Dave Matthews Band sued over waste dumping

[Livia]

Matthews Band sued over waste dumping

Bus driver allegedly dumped excrement into Chicago River
Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Posted: 8:24 AM EDT (1224 GMT)

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- The state of Illinois sued the Dave Matthews Band on Tuesday for allegedly dumping up to 800 pounds of liquid human waste from a bus into the Chicago River, dousing a tour boat filled with passengers.
The lawsuit accuses the band and one of its bus drivers of violating state water pollution and public nuisance laws. It seeks $70,000 in civil penalties.
"Our driver has stated that he was not involved in this incident," band spokesman John Vlautin said in a statement. He said the band "will continue to be cooperative in this investigation."
According to the lawsuit, on August 8 a bus leased by the band was heading to a downtown hotel where members were staying. As the bus crossed the Kinzie Street bridge, the driver allegedly emptied the contents of the septic tank through the bridge's metal grating into the river below.
More than 100 people on an architecture tour were showered with foul-smelling waste. The attorney general's office said no one was seriously injured.
"This incident may be unique, but that does not lessen the environmental or public health risks posed by the release of at least 800 pounds of liquid human waste into a busy waterway and onto a crowded tour boat," Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a statement.
After the incident, the boat's captain turned the vessel around and took passengers back to the dock. Everyone received refunds, and the boat was cleaned with disinfectant.

What a sh*tty thing to do!

[Patti]

Well that's just thoroughly disgusting!

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Eeewwwww!!

[gldstwmn]

I read about this earlier this morning. I feel sorry for the people on the tour boat and agree something should be done for them. Human waste is extremely toxic. What is the deal with the bus driver not being implicated? If he didn't do it, who the hell did?

[greatdarkwing]

MMMMmmmmm...Foul smelling human waste...(drools)


L O L!

~Alex

[CarneVaca]

I never liked Dave Matthews! I always thought he was full of... you guessed ... ****!

[hayley]

When this happened, the bus driver was claiming that they hadn't done it, that the bus was parked at the hotel at the time the incident occured, and had invited cops on the bus to see that the tank hadn't been dumped in weeks.

Lisa Madigan sucks, so I almost want to disagree with anything she says or accuses just on principle.

Ugh. I've BEEN on that boat tour. Ugh Ugh Ugh UGH

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by hayley

When this happened, the bus driver was claiming that they hadn't done it, that the bus was parked at the hotel at the time the incident occured, and had invited cops on the bus to see that the tank hadn't been dumped in weeks.

What a ****ty job.