[Global Notice] On the 12th September Rob Levin, known to many as Freenode's lilo, was hit by a car while riding his bike. He suffered head injuries and passed away in hospital on the 16th. For more information please visit #freenode-announce
UPDATE:
-christel- ok, im going to go +m for a moment
-christel- and we will try answer some of the questions you've asked after a minute of silence
-christel- Ok, first off, this is not a hoax
-christel- Rob was riding his bike on tuesday when he was hit by a car, he has spent the last few days at the neuro trauma ICU at a local hospital
-christel- where he has been in a coma
-christel- the news reached us this morning that Rob passed away early today
-beu- to repeat for those just joining us, this sadly is not a hoax; Rob was riding his bike on tuesday when he was hit by a car, he has spent the last few days at the neuro trauma ICU at a local hospital... news reached us this morning that Rob passed away early today
-christel- Rob is survived by wife Debbie and son Benjamin
-christel- and we ask that you all respect their privacy at this difficult time
-christel- Robs funeral is most likely to be monday afternoon, although we have yet to get confirmation as Debs is waiting to hear from the MEs office that it can go ahead as planned
christel- and for those local, wishing to show their respects at his funeral, we ask that you email staff@freenode.net and we will try direct you as we can
-christel- We will take some questions now and try answer them in channel, it would be appreciated if those with questions message beu, and we will answer on channel
-christel- thank you
-christel- the first question we've had is "What happens to freenode?"
-beu- to answer the "who verified this?" question, members of freenode staff have been in contact with Rob's family over the past few days
-christel- it is Debs wishes that freenode keeps running as close to normal as possible, and we will be working with the PDPC board to ensure that the network keeps running
-beu- we are currently formulating an announcement and hope to have it online soon, in addition to an online "book of condolences"
-christel- it has also been asked why lilos client is still connected
-christel- i am sure you will all agree that at this point in time, we feel uncomfortable killing his client and find the mere idea rather morbid
-christel- Robs nicknames will be quarantined to prevent abuse.
-christel- A lot of people have asked how they can help
-christel- Debs requests has been that people who knew Rob could donate to PDPC in his memory, or those wishing to make a more general contribution could give something to a bicycle safety campaign in their area.
-beu- this question is cropping up a *lot*: yes, sadly rob did indeed pass away this morning, no, this is not a hoax
-christel- we will also try to coordinate so that we can get some things together for Debs and Benjamin, but at this point in time she has no particular wishes in that regard. Those wishing to help his family however, are encouraged to get in touch with us per email (again staff@freenode.net) and we will try connect you with those in the area that are coordinating support.
-christel- "Should lilo's fellow Jews sit shiva for 30 days as is tradition?"
-christel- I am not jewish, and I dont know much about jewish traditions, so i will leave that up to each and every one of you individually
-christel- "Where, as in city and state, would the funeral be?
-christel- Rob lived in Houston, Texas and the funeral will be held there
-christel- "was lilo wearing a helmet and was the car driver responsible? if they are responsible will they be charged?"
-christel- lilo was not wearing a helmet, we are unsure at this point about what will happen wrt the driver of the car
-beu- we are working on making a formal announcement on http://freenode.net/, and are currently setting up an online "book of condolences". our current eta is: soon.
-christel- from what we know, it was a hit and run
-christel- and the driver has not yet been found
-beu- Rob passed away on the morning (texas time) of Saturday 16th 2006
-christel- Any other questions?
-beu- where Rob is Rob Levin, who most of us knew as lilo
-christel- I am recieving a lot of priv messages, and I am afraid I can't quite manage to reply to each and every one of you at the moment, but I would like to thank you for the support and condolences
-beu- lilo (Rob Levin) was hit while cycling somewhere in Houston, Texas
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