Quote:A giant set of golden arches outside a McDonald’s in Eastern Arizona toppled in 60-mph winds Wednesday, crushing a Naperville couple as they sat in their SUV in the parking lot.

Retirees Russell and Carolyn Janke were knocked unconscious and suffered multiple injuries after they had stopped at the McDonald’s on the Navajo Nation reservation in Window Rock. The two were on their way back to suburban Chicago from their winter home near Tucson.


(sorry can't get the bigger image)

The golden arches of a McDonald's restaurant in Window Rock, Ariz., fell on top of a vehicle carrying a couple from Naperville, Ill.
(Elise Bennett/www.ireport.com)

Navajo acting police chief Steven Nelson said the “winds were pretty bad’’ Wednesday, causing the sign to be blown down from atop a pole across the street from the restaurant.

“It was a freak accident,’’ Nelson said.

Carolyn Janke was trapped inside the SUV and had to be cut out of the vehicle by rescue crews, Nelson said.

Both were taken to the Indian Health Service in Fort Defiance, Ariz. Carolyn Janke was later transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix — about six hours from Window Rock — where she remained in intensive care this afternoon, her daughter-in-law, Ann Janke, told the Chicago Sun-Times today.

Carolyn Janke has a fractured spinal column and a fractured sternum, her daughter-in-law said. Russell Janke, a retired engineer, was hit in the head and “has over 70 stitches,” she said.

Ann Janke said she’s desperately trying to get more information about the accident. A report online included some photos but also contained incorrect information.

“How could that sign not be properly secured? That’s what I want to know,” she said. “I’m mad. You don’t think you park under a sign . . . and giant golden arches are going to come smashing down on you.”

A spokeswoman for the Window Rock McDonald’s could not immediately comment. A call to McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Oak Brook was not immediately returned.

Nelson said the incident was still under investigation but said he knew of no previous problems with the sign.

“Wee have not had any reports of any problems with the sign,’’ he said.

Janke doesn’t know what she’s going to tell her two small children, who are eager to see their grandparents, who recently sent Easter gifts in the mail.

“They won’t understand,” Janke said.