Man killed trying to shepherd ducklings across road

A Naperville man attempting to help a family of ducklings safely cross Interstate Highway 294 was killed on Monday when he was struck by a limousine. Edward Gardner was traveling north when he pulled over near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport at about 9:30 a.m. because he saw a family of ducklings on the tollway, Illinois State Police Sgt. Nick Hasan said.

That's when the limousine, which police said wasn't speeding, hit him. The 38-year-old was pronounced dead about four hours later at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

"That's totally Ed," said Jim Gollwitzer, a longtime friend of Gardner's. "That's just how big of a heart he had." Gardner, who worked in the telecommunications industry, had dedicated much of his life to helping animals, Gollwitzer said.

He spent his vacations volunteering at a wolf sanctuary in New Mexico, doing construction work and whatever odd jobs needed to be done there. "He cared about animals," Gollwitzer said. "It was one of his passions in life."