BY GEORGE SELLS
POSTED 7:19 AM, JULY 28, 2014,
UPDATED AT 06:07PM, JULY 28, 2014
SWANSEA, IL (KTVI) A well known Belleville photographer has died after his wheelchair tipped over into a pond. It happened in Swansea, Illinois’ Centennial Park on Sunday.
Gerry Frierdich, known as “Chief” to many in the area, was no stranger to bad luck. Seven years ago he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on Green Mount Rd. He was paralyzed below the chest.
But that accident didn’t stop his love of photography. Friends recently helped him raise money for a new motorized wheelchair that allowed him to get more places. One of those spots was the far side of the pond in Centennial Park.
“This is what he lived for,” close friend Bud Gore said. “If he couldn’t go back here and couldn’t go these places, he felt trapped.”