Police: Teen Driver in Fatal Crash Was Drunk.

Date: 11/29/2011
Time: Around 05:35 A.M.
Location: West Hempstead, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic, Hyundai Santa Fe

By LISA EVERS

"MYFOXNY.COM - Police on Long Island said that an 18-year-old driver was drunk when she lost control of her car at an intersection and crashed into a brick wall. She hit the wall with so much force that her passenger was killed.
Authorities charged Daritza Lopez, 18, of Uniondale, with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and unlicensed operator.
The compact car ended up lodged in the wall of a furniture store. That made it difficult for first responders to rescue Lopez and her passenger, who died at the scene.
Police said the intoxicated and unlicensed teenager behind the wheel sideswiped a parked car on Hempstead Turnpike and then lost control of her vehicle.
Building inspectors determined that the wall was in danger of collapse so they ordered the furniture store to be shut down until it could be shored up."

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Driver hurt in crash with school bus.

Date: 12/6/2011
Time: Around 08:55 A.M.
Location: New Cassel, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford Mustang, school bus

By JOHN VALENTI  john.valenti@newsday.com

"A 68-year-old woman was seriously injured when the 2010 Ford Mustang convertible she was driving smashed into the back of a parked school bus in New Cassel on Tuesday morning, shearing off the roof of the car and lodging under the bus.

There were no students on the bus at the time of the accident. Police said the 34-year-old bus driver was hospitalized with minor injuries.
The accident occurred at 8:55 a.m. at Prospect Avenue and Rushmore Street.
Nassau County police said the woman, whose identity was not released, was transported to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow.
Police said the cause of the accident is under investigation.
Police originally said the driver of the Mustang was a man."

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Prisoner, Guard Killed In Van Crash.

Date: 12/19/2011
Time: Around 11:00 A.M.
Location: Near Limon, Colorado
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford E-350 Superduty

By Deb Stanley, 7NEWS Producer

"LINCOLN COUNTY, Colo. -- A prisoner and a corrections officer were killed Monday when a prison van lost control on icy roads and crashed in Lincoln County.

Officials said the 2006 Ford van was westbound on Interstate 70 between Limon and Genoa when it when veered into the median and rolled around 11 a.m."The van lost control on the icy roadway," said Colorado State Patrol spokesman Trooper Nate Reid.
The vehicle rolled one time and came to rest on its wheels.
There were 11 people in the van when the crash occurred -- nine prisoners and two guards.

All of the prisoners were unrestrained, Reid said. A female guard driving the van was killed. She was wearing a seat belt, Reid added.All of the prisoners were accounted for and transported to Lincoln Community Hospital in Hugo with moderate to serious injuries.

The other guard, a man who was not restrained, was also transported to the hospital with serious injuries.The crash occurred at mile marker 389, 5 miles east of Limon. The right lane of eastbound I-70 was closed for several hours while the crash was investigated.

The victims have not been identified. The guard who died was an employee with Corrections Corporation of America."We are deeply saddened for the loss of a dedicated correctional officer and an inmate entrusted to our care at CCA Kit Carson Correctional Center," said Damon Hininger, CCA president and CEO. "We offer our heartfelt condolences to their families and friends, and hope for a speedy recovery to those injured in this tragic accident."

The CSP continues to investigate.CCA said is believed high winds along a short stretch of I-70 were a contributing factor in the accident.The van, owned by CCA, was pulling a trailer. It was one of two vans transporting prisoners from the Kit Carson Correctional Center in Burlington (operated by CCA) to the Limon Correctional Facility (operated by the Department of Corrections).Correctional staff and inmates in the second van in the caravan were not hurt."


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Truck driver dies in crash in Whitefield.

Date: 12/20/2011
Time: Around 6:00 A.M.
Location: Whitefield, New Hampshire
Vehicle(s) Involved: Peterbilt tractor truck

By UnionLeader.com

"WHITEFIELD - A truck driver hauling a load of steel died this morning after crashing at a gas station near the junction of Routes 116 and 3.

State police are not releasing the name of the driver, pending positive identification, according to a press release.

The crash happened just before 6 a.m. near the junction of Route 3.

The 2006 Peterbilt tractor truck was pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with steel north on Route 116 when just before 6 a.m., the driver lost control heading down hill near the junction of Route 3.

The operator was unable to stop and went through the intersection, hitting a steel support beam for the gas pump island at Lufkin’s Service Center, shearing off one set of gas pumps.

The truck continued north through the gas station parking lot, over a steep embankment and came to rest next to the Johns River.

State police said the load of steel shifted forward into the cab of the truck, crushing it and trapping the driver who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mixed precipitation had been falling throughout the night and state DOT crews were treating the roads at the time of the crash.

A crane was brought in to off-load the steel and help with the recovery of the tractor-trailer.

State police expect the recovery effort to continue throughout the day, causing sporadic traffic stoppages as a result.

Troopers Jesse Sherrill and Steven Riendeau of Troop F are heading the investigation into the crash."

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Jeep strikes pedestrian, then crashes into Northeast Portland mattress store.

Date: 08/10/2011
Time: Afternoon
Location: Portland, Oregon
Vehicle(s) Involved: Jeep Grand Cherokee

By Helen Jung, The Oregonian   

"Jason Jancosek was crossing NE Sandy Boulevard Wednesday afternoon at a green light when he noticed a Jeep Grand Cherokee turning onto Sandy and heading towards him.

Directly towards him.

Jancosek yelled out as the vehicle came closer, said the 32-year-old Northeast Portland resident.

But instead of hitting the brakes, the driver must have hit the gas, he said. Jancosek jumped forward as the vehicle's front driver-side corner hit his hand, which was extended "Heisman-trophy" style, he said. The impact scraped the skin off part of his palm.

The SUV swerved, police said, then crashed into a bus stop and through the floor-to-ceiling window of a mattress store at NE 24th and NE Sandy where it struck a wall and demolished several mattresses inside.

"I keep replaying it in my head," said Jancosek. "If I even hesitated, I would have been smacked straight on."

Four employees -- the husband-and-wife owners and two others -- were towards the back of The Mattress Lot store, said owner Michael Hanna, when they heard "a loud noise, almost like an explosion. And this car came racing through the entire store."

No one was injured, he said, although damages will total in the "thousands and thousands of dollars," he said.

Police cited the driver, 66-year-old Carolyn George, for failing to stop and remain stopped for a pedestrian.

Jancosek, who declined medical assistance, treated his hand at home and said he expects he'll be hurting tomorrow. A couple hours later, he was still trying to absorb what happened. "I'm a big guy," he said. "I'm not sure how she didn't see me."

-- Helen Jung"

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1 killed in I-85 crash.

Date: 12/16/2011
Time: Around 2:00 A.M.
Location: Near Duluth, Georgia
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy Silverado, Suzuki Grand Vitara

By wsbtv2

"GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A crash on a Gwinnett County interstate left one person dead Friday morning.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. on Interstate 85 South at the ramp to Steve Reynolds Boulevard. Several lanes of the interstate were shut down for hours while authorities investigated.

Witnesses said a pickup truck was going pretty fast when it clipped a small SUV carrying Sam and Kathleen Moka. They were headed to the airport when they were hit. Witnesses said the pickup truck flew across the interstate, up an embankment and landed on the Steve Reynolds ramp.

“We were looking for the car that hit us, until the witnesses came to us and said, ‘Oh, it's way over the ramp there,’” Kathleen Moka told Channel 2’s Sophia Choi.

The Mokas said their SUV spun several times before stopping on I-85. They are OK, but someone in the other car was thrown from the vehicle and died.

All lanes of the interstate reopened around 4:30 a.m."

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Driver Killed in Train vs. Car Accident in Placentia.

Date: 12/09/2011
Time: Around 8:00 A.M.
Location: Placentia, CA
Vehicle(s) Involved: Train, Toyota Corolla

By KTLA News

"PLACENTIA (KTLA) -- A driver was killed Friday morning in a collision between a car and a train in Placentia.

The accident happened just before 8 a.m. on tracks that run parallel with Orangethorpe Ave.
The car was struck by a Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad freight train as it was traveling eastbound across the intersection of E. Orangethrorpe Ave. and Tustin Ave.
The car was pushed about a quarter mile down the tracks, and came to rest at the intersection of South Jefferson Street.
The driver of the vehicle, a man in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
His identity was not immediately released.
There were no passengers in the car.
No one onboard the train was injured.
The cause of the crash is now under investigation.
Orangethorpe was closed for a time at the intersections of Miller, Tustin Ave. and S. Jefferson."

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Head-on crash in Falls sends three to hospital.

Date: 09/21/2011
Time: Around 11:30 A.M.
Location: Falls, Pennsylvania
Vehicle(s) Involved: GMC Jimmy, Toyota Camry

By Ben Finley/phillyburbs

"FALLS — Three people, including an 18-month-old, were rushed to a hospital Wednesday morning after two cars collided on Oxford Valley Road near Andover Road, police said. The accident occurred about 11:30 a.m.

One vehicle was traveling northbound while the other vehicle was traveling southbound, police said. The road was shut down while police investigated.
Police said the southbound vehicle, a GMC Jimmy, driven by Wendy L. Barnes, 34, of Levittown, crossed the double yellow line for an unknown reason and collided head-on into a northbound Toyota.
The Toyota was driven by Tina Conturso, 38, of Middletown, who was with her daughter, Gianna Conturso, police said.
All three were taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown. Gianna, who was properly secured in a safety seat, was treated and released.
Conturso and Barnes were to remain at the hospital for observation, police said.

Ben Finley: 215-949-4203; email: bfinley@phillyBurbs.com; Twitter: Ben_Finley"

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Bergton Woman Killed in Crash on Route 42.

Date: 12/16/2011
Time: Afternoon
Location: Near Broadway, Virginia
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chevy S10

By WHSV3

"A 75-year-old woman was killed Friday afternoon when her pickup truck swerved off Route 42 and hit an embankment near Broadway.
State Police say Margaret Morris Shoemaker, from Bergton, was not wearing a seat belt, and she was ejected from the truck.
They say she also hit the guardrail twice before hitting the embankment.
Emergency crews took her to Rockingham Memorial Hospital, where she died.
They are investigating whether a medical condition may have caused her to swerve off the road.

© Copyright 2011 WHSV / Gray Television Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved."

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