Dalai Lama's nephew killed on Florida walk for Tibet

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Dalai Lama's nephew killed on Florida walk for Tibet
Jigme Norbu hit by sport utility vehicle on dark road 25 miles into 300-mile walk to raise awareness of Tibetan struggle
Associated Press
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 February 2011 07.35 GMT

A nephew of the Dalai Lama was killed on a road in Florida during a trek to raise awareness of the Tibetan struggle for independence from China.

Jigme Norbu, 45, was struck by a sport utility vehicle on state road A1A along Florida's eastern coast on Monday evening, the highway patrol reported.

Norbu was on a 300-mile "Walk for Tibet" from St Augustine to West Palm Beach. He had done similar walks several times before, including one of 900 miles in 2009 from Indiana to New York.

~snip~
The SUV was driven by 31-year-old Keith O'Dell of Palm Coast, who had his two young children with him, according to the highway patrol's report. They were not injured, and O'Dell was not charged.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/15/dalai-lama-nephew-death-florida

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Dalai Lama’s Nephew Killed by a Car While Walking for Tibet on A1A in the Hammock
Pierre Tristam | February 14, 2011

Jigme Norbu, nephew to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, had logged 7,800 miles on 19 walks and on his bike before beginning his latest today, and what proved to be his last–a 300-mile trek starting in St. Augustine and going south. Norbu and two companions were to have ended their “Walk for Tibet Florida” later this month in West Palm Beach.

Norbu, 45, was struck and killed by a passing driver just before 7:30 this evening (Feb. 14) on State Road A1A in the Hammock, across the street from the Adult and Community Education building, some 10 miles north of Flagler Beach and 25 miles south of St. Augustine.

Norbu was about three minutes away from his rendezvous point with his companions, who’d gone ahead in late afternoon to wait for him at T.J.’s Seafood Shack, the restaurant. (Just last September, an employee from the restaurant was killed by a motorist while biking home late at night on A1A.) A mile or so south, Damian Collins, owner of the Hammock Wine and Cheese Shoppe, who may have been the last person to speak to Norbu, had set out drinks, food and other provisions for him and his companions, along with a tent–for Norbu–and other accommodations for the others so they could spend the night.

Collins had driven up to speak with Norbu when she found out he was nearby, taking him coconut milk to reinforce him. The sun had just set. He was barely two or three miles north. “He was really smiley and calm and all about what he was doing,” Collins said. He told her: “This is why I’m doing this. Here are some fliers. You’re why I’m doing this.” He wanted to get to Flagler Beach that night. She dissuaded him, citing the distance, and offered him and his companions a place to stay. Back at her shop, Collins, who was on her way elsewhere for the evening, set out a few goods on a picnic table in the backyard–including soap and a towel–and a note: “Tibet Group! Hi! Please make yourselves at home. It is an honor to have you here. Damian.”

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