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Excitement over Milwaukee gas giveaway leads to crashes, arrests
Associated Press
July 12, 2006, 3:50 PM CDT
MILWAUKEE -- Two vehicle crashes occurred, four people were arrested for fighting and three officers got sent to the hospital -- all over some free gasoline Wednesday.
For the most part, hundreds of drivers waited patiently for hours for about $30 worth of free gasoline from Allstate Insurance as a reward to Milwaukee for ranking high on its safe drivers list.
Some cars started lining up before midnight for the gas, and the line stretched far from the service station into a residential area, trapping some residents in their driveways Wednesday morning, said Anne E. Schwartz, Milwaukee Police Department spokeswoman.
That led to fights and arrests for disorderly conduct -- in one case, three officers got blood on them from a bloody nose, Schwartz said. They went to the hospital as a precaution.
Two minor crashes apparently occurred when some queued-up motorists tried to let friends into line, Schwartz said.
"Any time you offer free gas when it is $3 a gallon, it is not surprising people would get excited," she said.
Allstate Insurance gave away the semi-tanker truck of gasoline after Milwaukee ranked No. 1 among mid-sized cities on the company's annual best drivers list.
"Milwaukee is one of the safest cities of its size for motorists, where more than 700 residents benefited from free gas, and we believe this was successful and well-deserved recognition for Milwaukee," said Bill Mellander, director of the company's best drivers report.
Local insurance agents started pumping the gas at a Milwaukee service station at 6 a.m. The giveaway lasted a couple hours, Schwartz said.
Clarence Jefferson said he thought he'd be first in line when he got there at 4 a.m., only to find hundreds of others already ahead of him.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "It helps. Every bit is worth it."
Associated Press
July 12, 2006, 3:50 PM CDT
MILWAUKEE -- Two vehicle crashes occurred, four people were arrested for fighting and three officers got sent to the hospital -- all over some free gasoline Wednesday.
For the most part, hundreds of drivers waited patiently for hours for about $30 worth of free gasoline from Allstate Insurance as a reward to Milwaukee for ranking high on its safe drivers list.
Some cars started lining up before midnight for the gas, and the line stretched far from the service station into a residential area, trapping some residents in their driveways Wednesday morning, said Anne E. Schwartz, Milwaukee Police Department spokeswoman.
That led to fights and arrests for disorderly conduct -- in one case, three officers got blood on them from a bloody nose, Schwartz said. They went to the hospital as a precaution.
Two minor crashes apparently occurred when some queued-up motorists tried to let friends into line, Schwartz said.
"Any time you offer free gas when it is $3 a gallon, it is not surprising people would get excited," she said.
Allstate Insurance gave away the semi-tanker truck of gasoline after Milwaukee ranked No. 1 among mid-sized cities on the company's annual best drivers list.
"Milwaukee is one of the safest cities of its size for motorists, where more than 700 residents benefited from free gas, and we believe this was successful and well-deserved recognition for Milwaukee," said Bill Mellander, director of the company's best drivers report.
Local insurance agents started pumping the gas at a Milwaukee service station at 6 a.m. The giveaway lasted a couple hours, Schwartz said.
Clarence Jefferson said he thought he'd be first in line when he got there at 4 a.m., only to find hundreds of others already ahead of him.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "It helps. Every bit is worth it."
Why on earth would someone line up for four hours to get $30 of free gas?
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