Benefit to aid family of man killed in road rage incident

Senseless, devastating and heartbreaking.

Those are words that can describe what happened to Allen Lauritzen, a former Elgin resident and Wisconsin man.

Lauritzen, a 40-year-old commercial trucker and 1988 Huntley High School graduate, was stabbed and killed on the side of the Edens Expressway on Jan. 19 in what authorities describe as a case of road rage.

David A. Seddon, 49, of Racine, Wis. is charged with first-degree murder.

Seddon thought Lauritzen was tailgating him and challenged him over the radio to a roadside fight, officials at the Cook County state's attorney's office have said.

Lauritzen was stabbed in the stomach, the knife blade puncturing his lung and severing his aorta.

Lauritzen was married to Lauren Schmidt, an Elgin High School graduate, and he is survived by Schmidt and their two children, Britani, 15, and Alex, 17.

Friends have organized a benefit from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 at the Colonial Bowling and Banquet Center, 1415 W, Wisconsin St., Sparta, Wis.

"They were high school sweethearts," said Sheila Thrumble, a family friend and benefit organizer. "(Lauren is) functioning, trying to take care of the kids and make sure the kids are OK."

Thrumble said there is no set goal for the event, just to raise money to help the family pay bills and cover funeral expenses.

There will be a "wingspan" raffle, where people spread their arms and get a wingspan worth of tickets, a silent auction and live auction, featuring a 55-inch LCD high-definition television, a Mathews Outback Hunting Bow, spa retreats, professional bowling ball and bag and more.

"Allen was a great man who would do anything for anybody. It's been a huge shock to the city," Thrumble said. "Just keep them in your prayers. It's been rough for them and will be rough for a while. They may not have had a lot material-wise, but every time he talked about his wife and kids, he just glowed."

Donations also may be sent to: State Bank Financial, attn.: Allen Lauritzen Benefit Fund, 203 W. Wisconsin St., Sparta, WI 54656.

For information about the fund, call (608) 269-2111. For information about the benefit, call (608) 487-4782.

Run, Bruce run: Step by step, a foot at a time, Elgin resident Bruce Johnson is running to raise money for the Community Crisis Center in Elgin.

And people are beginning to take notice.

So far, Johnson has raised nearly $6,900, a huge jump from just over a week ago.

And his ankle is feeling better, which is essential when you're trying to run 3,000 miles - from Florida to California - by May.

As of Friday morning's press time, Johnson had crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas and was sweating a forecast that included snow.

Johnson has run 717.2 miles in 28 days, without taking a day off, an average of 25.6 miles per day. A marathon is 26.2 miles.

To donate, visit unitedstatesrun.com or crisiscenter.org/run.

• Harry Hitzeman covers Elgin, South Elgin and Gilberts. E-mail him at hhitzeman@dailyherald.com.