Truck collides with Escalade on 2nd Ave.

Date: 07/09/2012
Time: Around 12:30 P.M.
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Vehicle(s) Involved: Cadillac Escalade, box truck

By Kelsey Reid  - CityPages

"An accident at Fourth Street and Second Avenue North left quite the scene of diesel, oil, and antifreeze this afternoon.

Keith Seleen exited 394 and was turning onto Second Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. today when his Cadillac Escalade was struck by a Continental Carbonic Ice Products truck that ran a red light. Seleen said he never saw the truck coming.

"It's one of the tough intersections in town," Seleen said. "I'm just glad everyone is okay. I'm more concerned about everyone around that could have been injured."

Seleen said he's made it a habit to stop and look both ways before driving through intersections downtown, even when he has a green light.

Of course, one of the few times he doesn't check, Seleen gets into a car accident.

The Continental Carbonic driver declined to comment on the crash but did say he is okay and suffered no major injuries.

No injuries were reported, and the crash could've been much worse, Seleen said.

Jason Artemiuk was crossing Second Avenue with his wife and four-month-old baby when he heard the impact of the crash.

Artemiuk watched as Seleen's car spun and clipped the side of his car, which was parked on Second Avenue.

"I'm just glad we walked out later or the baby and I would have been hit," Artemiuk said.

Amy O'Brien, a witness, said this is the second accident she's seen in the area in the past two weeks. The previous one took place just a block away, at Fourth Street and First Avenue. She also said she witnessed an accident at the same intersection as today's accident many years ago."

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Bestival Festival coach crash kills three returning to Liverpool.

Date: 09/10/2012
Time: Around 12:00 A.M.
Location: Hindhead, Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Vehicle(s) Involved: Bus

By Peter Guy - Liverpool Echo

"THREE people were killed and dozens more injured after a coach carrying Bestival festival-goers back to Merseyside crashed in Surrey.

The 51-seater Merseypride Travel coach was on its way back from Bestival in the Isle of Wight when it smashed into a tree on an embankment off the A3 at Hindhead shortly before midnight.
Three people - including the driver - were declared dead at the scene and one of the passengers was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital with what were described
as "life-changing injuries".
The rest of the passengers, some with serious injuries, were taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, St George's Hospital in Tooting, King's College Hospital in London, Frimley Park Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Speaking from the scene, Inspector Richard Mallett said 53 people were thought to have been on board.
He said: "We are dealing with a major incident, a tragic major incident. The coach has gone off the road and had a significant impact with a tree, I think that is the best way to describe it.
"The bodies are still trapped inside the vehicle. As you can imagine it is a very delicate operation to remove them. With all due respect to them we need to get them out properly."
He added: "We are confident that there is no-one left in the vehicle alive. Our colleagues from the fire and ambulance service with their specialist teams have been through the vehicle. It is a body recovery operation at this point here."
The coach was heading northbound when it crashed between the Hindhead tunnel and the Thursley exit. No other vehicles were thought to have been involved in the crash.
Surrey Police is working with Merseyside Police and Merseypride to identify the passengers and notify relatives.
Surrey Police assistant chief constable Jerry Kirkby said: "This has been declared a major incident and we are working with our colleagues from the other emergency services and other partner agencies to provide a coordinated response in line with agreed protocols.
"Our thoughts remain with the relatives of the dead and the injured at this time and we are working very hard to notify their next of kin."
A spokesman for Speke-based Merseypride Travel said: "Our condolences go out to the families of the bereaved."
It is understood the coach set off from Aintree on Wednesday for the music festival.
After being medically assessed passengers were being taken to a rest centre set up nearby and managed by Waverley Borough Council.
The centre is based at Thursley Village Hall, a hamlet less than two miles north of the crash scene.Casualties were being offered food and drink and beds.
Leader of Waverley Borough Council Cllr Robert Knowles said the centre "would be open as long as required".
He added: "My thoughts go out to these people - this is a dreadful thing."
Crews from Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue and South East Coast Ambulance Service attended the scene last night. The road was closed in both directions.
Concerned family and friends should call the casualty bureau on 0800 0560154.
To find out details on how to get to the rest centre contact Waverley Borough Council on 01483 523333.
Passengers had been returning from Bestival - a festival which ran from Thursday to Sunday in Robin Hill Country Park, near Newport in the Isle of Wight.
Acts including Stevie Wonder and Florence and the Machine performed over the weekend.
Fellow festival-goers took to the event's Facebook page this morning to express their sympathies.
Anna Whelan wrote: "A day for rainbows. Thinking of all the families affected by the A3 accident this morning."
Alison Scott wrote: "After an incredible weekend, spare a thought for anyone involved in the terrible coach tragedy yesterday. Bless you all xxxx.""

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Wind gust snaps tree, smashes truck with kids inside.

Date: 10/05/2012
Time: Around 12:30 P.M.
Location: Gladstone, Oregon
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ford F-350, Pontiac Grand Am(no picture)

By Emily Sinovic, KATU News and KATU.com Staff

"GLADSTONE, Ore. - A dad and three kids escaped injury when a tree fell on a truck on Highway 99E Friday afternoon.
It happened at the south end of the bridge that goes over the Clackamas River between Gladstone and Oregon City.

Troy Portash told KATU that a cottonwood tree simply snapped and fell on his windshield, crushing part of his Ford pickup truck.
Three kids in the back were all strapped in car seats and were safe. Portash said he was fine, too.
The tree also hit the windshield of a Pontiac, state troopers said. The driver of that car and her passenger also were not injured.
The tree's trunk was as wide as two feet in places, troopers said. The road was blocked for about an hour until crews could clear the tree.
High winds around Western Oregon caused trees and power lines to fall, sparking several fires."

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NJ Turnpike lanes reopened after fatal crash, but major traffic delays remain.

Date: 10/03/2012
Time: Around 9:50 A.M.
Location: Robbinsville, New Jersey
Vehicle(s) Involved: Dump truck

By Jenna Pizzi - The Times of Trenton

"ROBBINSVILLE — The New Jersey Turnpike has reopened all lanes northbound and one lane southbound following a fatal dump truck crash and fire this morning near exit 7A in Mercer County.
Eastbound I-195 has also been reopened, but westbound lanes remain closed to through traffic, said Tim Greeley a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. Drivers going westbound on I-195 are able to enter the Turnpike southbound at the 7A interchange.
The dump truck driver was killed in the fiery 9:53 a.m. crash when the truck veered into a barrier on the road and slid on the side of the truck beneath the I-195 overpass on the NJ Turnpike's southbound lanes, authorities said.
State Police Sgt. Brian Polite said this afternoon that the victim is believed to be a 49-year-old Belleville man. Police would not release the name of the victim. Polite said police are awaiting further medical examination to verify the man’s identity.
Greeley asked drivers to seek alternate routes while traffic clears in the area. Greeley said traffic on local roads that are being used as detours will be more congested than usual. He encouraged drivers to call 511 from cell phones or check 511nj.org for traffic updates.
The NJ Turnpike and I-195 were closed in both directions for more than five hours as firefighters extinguished the blaze, which spread to the I-195 overpass bridge.
The Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority conducted an assessment of the overpass and determined that it was safe for motorists this afternoon, Greeley said.
The truck was driving in the center southbound lane of the Turnpike when it veered into the barrier, Grossman said. The cause of the crash was not available. There is ongoing construction in the area of the crash as part of a Turnpike widening project and a realignment of the I-195 overpass.
NJ Transit is letting customers use their bus passes to board trains on the North Jersey Coast Line and Northeast Corridor Line to help avoid Turnpike delays."

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Police officer suffers minor injuries in downtown crash.

Date: 10/05/2012
Time: Around 11:00 A.M.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Vehicle(s) Involved: police motorcycle, Ford Escape

By WLWT News

"CINCINNATI —
Part of Fifth Street downtown was closed Friday morning after a crash involving a Cincinnati police officer.

The crash happened at about 11 a.m. near the intersection of Fifth Street and Central Avenue.
The officer called in the crash on his radio. He was taken to University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. His name has not been released.
Images from the scene show a Cincinnati police motorcycle on the ground with papers scattered under it. A nearby SUV has damage to its front passenger door.
Investigators said it appeared that the SUV turned in front of the officer's motorcycle.
The road was reopened just before 11:45 a.m. The crash remains under investigation."

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South Beloit man killed in truck crash on I-90 near Elgin.

Date: 03/23/2010
Time: Around 7:30 A.M.
Location: Elgin, Illinois
Vehicle(s) Involved: Semi truck, Chevy Silverado

By Larissa Chinwah - Daily Herald Staff

"A South Beloit man was killed Tuesday morning after his pickup truck collided with a semi truck on the Jane Addams Tollway, just west of Randall Road in Elgin.

Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Thomas Gartner said Michael Covert, 43, of South Beloit, was driving a black pickup truck west on I-90 about 7:30 a.m. when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into the rear of a semi truck parked on the shoulder. Gartner said it is unclear why the pickup left the roadway and the accident remains under investigation.

One westbound lane was closed immediately after the accident but all lanes have since reopened. The two vehicles have also been removed from the scene.

No one in the semi truck was injured in the crash."

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Rt. 206 traffic snarled after car hits pole.

Date: 09/23/2008
Time: Around 12:45 P.M.
Location: Lawrence Township, New Jersey
Vehicle(s) Involved: Pontiac Grand Am

By Ralph Curcio - The Times 

"LAWRENCE -- A vehicle crashed into a utility pole on Route 206 just south of Rider University's main gate Tuesday afternoon, leading police to shut down both sides of the two-lane highway due to the threat that electrical wires could fall into the road from the damaged pole, officials said.
The driver of the vehicle reportedly was not injured in the 12:45 p.m. crash, officials said.
The crash, however, splintered the pole and caused wires to hang low over the road below, officials said.
Southbound traffic is currently being detoured through the Rider campus and back onto Route 206 from the university's south gate.
Northbound traffic was being detoured off Route 206 onto Priceton Pike by way of Darrah Lane.
PSE&G work crews were on the scene and were planning to replace the damaged pole with a new pole."

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Three people injured in two-car crash on Route 33.

Date: 10/05/2011
Time: Around 5:00 P.M.
Location: Batavia, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Hyundai Santa Fe, Pontiac Montana

By The Daily News

"BATAVIA — Three people were injured in a two-car crash Wednesday afternoon at Route 33 and Seven Springs Road.

Jonathan C. Pestillo, 17, of Seven Springs Road was driving north on Seven Springs Road approaching Route 33 about 5 p.m. when he failed to stop at the traffic light and proceeded through the intersection, Genesee County sheriff’s deputies said.
Pestillo struck a vehicle traveling west through the intersection on Route 33, deputies said.
Pestillo was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, as was the driver of the second vehicle, 70-year-old Bonnie M. Behage of Ellenton, Fla., and her passenger, 22-year-old Jenna M. Aradine of Bergen.
Their injuries were not believed to be life threatening.
Pestillo was ticketed for failure to obey a traffic signal."

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Driver rattled, bruised after vehicle flips into Cuyahoga River.

Date: 10/02/2012
Time: Around 1:00 A.M.
Location: Akron, Ohio
Vehicle(s) Involved: Pontiac Grand Prix

 

By Phil Trexler  - Beacon Journal

"Robert Bugge took a drive into the Cuyahoga River that few could walk away from.
And for a while Tuesday, Akron rescue workers and dozens of onlookers feared he didn’t.
But lo and behold, Bugge, all bruised and battered, returned to the scene of the crash about 12 hours later to tell police what happened as he drove through the Merriman Valley on Portage Path and wound up in the river.
“I’ve never been so close to death before,” Bugge said.
The Akron man said he was driving home about 1 a.m. Tuesday following an after-work dinner when a deer appeared on North Portage Path, just before the bridge over the river.
Bugge, 50, said he swerved his Pontiac sedan to avoid the deer and rode up an inclined, 4-foot-high concrete bridge barrier. His car then slipped through a 10-foot gap between the east and west bridge lanes and skidded down an embankment into the water.
“I came up, and boom, down between the two [barriers],” he said.
His car landed on its top, temporarily trapping Bugge inside and underwater. He managed to free himself and then, dazed and confused, continued his journey home by foot.
“I don’t know how I got out of my car,” Bugge said.
During and after the 2-mile walk, he did not call police to report the crash. He suffered severe head and eye bruises and a small cut on his leg.
“My only thought was to get home where I was safe,” he said.
Police only learned of the crash after receiving a call from a Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail walker who spotted Bugge’s car about 11:30 a.m. Akron firefighters spent considerable time searching the river and Bugge’s car to ensure no one was inside.
Eventually, police contacted Bugge at his home, and he came to the scene.
Bugge, who was arrested in 2010 for drunken driving, denied having any alcohol prior to the crash.
“No sir, I did not,” he told reporters.
Akron police Lt. Rick Edwards said Bugge was fortunate to survive the crash. He also said police cannot prove alcohol was involved due to the passage in time. Instead, Bugge will be charged with failure to control his vehicle.
The crash reminded some of the July 5 death of Christopher Burgess, 41, whose dump truck crashed into the Cuyahoga River after careening out of control while descending Portage Trail Extension. An inspection found the truck Burgess was driving had poorly functioning brakes.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Bugge said. “Really lucky to be alive.”"

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