MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/09/15

Thursday, July 9, 2015

2 Elderly Women Killed When Car Speeds Through Parking Lot, Crashes in Glendale, CA





Glendale, CA

Two elderly women were killed when a car in which they were traveling slammed into a parked car and a concrete pole in a Glendale parking garage Thursday, police said.

Glendale police were investigating a fatal crash in a parking structure next to a Ralphs on Glendale Avenue on July 9, 2015.  (Credit: KTLA)
Glendale police were investigating a fatal crash in a parking structure next to a Ralphs on Glendale Avenue on July 9, 2015. (Credit: KTLA)


The crash occurred about 1 p.m. in the underground lot adjacent the Ralphs grocery store at 211 N. Glendale Ave.

The vehicle entered the south entrance off East Wilson Avenue and traveled through the parking structure in front of the grocery store at a high rate of speed, Glendale Police Department spokeswoman Tahnee Lightfoot said.

“We have a lot of foot traffic, a lot of people grocery shopping at this time of day, so very lucky that other individuals were injured,” Lightfoot said.

It was not known if the driver had a medical condition or if there were problems with the vehicle, she said.

The two people found dead inside the vehicle were described by police Sgt. Robert Williams as elderly women. Investigators with the county coroner’s office arrived around 5 p.m., and police said the victims had not been identified by early evening.

The vehicle appeared to be a bronze Mercedes-Benz sedan, video from the scene showed.

Traggic Death: Construction worker killed after being trapped in tractor-trailer fire in Forsyth County, NC

Construction worker killed after being trapped in tractor-trailer fire in Forsyth County, NC


fire truck (Stock Photo)

FORSYTH COUNTY, N.C. — 

Investigators in Forsyth County say a construction worker was killed Thursday when the tractor-trailer bed he was in caught on fire, trapping him inside.

It happened around 1:30 p.m. on Belews Creek Road, according to an official.

The identity of the construction worker has not been released.

The victim was unloading a delivery of pine straw, pushing toward the doors of the trailer, when a spark caught the pine straw on fire.

The worker was trapped and died.

The county fire marshal is investigating.

Two Owego, NY residents are accused of insurance fraud after reporting theft of a pickup truck that was later found in the Susquehanna River

Owego, NY pair charged with insurance fraud

Two Owego residents are accused of insurance fraud after reporting theft of a pickup truck that was later found in the Susquehanna River, police said.

Tioga County Sheriff’s deputies said a 2008 Nissan Frontier pickup truck had been reported stolen on Aug. 28, 2014, but it was later recovered near the Marshland boat launch on the river.

Michael Miller, 55, and Laura Miller, 50, were both charged on Thursday with a felony count of third-degree insurance fraud and a misdemeanor count of third-degree falsely reporting an incident.

Laura Miller was also charged by the state Department of Environmental Conservation police with four misdemeanor and three violations related to the case, officials said.

The sheriff’s office said the investigation is continuing and further charges are possible.

Michael and Laura Miller were arraigned in Owego Town Court and sent to the Tioga County jail with bail set at $5,000 cash or bond, while awaiting further court proceedings.

Columbia Falls resident Salvador Maldonado-Medina pled guilty to felony theft and employer misconduct for receiving Montana Workers’ Compensation benefits while working after claiming to be injured

July 7, 2015

Columbia Falls, Montana Man Ordered to Pay Over $45,000 in Restitution to Montana State Fund

On Thursday, Columbia Falls resident Salvador Maldonado-Medina pled guilty in Lewis & Clark County District Court to felony theft and employer misconduct for receiving Montana Workers’ Compensation benefits while working after claiming to be injured at one of his businesses, when in fact he was injured at another business he owned, where he elected to have no workers compensation coverage for himself or his employees. 

In March 2015, Maldonado-Medina, 36, was accused of defrauding the Montana State Fund for $45,858.02 in wage loss and medical benefits he received from 2013 to 2015. 

 Maldonado-Medina pleaded guilty to charges of employer misconduct and felony theft in District Court in Helena and on July 2 was given a six-year concurrent deferred sentence, and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and restitution to Montana State Fund in the amount of $45,858.02. 

Assistant Attorney General Mary Cochenour alleged that on February 18, 2013, Maldonado-Medina, who owns La Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant in Kalispell and SM Roofing in Columbia Falls, lied when he filed a work comp claim stating he had injured his knee after falling from a ladder at his restaurant, where he had a workers compensation insurance policy in effect. 

Montana State Fund accepted the claim and paid medical benefits and bi-weekly temporary total disability (TTD) benefits based on information that Maldonado-Medina could not return to word due to his injuries.

After State Fund received a physical therapy note that indicated Maldonado-Medina was on his feet for long periods of time due to his work, surveillance was conducted to determine if his roofing company was in operation, whether it had any employees, and whether Maldonado-Medina was earning wages while collecting TTD benefits under his restaurant’s policy. 

While Maldonado-Medina later told State Fund he had not conducted any roofing since his knee surgery and that he had no employees performing any roofing for the company during the policy period, investigators learned he had purchased more than $45,000 in roofing supplies which were delivered to 11 different residences in Flathead County during that time. 

Subsequent interviews with the homeowners indicated that Maldonado-Medina had worked on several of the homes alongside two other men. State investigators were able to confirm that these men were Maldonado-Medina’s employees, and that their pay had not been reported under work comp insurance to SM Roofing. 

Investigators also learned that Maldonado-Medina in fact injured his knee while performing roofing work at a new home construction site in Whitefish, not at his restaurant in Kalispell. 

“This case was highly unusual because it involved a defendant who defrauded Montana’s work comp system in two ways – both as an employer and as an employee,” said Attorney General Tim Fox. “Let this serve as a warning to anyone who tries to games the system, no matter how complex your scheme is. If you don’t report your employees for workers’ comp coverage while at the same time cover yourself at a lower premium rate and file fraudulent claims, we will find and prosecute you,” Attorney General Fox added. 

Premiums for coverage in the roofing industry are often many times higher than premiums in other businesses, such as those in an office setting, or restaurant work places.

Between February 2013 and March 2015, Montana State Fund paid $39,092 in medical costs and $6,765 in wage loss benefits to Maldonado-Medina. Curt Larsen, Special Assistant General Counsel at Montana State Fund, said that had his agency known that Maldonado-Medina was injured while roofing and not while working at his restaurant, Montana State Fund would not have accepted his claim. 

Larsen also praised the work of Assistant Attorney General Mary Cochenour, the Division of Criminal Investigation at the Montana Department of Justice, and his staff at Montana State Fund for their proactive and collaborative work on the complex and unusual case.

A rotted giant 200-year-old tree came crashing down on top of two cars parked in a Summit, New Jersey driveway

Massive Oak Tree Snaps, Smashes Cars in Summit, NJ


A giant 200-year-old tree came crashing down on top of two cars parked in a New Jersey driveway Tuesday, shaking the block and startling neighbors, who are still stunned that no one was hurt. 

Shadyside Avenue in Summit is a lot less shady without the massive oak tree, which went down Tuesday evening, falling smack on top of two cars, smashing them and extending into the street. 

"It sounded like an earthquake was happening, the whole house was shaking," said homeowner Seamus McFadden. "It was pretty intense." 

The old oak canopied the McFaddens' whole yard before it landed on the two cars. 

The trunk appeared rotted, which is likely why it snapped. It took down power lines with it.

A bucket truck was brought in to chop up the massive trunk.

"We're going to miss her," said neighbor Daren Fryburg of the tree.

Neighbors say it's a good reminder for homeowners to look at their trees' conditions as summer storms arrive.

Mom crashes into Alabama DMV after teen daughter finishes road test


Posted: July 07, 2015
 
A driver crashed into the Huntsville driver's license office after her teenager finished a road test. (Source: WAFF)
A driver crashed into the Huntsville driver's license office after her teenager finished a road test. (Source: WAFF)
 
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - 

A vehicle crashed into a Huntsville driver's license office Tuesday.

According to troopers at the office on Church Street, a teenager had just finished taking a road test on the vehicle with no apparent issues.

However, when the teen's mother was driving out afterward, she ran into the front doors of the building, causing extensive damage.

The woman said the brakes failed. No injuries were reported.

The Huntsville police department is handling the crash investigation.

Nearly 200,000 Hummers Recalled After Fires Are Reported to G.M.


The recall affects 165,000 Hummer H3s and H3Ts in the United States. Credit General Motors, via Associated Press
General Motors is recalling about 196,000 Hummer sport utility vehicles because of an electrical problem that resulted in at least two vehicles being destroyed in fires, the automaker said on Wednesday.

An electrical part of the heating and cooling system could overheat and cause a fire inside the dashboard, the automaker said. Three people suffered minor burns.

“There was a funny smell. I immediately stopped and told my passenger to get out and noticed a fire under the passenger glove box,” one Hummer owner wrote the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June 2014. “I tried pouring milk and juice on the fire to put it out under the dash but it didn’t put the fire completely out. The vehicle quickly went up in flames.”
Hummer owners filed at least 20 complaints with the safety agency about fires inside the dashboard, and two said the vehicles were destroyed. The safety agency began receiving complaints about the problem in 2008. Over all, G.M. said that there were 42 reported fires.

The recall includes 165,000 vehicles in the United States and includes the Hummer H3 from the 2006-10 model years and the H3T from 2009-10.

“The N.H.T.S.A. needs to investigate this or are you waiting for an actual fire to cause G.M. to fix this issue,” one owner wrote the agency in June 2013. There was no indication on the safety agency’s website that regulators had opened an investigation.

An internal audit by the Transportation Department last month said that the safety agency had moved too slowly on many investigations.

Mark R. Rosekind, the agency’s administrator, told a congressional subcommittee last month that the agency lacked the resources it needed. That statement contrasts with ones from his predecessors, including David L. 

Strickland, that the agency was adequately funded and doing a good job.
Also on Wednesday, G.M. said it would recall about 51,000 Chevrolet cars, including almost 46,000 in the United States, because of a radio software problem that could disable some audible warning functions including seatbelts not being fastened or the door being opened with the key still in the ignition. 

That recall includes the 2014-15 Chevrolet Spark and the 2015 Sonic.

3 injured in fiery crash with box truck on fire at Del. 1 & Del. 273 in New Castle, Delaware


Three people were injured, one of them critically, in a fiery crash that left a box truck on its side and a driver trapped in wreckage at the busy intersection of Del. 1 and Del. 273 just before the start of Thursday evening rush hour.

A crash reported at 3:36 p.m. Thursday prompted state police to warn drivers to avoid the New Castle-area intersection, but massive traffic backups were reported to stretch nearly a mile on Christiana Road and the Christiana Bypass.

The male driver of the car remained trapped until emergency crews freed him by cutting away the vehicle's doors and roof, said Christiana Fire Company Fire Chief Richard J. Perillo.

The 76-year-old man was treated on scene for an upper extremity injury and possible internal injuries, said New Castle County Paramedic Cpl. Abigail E. Haas. He then was transported with advanced life support assistance to Christiana Hospital, Perillo said. He was in critical condition Thursday night, Haas said.

A female passenger in the car was also transported to the same hospital by basic life support services with non life-threatening injuries, Haas said.
The truck driver declined treatment, Haas added.

Christiana Fire Company was assisted in the rescue effort by crews from Minquas of Newport Fire Company, Perillo said.

A Department of Transportation hazardous materials team also has been called to the crash site to deal with a diesel fuel spill, according to dispatch reports.
DNREC officials and a hazardous materials team from Belvedere Fire Company assisted with a large spill of fuel and oil from the overturned box truck, Perillo said.

Only one lane of eastbound Del. 273 remained open shortly after the crash, reported at 3:36 p.m. Thursday, Delaware State Police Master Cpl. Jeffrey R. Hale said. The crash scene has since been cleared, according to Delaware Department of Transportation live traffic reports.

With police in the preliminary stages of investigating the crash, Hale said more information will be released when the investigation is completed.

Pilot treated by medics after Cessna airplane crash at Renton Airport


Pilot treated by medics after airplane crash at Renton Airport
Air4 photo of aircraft crash at Renton Airport, July 9, 2015.
RENTON, Wash. - 
 
A pilot was treated by medics following a hard landing at the Renton Municipal Airport Thursday afternoon.

Firefighters responded to reports of a small airplane crash shortly after 3 p.m.

Only one pilot was in the Cessna at the time of the crash. Firefighters say the man was able to remove himself from the plane, and was treated by medics.

Officials temporarily closed the airport while crews cleared the wreckage and cleaned up spilled fuel.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.

11 young kids, 3 adults hurt in Athens church van crash after a truck crashed into the back of the van


(WBIR-Athens) 

Fourteen people were sent to hospitals, including eleven young children, after a truck crashed into the back of a church van Thursday morning in Athens.

According to THP, the crash happened just before 9:30 am near the intersection of Highway 30 and McMinn County Road 554.

The van was carrying eleven children, between the ages of 4 and 8, who were attending a day camp hosted by the Zion Hill Baptist Church in Englewood.

Troopers said Zachery Crager, 18, of Decatur, was driving the pickup truck that crashed into the van. Crager said his brakes failed. He was cited for failure to maintain an operating vehicle. Crager was taken to Star Regional Etowah Hospital, then transferred to UT Medical Center in Knoxville.

Gary Culberson, 61, of Etowah, was driving the van. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Etowah. A front seat passenger, Whitney Martin, 27, of Englewood, was flown to UT Medical Center by medical helicopter.

Eleven children on the bus were injured. One of those, Kaiden Boyer, 6, was taken to UT Medical Center for treatment.

Ten other kids were taken to Star Regional Etowah Hospital:
Brayden Martin, 4, from Englewood, TN
Matthew Nichols, 8, from Englewood, TN
Javon Batts, 6, from Etowah, TN
Thomas Underwood, 6, from Etowah, TN
Amos Landerth, 6, from Englewood, TN
Casin Lee, 6, from Reliance, TN
Noah Ownbey, 6, from Etowah, TN
Jesse Holden, 6, from Etowah, TN
Clark Patterson, 6, from Englewood, TN
Aaden Fry, 6, from Athens, TN

2 injured in boat explosion in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland


DEALE, Md. (WUSA9) -- 

Two men were injured when a boat exploded in Deale, Md. on Thursday.

The explosion happened at Rockhold Creek Marina in the 400 block of Deale Rd. at 11:50 a.m., according to Anne Arundel Fire and Rescue officials.

The men, one believed to be in his 20s and the other in his fifties, were working on the boat when the explosion happened. Officials say both men have second degree burns on 40 percent of their bodies. They were taken to Washington Medstar Burn Unit with non-life threatening injuries.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Hundreds stranded after fire broke out underneath BART train in Oakland, California


Hundreds of BART commuters were stranded for hours Thursday after service was suspended following a fire that broke out beneath a car as it was leaving the Oakland Coliseum Station.
Hundreds of BART commuters were stranded for hours after service was suspended at four East Bay stations following a fire that broke out beneath a car as it was leaving the Oakland Coliseum Station.

It's the latest in a string of breakdowns and problems plaguing a system in dire need of new tracks and repairs.


The interruption to service lasted for nearly three hours.

There were some minor injuries and BART blames passengers for not following emergency evacuation instructions.

The three passengers who were injured sustained cuts from broken glass and a back injury when they broke out two windows to escape the smoke they saw coming from underneath their car. It was the last of a three-car train going north as it left the Oakland Coliseum Station. 


The train operator had been instructing them to move to the car ahead of them. The track is about 60 feet above ground. "This is an aerial section of track that this occurred on, which means that people would be getting out onto a trackway with a thousand volts of electricity running through the third rail and then there's the potential to fall off of that section of trackway," BART spokesperson Jim Allison said.


Several  passengers were treated at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, Calif. by medics on Thursday, July 9, 2015.
Several passengers were treated at the Fruitvale station in Oakland, Calif. by medics on Thursday, July 9, 2015. (KGO-TV)


BART thinks the fire was caused by an electric arc when the car lost contact with the third-rail, which feeds power to the train's engine. The incident occurred on a recently replaced section of track.

It underscores that BART is showing its age. The breakdowns is a major sore point among passengers. "There are a lot of problems happening regularly and that's the frank reality of having a system that is as old that it is today. I mean our cars are from 1972 and our trackway, 90 miles of it, is from the same era," BART Communications spokesperson Taylor Huckaby said.

Some of us might drive a car for five or 10 years or maybe longer, but BART cars are 43 years old and some of the tracks are even older.

A BART committee is working on plans to submit a $3 billiion bond issue to voters next year to help pay for new tracks and other repairs. "It's about really understanding what is the track that is most at risk of failing and then making sure we're investing in replacing that particular track, not the stuff, that even though it's old, is still in pretty good shape," BART Board Director Nick Josefowitz said.

Just two months ago, a tear in new track was discovered that could have caused a derailment.

Crews are still working to repair damage as an investigation is underway.

Bay City News Service contributed to this story.

No new detections of acrylonitrile in Blount County well water, beekeepers worried








MARYVILLE (WATE) – 

More well water sampling results are in, and officials say no new detections of acrylonitrile have been found in wells near the CSX train derailment site in Blount County, but the well water advisory had not been lifted.

The results were sent to the City of Maryville, City of Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

TDEC’s Water Resources Division was requested to monitor 100 wells in the area. Results are back on 56 of those with no new detections of the chemical acrylonitrile, but one well in which the chemical had been detected continues to show elevated levels.

CSX says it will continue to aggressively sample and monitor the area.

The CSX Community Outreach Support Line will continue to be operational from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The CSX support line is 800-331-4031. Health-related inquiries can be directed to 866-812-9565. The Center will be open through 8 p.m. on Wednesday, noon until 8 p.m. on Thursday, and noon until 5 p.m. on Friday. At that time, additional needed operational hours will be announced.

The special advisory is directed to the area between Mount Tabor Road, Old Glory Road, West Lamar Alexander Parkway and Robert C. Jackson Drive. City officials are advising residents within this area to refrain from using well water after a sample within 350 feet of last week’s train derailment tested positive for a small trace of acrylonitrile. This flammable and poisonous material was inside of the single-tank car that derailed and caught on fire July 2.

A surface water advisory issued Sunday after around 50 dead fish were found in Culton Creek has been lifted. CSX says testing shows significant declines in the hazardous chemical and it is now safe for livestock and aquatic life.

Blount County beekeepers worried about derailment’s effects

Blount County beekeepers are worried their population and honey may be impacted by the derailment. Two beekeepers say depending on the test, the derailment could cost them thousands of dollars.

Bees work to cool the inside of their hives by bringing back water.

“Up to a gallon a day,” said beekeeper Coley O’Dell.

Four of his hives are about 100 feet away from Culton Creek. O’Dell has been checking twice a day to see if his bees are flying strange or if any are on the ground.

vlcsnap-2015-07-08-19h15m15s15 
“With contaminants, it may show up in a day or two or two weeks or three weeks,” he said.

Beekeepers wonder if the current population is okay, as well as larvae which hasn’t hatched yet. The other big question is if the honey is safe.

“If the test is positive, then these hives will probably have to be destroyed,” said O’Dell.

“The state asked everybody to not extract their honey. Then they said it’s okay to extract, but keep it in separate tanks and wash your equipment,” said Howard Kerr.

That is exactly what he’s doing, but beekeepers all over Blount County are not taking any risks and being more cautious until results from tests are in.

“What I told CSX yesterday was, ‘Well, if my honey is contaminated you guys will be buying about $50,000 worth of honey.’ They said no problem,” added Kerr.

It’s now a waiting game.

“That derailment hopefully won’t cost me that much,” said O’Dell.

Some beekeepers are expecting officials with the state and EPA to visit Thursday. They’ll be inspecting each hive and even taking samples of the larvae back to test and see if in fact there was any kind of contamination.

Beekeepers say the local honey that may be in your home or you’re currently buying in stores is safe. That honey was extracted well before the train derailment.

Seas could rise 18 feet even if governments curb warming - study


Sea levels could rise by at least six metres (20 feet) in the long term, swamping coasts from Florida to Bangladesh, even if governments achieve their goals for curbing global warming, according to a study published on Thursday.
Tracts of ice in Greenland and Antarctica melted when temperatures were around or slightly higher than today in ancient thaws in the past three million years, a U.S.-led international team wrote in the journal Science.

And the world may be headed for a repeat even if governments cut greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to a United Nations goal of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.

"Present temperature targets may commit Earth to at least six metres sea level rise," the authors at the Past Global Changes project wrote. Some greenhouse gases can linger for centuries in the atmosphere.

Such a thaw would threaten cities from Beijing to London, and swamp low-lying tropical island states.

Lead author Andrea Dutton, of the University of Florida, said it could take many centuries for a six-metre rise, despite some ancient evidence that more rapid shifts were possible.

"This is a long-term projection. It's not going to happen the day after tomorrow," she told Reuters.

The United Nations' panel of climate scientists said in 2013 that global warming could push up world sea levels by 26 to 82 cm (10 to 32 inches) by the late 21st century, on top of a 19 cm gain since 1900.

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Thursday's study, based on studies of everything from ancient ice to fossil corals, said sea levels rose by between six and nine metres in a warm period about 125,000 years ago when temperatures were similar to those of today.

Ocean levels gained between six and 13 metres 400,000 years ago when temperatures were up to about 1C warmer than present.

And in a warm period three million years ago, sea levels were also at least six metres higher than now. The ancient shifts were probably linked to natural variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun.

Last year, some scientific studies indicated that parts of West Antarctica's ice sheet had already passed a "tipping point", and were locked in an unstoppable long-term thaw.

"Tipping is not just a theoretical possibility, it is a reality," Ricarda Winkelmann of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research told a science conference in Paris. (Additional reporting by Laurie Goering in Paris; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

Beechcraft A36 Bonanza Plane Crash Near Osoyoos, British Columbia


The small plane that crashed near Osoyoos (Photo Credit: Kim Cameron)

Update:

According to witness Skylar Noe-Vack, the area where the crash occurred at Highway 97 and 108th Avenue is heavily secured by RCMP.

The roadway is closed and isn't expected to open until late into the evening. DriveBC reports there is no estimated time for reopening. 

A detour has been set up for motorists in the area. 


Photo Credit: DriveBC

Update:

A woman on the scene recounts what she witnessed during the plane crash here.

Original Story:

RCMP confirms a plane has crashed just north of Osoyoos on Highway 97. Traffic is said to be at a standstill in both directions.

Details are still coming in and we’ll have more information as soon as it becomes available. 

The small plane crash near Osoyoos (Photo Credit: Kim Cameron)

According to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB), they have yet to receive a report from the Osoyoos RCMP regarding the incident and are waiting for information from the detachment.





Date:
07-JUL-2015
Time:
-17:12
Type:
Owner/operator:
Private
Registration:
C-GPDK
C/n / msn:
E-1728
Fatalities:
Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:
0
Airplane damage:
Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:
North of Osoyoos Airport (CBB9), Osoyoos, Okanagan Valley, BC - http://aviation-safety.net/database/country/flags_15/C.gif  Canada
Phase:
Landing
Nature:
Unknown
Departure airport:
Oliver Muni (CAU3)
Destination airport:
Boundary Bay (CZBB/YDT)
Narrative:
The aircraft impacted a vehicle and adjacent trees north of Osoyoos in the southern Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, during a force landing. The airplane was partially consumed by the post-impact fire and the sole pilot onboard received serious injuries.