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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Driver in Dunkin' Donuts crash charged with DWI, assault by auto: cops.

Date: 08/13/2012
Time: Around 8:45 P.M.
Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
Vehicle(s) Involved: Isuzu Rodeo

By Ron Zeitlinger/The Jersey Journal 

"The driver who crashed into a Jersey City Heights Dunkin' Donuts last night, injuring eight people, has been charged with DWI, multiple counts of assault by auto and multiple motor vehicle violations, police said.
Police said Marco J. Guardiola, 55, of New York Avenue in Jersey City, was driving with a suspended license when his 1999 Isuzu Rodeo SUV smashed into the front of the crowded coffee shop at the corner of Central Avenue and Griffith Street at 8:40 p.m., spewing shards of glass everywhere.
He was treated for minor injuries at the Jersey City Medical Center and released into police custody this morning at 5 a.m. Guardiola's motor vehicle charges include reckless driving, failure to wear a seat belt and failure to exhibit registration, a driver's license and proof of insurance.
Of the seven other people injured in the crash, two were at the scene by EMS and the other five were taken to the JCMC, officials said.
A 14-year-old girl who suffered head trauma, leg fractures and facial lacerations underwent a 3-and-a-half hour surgery and two women were admitted and are in stable condition, a hospital spokesman said.
One of the women suffered multiple puncture wounds to her chest and back and abrasions on her arms and legs.
The Dunkin' Donuts reopened this morning, with plywood covering the huge glass panel that was broken last night."

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Accident update

Bayonne driver's 4 a.m. crash in Jersey City sends five in car to hospital.

Date: 08/23/2012
Time: Around 4:00 A.M.
Location: Bayonne, New Jersey
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Corolla, Subaru Legacy

By Daniel Reyes/The Jersey Journal 

"A Bayonne man who may have been racing with another driver crashed his car into a wrought-iron fence early yesterday morning, sending all five people in the car to the hospital, authorities said.
Ralph Bacani, 19, of Avenue E in Bayonne, was issued numerous motor vehicle violations, including summonses for reckless driving and violating the conditions of his special learner’s permit, Jersey City police spokesman Stan Eason said.
The four passengers in the car had to be extricated by Jersey City firefighters after the 4 a.m. crash on Kennedy Boulevard near Stuyvesant Avenue, reports said.
All five people were treated at the Jersey City Medical Center for injuries that were not life threatening.
Eason said that “speeding and/or racing” may have played a role in the crash, which is still under investigation.
Bacani slammed into a parked car and a parking meter before the car came to rest on a wrought-iron fence next to a wheelchair access ramp in front of a doctor’s office."

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Two Dead, Two Injured in Staten Island Crash.

Date: 08/27/2012
Time: Around 7:00 P.M.
Location: Staten Island, New York City, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Ambulance, BMW X3

 By Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo News Editor

"STATEN ISLAND — A BMW collided with an ambulance on Hylan Boulevard and Seacrest Avenue Monday evening, killing both drivers and injuring two others, officials said.

The unidentified driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene in the accident, which occurred just before 7:10 p.m. He drove across the median, struck the ambulance and was thrown from his vehicle, police officials said.

David Restuccio, 58, a paramedic for a privately-operated ambulance for Staten Island University Hospital, was taken to the hospital in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest.

He later died there, hospital spokeswoman Arleen Ryback confirmed.

Restuccio was a lieutenant for FDNY EMS for nearly 20 years before retiring and working as a paramedic for a private company, sources said.

He appears to have been a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001, and was interviewed by Brian Williams on the phone on the day of the attacks.

The other victims, both in stable condition but under evaluation, included another ambulance worker along with a patient being transported from Staten Island University's north side to its south side, Ryback said.

NYPD officials said the incident was under investigation."

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Two hurt after truck crashes into trees in Brush Prairie.

Date: 08/01/2012
Time: Around 7:30 P.M.
Location: Brush Prairie, Washington
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Pickup

By Fox12 Web Staff

"BRUSH PRAIRIE, WA (KPTV) -
Two people were hurt when a truck left the road in Brush Prairie and slammed into a group of trees.
The crash happened at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday about a mile east of Rawson Road.
Firefighters at the scene said the truck was driving at a high rate of speed when it hit the trees.
Two people inside the truck were taken to the hospital.
There is no word yet on the extent of their injuries or what led to the crash."

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Police: Eugene man killed in fiery head-on crash.

Date: 08/10/2012
Time: Around 2:00 P.M.
Location: Near Eddyville, Oregon
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic, semi truck

by KVAL News

"EDDYVILLE, Ore. - A Eugene man pulled out to pass in a no-passing one Friday and collided head-on with a commercial truck Friday on Highway 20 east of Eddyville, Oregon State Police said.
The driver of the truck escaped as his rig went up in flames.
The other driver died at the scene.

According to Sergeant Cari Boyd, (censored), 26, of Eugene was driving eastbound on Highway 20 in a 1993 Honda Civic when he tried passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone near milepost 29.
Kuhry pulled into the westbound lane in front of a commercial truck pulling a fully loaded chip trailer.
The truck driver, Ronald Ford of Eugene, couldn't avoid the car and the vehicles crashed head-on.
Kuhry was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ford, 49, escaped his truck as it went up in flames. It was later totaled because of the fire.
Ford was later evaluated by a doctor. Crash investigators determined that both men were wearing seat belts.
The wreckage partially blocked the road, which closed Hwy 20 between Eddyville and Blodgett for several hours."

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Teen driver falls asleep at wheel, takes out Spokane Valley sign.

Date: 08/10/2012
Time: Around 7:00 A.M.
Location: Spokane Valley, Washington
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Tacoma

by KREM.com

"SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash.—Authorities said a teenage driver fell asleep at the wheel early Friday before crashing his truck.
Washington State Patrol troopers said happened just before 7 a.m. near Indiana and Pines in Spokane Valley.
Troopers said a 17-year-old driver fell asleep while crossing Highway 27 and went off the roadway to the right.  From there, the boy struck a concrete island, slammed through a street sign, and came to a rest on railroad tracks nearby.
The driver suffered minor injuries and refused any medical treatment at the scene.  A 16-year-old male passenger was not hurt.  Both boys were wearing their seatbelts.
Troopers cited the teenager with 2nd Degree Negligent Driving."

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Fiery crash near Philomath results in serious injuries, charges.

Date: 08/04/2012
Time: Around 4:45 P.M.
Location: Near Philomath, Oregon
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Tacoma, Ford Econoline

By CANDA FUQUA, Corvallis Gazette-Times

"A Portland man who was seriously injured in a fiery crash two miles west of Philomath on Saturday was reportedly in stable condition on Sunday afternoon, but faces charges related to the crash.
Biet Nguyen, 69, of Portland was cited with third-degree assault, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving after his pickup rolled and then slid on its roof down Highway 20. An oncoming van struck it and caught fire.
Driving east on Highway 20 toward Philomath on Saturday evening, Nan Perigo was the first witness on the scene at 4:44 p.m. She slowed when she saw a cloud of dust in front of her.
“The next thing I knew,” she said, “there was an upside-down car in front of me and a van on fire across the way.”
The driver of the van, Stephen Sever, 63, of Corvallis, seemed dazed by the impact, Perigo said. He hadn’t realized that his 1999 Ford Econoline had caught fire. Perigo and another bystander alerted him.
“We both hollered for him to get out,” she said. “… He was slow to react but once he realized what we were saying, he got out.”
He escaped out of the passenger side window. Emergency responders transported him to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for minor injuries.
Nguyen, upside down in a 2003 Toyota Tacoma pickup, was unconscious after the crash, Perigo said. She hadn’t noticed at first, but he was the driver who had passed her just minutes earlier.
Multiple people had called 911 prior to the crash, reporting that the pickup was weaving and might be driven by an intoxicated driver, according to Benton County sheriff deputies.
Investigators believe that Nguyen’s vehicle drifted off the highway and when it hit gravel, he jerked the wheel to get back onto the road. It caused the vehicle to flip and begin to slide on its roof.
Sever’s van crashed head-on into the front driver’s side of the upside-down pickup and came to rest in the ditch on the westbound side of the road.
After Sever escaped the burning van, Perigo and another bystander gathered fire extinguishers from the rows of cars that began to gather at the scene.
“We were concerned that the van was going to blow up and cause even more problems,” Perigo said. “We emptied four fire extinguishers on it and it was still going. It would slow it down but none of them would put it out.”
Philomath Fire Department put out the blaze and cut open the other vehicle to get to Nguyen.
“The roof was crushed,” Perigo said. “He (Nguyen) obviously rolled it hard.”
The crash resulted in the closure of Highway 20 for roughly three hours.
The Benton County Multi-Agency Crash Investigation Team assisted at the scene. Firefighters and EMTs from the Philomath Fire Department and the Corvallis Fire Department assisted, as well as the Oregon Department of Transportation.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has any information to contact Sgt. David Peterson at 541-766-6820."

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Dad, daughter killed by suspected drunk driver.

Date: 08/05/2012
Time: Around 2:50 P.M.
Location: Etobicoke, Toronto, Canada
Vehicle(s) Involved: GMC Envoy, Dodge Caravan

By Joshua Freeman

"A father and daughter were killed overnight in a head-on collision with a driver heading the wrong way on the eastbound QEW ramp to northbound Hwy 427.

A woman in the car, believed to be the mother of the dead teen, was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police say the family was out celebrating the woman’s 50th birthday.
Police arrested a 19-year-old driver of a second vehicle at the scene under the suspicion that he was driving under the influence. He was taken to St. Michael’s Hospital with serious injuries.
The crash happened at around 2:50 a.m., according to a news release put out by Ontario Provincial Police.
The teen was driving a GMC Envoy at the time it crashed with a Dodge Caravan, killing the 49-year-old driver and a 16-year-old young woman. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.
The names of the victims will not be released until their families are notified."

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BMW plummets from mall parking garage.

Date: 08/04/2012
Time: Around 1:15 P.M.
Location: Mission Valley, San Diego, California
Vehicle(s) Involved: BMW X5, Kia Sorento, Mercedes-Benz S-Class

By Kristina Davis and Ashly McGlone

"MISSION VALLEY — A BMW crashed over the edge of a third-story parking structure at Fashion Valley, injuring a passenger when it landed on its roof onto two parked cars Saturday.

The crash occurred about 1:15 p.m. near Cheesecake Factory and Nordstrom.

Police Officer Frank Cali said the driver of a silver BMW X5 was trying to back out of the space when another driver was passing by. The man pulled back into the space to let the car pass. On a second attempt to exit the space, another driver approached and honked the horn. When pulling back into the space, the man accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, causing the SUV to plunge over the side of the structure, police said.

The SUV teetered for a bit before it flipped, landing on its roof on the front end of a Kia Sorrento and the back end of a Mercedes Benz sedan, shattering the glass on both vehicles.

The driver, who appeared to be in his 70s, was able to get out of the BMW on his own, police and witnesses said. His girlfriend, who was a passenger, was trapped in the wreckage. Witnesses did not want to further injure her and waited for paramedics to extricate her, said Chad Robley, who saw the crash and stopped to help.

She was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, said San Diego police accident investigator Mike Gottfried. The driver did not require hospitalization. No one on the ground was hurt.

The Kia and the Mercedes were parked illegally, police said.

One ground-level entrance to the parking garage was closed by mall officials, but all three levels of the parking garage remained open during the investigation."

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Two dead, three injured in Logan County crash.

Date: 08/03/2012
Time: Around 1:35 P.M.
Location: West Liberty, Ohio
Vehicle(s) Involved: Chrysler 300, Dodge Ram Van

By Richard Wilson Staff Writer 

"WEST LIBERY, Logan County —

A two-vehicle crash on U.S. 68 that left two people dead and three people injured remained under investigation Friday night, the sheriffs’s office said.
Deputies were dispatched to the crash in the 4700 block of U.S. 68, north of Township Road 30, about 1:35 p.m., according to the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.
The two fatalities were pronounced dead at the scene by Logan County Coroner Michael Failor.
A third victim was flown by Care Flight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton and was reported in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Two other victims were taken to an area hospital by emergency transport.
Authorities said the collision involved one vehicle striking the side of another, often described as a “T-bone” type collision.
As of Friday night, none of the victims were identified by name and sheriff’s investigators had not said what led to the crash.
County deputies were assisted by West Liberty fire crews, Macochee EMS and Riverside EMS.""

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Car swerves to avoid goose, rolls over.

Date: 08/01/2012
Time: Around 10:00 A.M.
Location: Wilson, New York
Vehicle(s) Involved: Honda Civic

By Emily Lenihan

"WILSON, N.Y. (WIVB) - Five people were injured in a Wednesday morning crash, in Wilson.
The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office says a car on Lake Road swerved to avoid a goose, lost control and rolled over into a field.
Five people were injured in the rollover, one of the people suffered serious injuries.
The serious crash happened on Lake Road, at Thilk, just after 10 a.m. Wednesday."

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