shakes outside his neighbors’ doors and was thoughtful enough to bring “healthy organic cat food” to yet another neighbor for her cats.
His web page says he treated joint pain and arthritis non-surgically, used botanicals and did prescribe some prescriptions (as do most holistic MD’s). His health grades page goes on to say, “We also encourage proper nutrition, exercise, physical therapy and management of chronic conditions”.
From the article:
Dr. Kenneth Rich was crossing the two-lane highway about 8:30 p.m. when he was struck by Burke’s 2006 Dodge Charger in the northbound lane. Rich, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
He would leave apples and protein drinks on a neighbor’s porch, and devoted extra time to his patients at the Long Island Osteo Relief Institute. He was known for his compassion and generosity, friends and family members said.
Police said in court papers that Burke’s breath after the crash smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy. Suffolk County prosecutors said the charge could be upgraded pending the results of the investigation and the results of a blood sample taken from Burke.
Defense attorney William McDonald of Ronkonkama said Burke has no prior criminal record. He is a married father who wasn’t working because he suffers from an immune disease, the attorney said.
Neighbor Loretta Johnson, 40, said Rich hadn’t been driving recently, preferring to ride his bicycle to and from the clinic, about a half-mile away. The doctor was a giving man, she said, bringing her healthy organic food to feed her cats.
Employees at the clinic, which offers noninvasive treatments for knee arthritis and other conditions, recalled how Rich, who worked there about three years, paid the train fare for a patient from Brooklyn and would come in on his day off to see patients in need.
“It was as if he was sent here just to (sic) generous,” said clinic coordinator Daniella Rodriguez, 21, of Holbrook.
He sounds like such a generous man who preferred to walk or bike to work, what a tragedy this is. Again, our heart goes out to friends family and the many patients who will miss him.
Erin Elizabeth Sunday, October 11, 2015
