A local hero who visited sick children in hospitals dressed as Batman was killed on Sunday night when his Batmobile broke down on a highway.
A local hero who visited sick children in hospitals dressed as Batman was killed on Sunday night when his Batmobile broke down on a highway.
Lenny B. Robinson had pulled his car over on Interstate 71 in Maryland and got out to check his engine. As he did a Toyota Camary struck his car propelling the Batmobile into Robinson and killing him.
The Capped Crusader had donned the costume and visited children since 2001. The idea started after he dressed up as Batman for his son, but then noticed how other children reacted to the get-up.
“These visits provide an immediate boost for these kids," Jeffrey Dome, the oncology division chief at Children’s National Medical Center in Northwest Washington, told the Washington Post in 2012. "Some of these children have to stay for weeks or months at a time. ... A visit from a superhero is sort of like a fantasy in the middle of all this hard-core therapy."
Robison became Internet famous after cops pulled him over in 2012 on Route 29 for having his license plates adorned with Batman symbols. Video of the police encounter made him an instant online hit.
The Dark Knight believed that children were drawn to the character because of Batman’s easy relatability.
“Batman is the only super hero that doesn’t have super powers,” he said. “He’s naturally a super hero. Kids can relate to me a lot better.”