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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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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Driver taken to hospital after collision.

Date: 05/29/2012
Time: Around 12:00 P.M.
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Vehicle(s) Involved: Pontiac Sunfire, Toyota Tacoma

By: Sudbury Northern Life Staff

"Witnesses say one driver was rushed to hospital on a stretcher around noon today after a two-vehicle collision at the corner of Paris and Brady Streets.

Police have yet to release information regarding the incident.

Check back to NorthernLife.ca for more information as it becomes available."

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Sanger man dies in pickup collision.

Date: 09/19/2011
Time: Around 10:20 A.M.
Location: Fresno, California
Vehicle(s) Involved: Toyota Tacoma, Dodge Ram

By The Fresno Bee

"A Sanger man died Monday in a collision between two pickups southeast of Fresno.
The Fresno County Coroner's Office identified the man as Xay Mouonoutoua, 76.
Mouonoutoua was driving a Toyota pickup west on Church Avenue about 10:20 a.m. when he failed to yield the right of way at Temperance Avenue and was broadsided by a southbound Dodge pickup, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Acosta said.
Mouonoutoua died at the scene. The driver of the Dodge appeared to suffer minor injuries."

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