Saturday, March 30, 2013

Names released in deadly University accident.

Date: 01/24/2012
Time: Around 4:00 P.M.
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Vehicle(s) Involved: Lincoln Continental, Oldsmobile Cutlass, School Bus, Chevy Avalanche, Chevy Cruze







By FOX16

"LITTLE ROCK, AR – Little Rock Police are investigating a fatality accident on S. University near I-30. At least two people are dead.

Police say the accident was caused by a red Lincoln and a silver Oldsmobile Cutlass racing southbound on University around 4pm Tuesday. The two cars clipped each other and the Lincoln lost control and wrapped around a pole. Police say the driver, 33-year-old Kenyata Lake, died on impact; the passenger, 22-year-old Jasmine Smith, was critically injured and died about one hour after the accident.

The Cutlass, which was driven by 19-year-old Lamar Day, crossed over the median and into oncoming traffic. Police say it sideswiped an Avalanche, which in turn sideswiped a school bus. There were no kids on the school bus at the time. The Cutlass then ran head-on into another vehicle, which Oneshia McKinney was a passenger.  She sat in the backseat as her classmate and their driver's education teacher talked to them about safe driving.  He spotted the drag race and told them that's the typ of driving they should avoid.

"To see the same thing he just told us not to do it, we know now that's not what to do because we have experienced this with other people," said McKinney."

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Friday, March 29, 2013

Stolen car went airborne in fatal wreck.

Date: 07/26/2012
Time: Around 4:30 A.M.
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Vehicle(s) Involved: Buick Grand National





By Catherine Holland - azfamily

"PHOENIX -- A suspected car thief is dead after driving car into some concrete barriers in the area of 31st Avenue and Encanto Boulevard early Thursday morning.
According to Sgt. Tommy Thompson of the Phoenix Police Department, the car was reported stolen from 4800 W. Encanto shortly before 4:30 a.m.
Both aerial and ground video from the scene show the mangled car, a 1986 Buick National, on its side.
The driver, an unidentified Hispanic male believed to be in his early 20s, was speeding east on Encanto Boulevard when he failed to negotiation the turn where the roadway bends on to southbound 31st Avenue.
"There's a concrete barrier there with some signage," explained Phoenix Police Lt. Chris Moore.
The car hit that concrete barrier went airborne, flying over a 7-foot chain-link fence before landing in a dirt lot. The Buick burst into flames on impact.
Bystanders ran to the car and put out the fire, but they were not able to save the driver.
Moore said the driver was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. That man died at the scene.
While it's not yet clear is alcohol or drugs were a factor in the deadly crash, Moore said speed is likely partially to blame."

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Truck crashes into waiting room at Danville doctor's office.

Date: 03/12/2013
Time: Around 12:30 P.M.
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Vehicle(s) Involved: GMC Sierra 1500





By WKYT

"BOYLE COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A close call for some patients at a Danville doctor's office after a truck slammed into a crowded waiting room.
It happened around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon at the Ephraim McDowell Heart and Vascular Institute on Ben Ali Drive.
A firefighter with the Danville fire department tells us A woman driving the truck crashed into a column in the front of the building, then put the pick-up in reverse and slammed into the waiting room.
Danville police identify the driver as 73-year-old Thelma Richardson of Junction City.
The fire department says she was taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Officials with Ephraim McDowell say it might have been a good thing she hit the front of the building first because it got people away from the waiting room. "Well, yeah, it got everybody out of the way. If there hadn't been some means of distracting the people, then, yeah, there could have been some people seriously Hurt," said Keith Bridges with Ephraim McDowell Health
Two people inside the waiting room were treated for scratches and bruises.
The building was determined to be structurally safe and remains open for business.
Maintenance crews with Ephraim McDowell have already began repairing the damage."

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Man suffers 'severe' injuries in Nicholasville wreck on US 27.

Date: 12/28/2012
Time: Around 7:50 A.M.
Location: Nicholasville, Kentucky
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda CRV, Ford F-250





By Mike Moore - The Jessamine Journal

"The driver of a Honda CRV was transported to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center with what police called “severe injuries” after his vehicle collided with a white truck on U.S. 27 in Nicholasville on Friday morning. The man’s name has not been released.
The CRV was traveling south on U.S. 27 between Howard and Elizabeth streets around 7:50 a.m. when it crossed into northbound lanes and struck a white Ford work truck, according to Nicholasville police Sgt. Jason Porch.
The vehicles came to rest about 80 yards apart.
“One of the witnesses who was sitting beside one of the two cars said, ‘Out of the blue, I just saw the impact. I can’t believe what I just saw,’” Nicholasville police officer Kevin Grimes said. “And, really, look at the debris field. You figure 55 or 60 mph came together and it was 120 mph.”
Grimes said it was unclear why the CRV crossed into the northbound lanes.
“We don’t know why, but it came into (the northbound lane) of traffic, and you see the point of impact,” Grimes said. “The injuries (for the CRV driver) do seem to be pretty severe. The other guy was standing around talking.
“The latest from (The University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center) was the (CRV driver) was still conscious upon arrival at the hospital’s emergency room, and that’s all we know at this point.”
The driver of the truck was not injured; Nicholasville firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extract the driver of the CRV from his vehicle before Jessamine County EMS transported him to the hospital.
Northbound and southbound traffic was rerouted around Howard and Elizabeth streets while emergency crews worked the scene.
The NPD’s accident-reconstruction unit is on the scene investigating, and as of 9:30 a.m., officials expected that stretch of U.S. 27 to remain closed for several more hours.
It’s going to be a while, and it could possibly take more than three hours,” Porch said."

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Fatal accident on Egan Drive kills one.

Date: 08/14/2012
Time: Around 1:30 P.M.
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Vehicle(s) Involved: Motorcycle, Subaru Outback





By Emily Russo Miller - Juneau Empire

"A motorcyclist died after crashing into a car on Egan Drive and West 12th Street at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The wreckage seen from the street indicated that the 2001 red and black Honda motorcycle was traveling on Egan Drive outbound and collided with a 2001 Subaru Outback that was turning left onto West 12th Street from Egan Drive inbound. Police confirmed that in a release Tuesday night.
Lt. David Campbell said in the release that a witness reported the motorcycle slowed down temporarily, but then sped up suddenly to try to pass the Subaru. Instead, the motorcyclist struck the Subaru’s front passenger side fender and was ejected from his bike, the release states. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
Police identified him as 27-year-old Larry Brandon Blatnick Jr. Next of kin has been notified.
The driver of the Subaru, whom police identified as 41-year-old Laura Hosey, was OK, according to her mother and sister, who were at the scene. Medics evaluated her on site and determined she didn’t need to go to the hospital, although she was shaken up, they said.
Police said Hosey did not display any signs of intoxication.
Responding police officers covered up the body lying on the sidewalk with teal and grey blankets and stood guard over him. A detective later spray-painted an outline of his form and took pictures for evidence.
Motorists driving past the accident craned their neck to see what was left of the motorcycle. An upside-down sneaker lay in the road, a red helmet on the grass near the sidewalk.
The left turn signal of the Subaru was still blinking. The front passenger door and the right portion of the front bumper was bashed in.
Police comforted a woman in white tank top and denim skirt who began crying hysterically when she frantically dashed to the scene from her van. She collapsed onto the pavement in tears, and a police officer crouched next to her and spoke with her.
A younger woman standing beside her later identified her as the girlfriend of the motorcyclist.
Immediately after the crash, a small group of people watched the aftermath from across the street at Harris Harbor.
Two tourists from Canada on the Celebrity Millennium cruise line were among those in the crowd, and said they were in the area when they heard a ‘boom’ and turned around to see what happened.
They watched as two men from a white Prindles Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Services van jumped into action and ran towards the accident that happened right in front of them.
“They tried to help him,” Ming Zhang, 50, said. “The ambulance came fast, maybe three to five minutes,” she added.
Police set up a perimeter around the wreckage with orange flares and yellow police tape, and redirected traffic around the accident. Traffic was shut between West 10th Street and Highland Drive down for about 3 1/2 hours.
Police say the investigation is ongoing."

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Thursday, March 28, 2013

Montgomery Police officer injured in crash this morning near police station.

Date: 11/06/2012
Time: Around 10:45 A.M.
Location: Montgomery, Alabama
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford Crown Victoria, Ford Econoline





 By Erin Edgemon - AL.com

" MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- A Montgomery Police officer was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries after his unmarked car flipped in a traffic accident this morning at the intersection near the Montgomery Police Station.
The accident occurred at the intersection of North Ripley Street and Columbus Street around 10:45 a.m.
Update: The officer is being released from the hospital this afternoon, Montgomery Police Lt. Regina Duckett said. His name isn't being released.
Duckett said the crash involved an MPD unit and a van. The occupants of the van received minor injuries when it overturned.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Details of what happened will not be released until the crash report is completed."

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Princeton Rabbi Dead, 2 Seriously Injured in Crash Outside of Riverside Elementary School.

Date: 03/28/2013
Time: Around 9:30 A.M.
Location: Princeton, New Jersey
Vehicle(s) Involved: BMW 3-Series, Toyota Camry, Toyota Prius






By Princeton Patch

"A 74-year-old Princeton Rabbi was killed and two people seriously injured after a BMW careened down Riverside Drive on Thursday morning without braking, crossed to the other side of the road and struck two parked cars.
Rabbi James Diamond of Princeton, who was getting into a parked Toyota Prius at the time of the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred around 9:40 a.m.
Diamond is the former director of Princeton University's Center of Jewish Life, and moved to Princeton from St. Louis. According to a 1995 article posted on the Princeton University website, he is married with three children.
The driver of the BMW, Eric Maltz, 20, of Princeton, was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center. Rabbi Robert Freedman, 63, of Princeton, who was in the Prius was also taken to the trauma center. Both of their conditions are classified as serious but not life-threatening, according to Princeton Police.
Freedman is a former cantor at the Jewish Center of Princeton. Both Freedman and Diamond were reportedly leaving a weekly Talmud study group when the accident occurred.
Maltz was driving a 2003 green BMW sedan was driving south down Riverside (away from Route 27) when it crossed into the southbound lane and struck a parked Toyota Camry, pushing it into a parked Toyota Prius parked behind it, police said.
The BMW pushed both cars about 500 feet, and the Prius ended up even further away, across the street and onto private property.
"There are two obvious things," Princeton Police Capt. Sutter said at the scene Thursday morning. "The BMW was traveling at a high rate of speed and didn't appear to attempt to brake."
There was no immediate indication that Maltz suffered any type of medical condition that may have led to the crash, Police Sgt. Mike Cifelli said.
The speed limit on the street, which is in a school zone, is 25 mph.
The crash remains under investigation by Princeton Police, with the assistance of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. "

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Car crashes into utility pole on Ky. 52 in Boyle.

Date: 03/26/2013
Time: Afternoon
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Tercel



By Central Kentucky News

"Ky. 52 east of Danville was temporarily shut down Tuesday afternoon after a woman crashed her car into a utility pole.

Boyle County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to discover the woman had lost control of the car while going around a curve.

Police said the wet highway played a factor in the accident.

The woman was not injured and refused transportation to the hospital.

Police said the utility pole was damaged, and the highway was closed while cleanup took place.
The crash is being investigated by Deputy Taylor Bottom."
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Woman survives horrific crash in Danville.

Date: 03/19/2013
Time: Around 3:00 P.M.
Location: Danville, Kentucky
Vehicle(s) Involved: GMC Yukon, Semi truck, Chevy C/K, Ford F-150






By Central Kentucky News

"A Danville woman narrowly escaped serious injury Tuesday afternoon when a tractor-trailer rig loaded with toilet paper and paper towels overturned on top of her SUV as she was preparing to stop for a red light at the intersection of the Danville bypass and Lebanon Road.

“I can’t believe my head is not crushed,” Wendy Howard, 39, said at the scene as she looked at her GMC Envoy with the front of its cab caved in by the trailer, which was carrying a payload of about 45,000 pounds.

The crash occurred about 3 p.m., when the big rig, driven by Adolfo Penny of Clinton, Md., was southbound on the bypass and ran through the red light at Lebanon Road, witnesses told Danville police.

The big truck, owned by Crete Carrier Corp., collided with a Chevy pickup truck driven by Clifton Grubbs Jr. of Danville, who was traveling east through the intersection on Lebanon Road, and then careened into the northbound lanes. The tractor-trailer sideswiped a Ford pickup truck driven by Sabe Ruggles, 18, of Danville before the weight of the load shifted, causing the trailer to overturn on top of Howard’s vehicle, police said.

Grubbs was transported from the scene by ambulance to Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center for treatment of possible back and neck injuries, police said. No other injuries were reported.

The cab of the big truck ran through a guardrail on the right side of the northbound lanes before turning over on its side, leaving the trailer sprawled across three lanes of traffic. The intersection was finally cleared about 11 p.m., eight hours after the crash occurred, police said.

Because the trailer was damaged in the crash, it had to be partially unloaded before it could be brought upright, Danville Police Chief Tony Gray said.

The paper products, which had just been picked up at Wausau in Harrodsburg, were off-loaded onto pallets by hand and then reloaded on to another trailer using a forklift, Danville police Capt. James Monroe said.

Roberts Towing of Lexington brought two oversized wreckers to the scene in order to winch the big rig back on its wheels, Gray said. A tanker truck also was deployed to drain the diesel fuel from the overturned truck before it was set right, Monroe said.

Howard said she had been running errands and was on her way to pick up her daughter at Woodlawn Elementary School when the big truck flashed across her path as she was easing up to the stop light.

“It all happened so fast. The trailer just came in on me,” she said.

The top of the trailer smashed in the cab of Howard’s SUV, but she sustained no injuries and was able to unbuckle her seat belt and climb out through a back door, she said.

Several people at the scene speculated what might have happened to Howard if she had traveled another foot or two before the trailer toppled over on to her vehicle.

“It’s one of those things where you just go ‘Wow!’” said Danville Fire Chief Woody Ball. “Her guardian angel was flying with her, I suppose.”"

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Dump Truck Knocks Power Out, Closes Intersection.

Date: 02/27/2013
Time: Around 8:00 A.M.
Location: Jolivue, Virginia
Vehicle(s) Involved: Dump Truck




By WHSV

"HARRISONBURG - The intersection of Vine Street and Old Furnace Road is closed due to an accident that happened around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
The driver of a dump truck was traveling with the bed of the truck in a raised position. As he drove through the intersection the bed of the truck hit the traffic signals and overhead utilities.
Multiple crews are working to repair the lines. However, this intersection will be closed for several hours while the repairs are being made.
The driver of the dump truck, Dorman Mongold, 64, of Fulks Run, is charged with reckless driving, failure to secure load and defective equipment.
Three other cars were damaged when the overhead utilities and traffic signals were struck and fell down.
One person was taken to RMH as a precautionary measure."

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Driving Instructor Discusses Rise in Teen Driver Deaths.



"The Governors Highway Safety Association released a report on Tuesday which shows a 19-percent increase of teen driver deaths during the last year.
Jerry Fawley is a driving instructor at Shenandoah Valley Driving School. He said he's seen a lot of teen drivers die in crashes here in the Valley during the last year.
Fawley said most young drivers crash from speeding, inexperience and distractions. He said he tries to teach his students about these issues before they get their driving license, but that doesn't guarantee a teen's safety once he or she is driving alone.
He said the latest spike in teen deaths likely comes from distracted driving.
"That is, I think the contributing factor,” said Fawley, “We've always had inexperience and speed and then, now the distractions were before, it was just other students in the car, other teenagers in the car."
Fawley said now, the distractions aren't just having friends in the car. It's having an increase of technology, like cellphones and GPS systems that take away the attention of drivers."

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Link to Report

Bus driver charged in wreck that hurt 3.

Date: 02/27/2013
Time: Around 7:30 A.M.
Location: Jolivue, Virginia
Vehicle(s) Involved: Jeep Grand Cherokee, School Bus





"JOLIVUE — Virginia State Police have charged an Augusta County school bus driver following an accident this morning on U.S. 11 just south of Staunton.
The crash injured the bus driver, 61-year-Bruce K. Pugh, of Staunton, along with two students. All of the injuries were minor, police said.
The bus was headed southbound on U.S. 11 shortly before 7:30 a.m. before turning onto a wide right shoulder for a turnaround, police said. As the bus pulled across the southbound lanes, it was struck by a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Ann S. Schooley, 53, of Staunton. The Jeep struck the front of the bus near the driver's side. Schooley was not injured, police said.
Chuck Bishop, superintendent of the Augusta County Public Schools, said Bus 129 was carrying 36 students from Beverley Manor Elementary School and Beverley Manor Middle School.
A second bus was brought to the scene of the accident and the students were transferred to that bus and taken to school.
The wreck took place just north of Victory Baptist Church.
Police said both drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Pugh is charged with failure to yield the right-of-way.

UPDATE: 8:36 a.m.

JOLIVUE — Two students and a bus driver were taken to Augusta Health after their school bus wrecked on U.S. 11 south of Staunton earlier this morning
The bus wrecked just north of Victory Baptist Church, said Superintendent Chuck Bishop. Bus 129 was carrying 36 Beverley Manor Elementary and Middle school students.
Bishop said none of the people taken to the hospital were seriously injured.
A Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo driven by a woman hit the bus. No further details about the driver or the circumstances surrounding the wreck are available yet."

Source

Man In Truck Dies In Crash With Train.

Date: 02/07/2013
Time: Around 1:00 P.M.
Location: Greenville, Tennessee
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Tacoma, Train





By Sarah Gregory - Staff Writer

"One person was killed and another remains hospitalized after a pickup truck failed to stop for an oncoming train shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP).
Brock Humphreys, 41, of Greeneville, was the driver of the red 1995 Toyota pickup truck.
Humphreys was pronounced dead at the scene by a supervisor with Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Humphreys' passenger, Anthony Southerland, 48, of Mosheim, was airlifted by Wings Air Rescue to Johnson City Medical Center.
A housing supervisor at Johnson City Medical Center confirmed this morning that Southerland remains hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit in stable, but guarded, condition.
REPORT: TRUCK DIDN'T STOP
A report filed by investigating Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Derek Turberville said Humphreys' truck was traveling southbound at about 1:05 p.m. when it approached flashing red lights at the railroad crossing near 1100 West Irish St.
The THP says the truck did not stop at the crossing and was struck in the driver's side door.
Preliminary findings by Turberville indicate drugs and alcohol were a factor in the wreck. Toxicology tests will be conducted on Humphreys and Southerland.
Dalya J. Qualls, THP public information officer, said neither Humphreys nor Southerland was wearing a seat belt.
Turberville's report said safety restraints would not have made a difference as to the extent of injuries the victims sustained.
LIGHTS OPERATING
Preliminary investigation and the report filed by the THP showed lights at the railroad crossing to be fully operational at the time of the accident.
That particular crossing, however, does not have a bar that lowers across the tracks when a train is approaching.
The railroad crossing light pole located along the southbound lanes was knocked down and was lying flat on the ground while emergency personnel worked the scene.
Crossing lights on the opposite side of the tracks remained flashing while emergency crews responded to the accident scene.
NUMEROUS RESPONDERS
Officials from Norfolk Southern Corporation, which operates the railway, were at the scene Thursday afternoon.
Two cars of the train had to be detached from each other to allow enough space to accommodate emergency vehicles and allow responders to work at the crash scene.
Units from the Greeneville Fire Department extinguished flames coming from the truck as a result of the collision.
A landing zone was established for a Wings Air Rescue helicopter.
Personnel from the Greeneville Police Department, the Greene County Sheriff's Department, the Greene County-Greeneville Emergency Medical Services, the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad, the THP, and the THP's Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) all assisted in the accident response.
After emergency response, representatives from Norfolk Southern began inspecting the tracks and preparing for railway operations to resume.
TRAFFIC SNARLED
Traffic in the area near the intersection of the Tennessee Rt. 70 Bypass and West Irish Street was disrupted for an extended period Thursday because of the accident.
Motorists traveling in the area of West Main Street, the Newport Highway (U.S. 321), the Asheville Highway (Tennessee Rt. 70), and West Irish Street had to be re-routed as the lengthy train remained at a stand-still for nearly two hours, blocking several crossings.
In addition to blocking the intersection near Bandy Road and Reaves Lane behind Greene Farmer's Co-Op, the train also blocked the intersection at Highway 70 and at another access farther east that crosses the tracks to connect West Main and West Irish streets.
Motorists had to be re-routed through various small, side streets in order to avoid the blocked train crossings.
Cutler Street, in particular, experienced a heavy flow of traffic and became quite congested as drivers attempted to navigate alternate routes.
INVESTIGATION CONTINUES
The investigation into the accident is continuing. The THP will release a final report at a later time.
Officials with Norfolk Southern are also conducting an investigation. Results are not yet available."

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Fire captain hurt in pileup released from hospital.

Date: 03/26/2013
Time: Around 5:30 A.M.
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford Focus, Chevy Lumina, Chevy S10, Chevy K5 Blazer, Unknown






By Dayton Daily News

"DAYTON —Capt. Barry Cron has been released from Miami Valley Hospital, a day after he was hit by a vehicle on U.S. 35.
Cron was admitted to the hospital after the Tuesday morning crash and he had been in serious condition.
Officials said the captain was speaking to a victim involved in a multiple vehicle crash on U.S. 35 when another vehicle lost control and slammed into the pileup. Police video shows Cron being thrown from the impact several feet from where he was standing.
Cron has been with the Dayton Fire Department since 1992 and was promoted to captain in November 2012, officials said. He works out of Station 13.
The crash, which occurred on U.S. 35 east near Gettysburg Avenue just before 5:30 a.m., created a pileup that involved 12 vehicles.
Another crash on U.S. 35 east near Abbey Avenue involved three vehicles. U.S. 35 was closed in both directions between Abbey Avenue and Liscum Drive while crews responded to the crashes and treated roads that had been made slick because of light snow overnight and snow melt that had frozen."

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