MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/11/15

Saturday, July 11, 2015

1 kiiled after a motorcycle exploded on impact onto a car and separated into two pieces in Cleveland, TN

Fiery motorcycle crash in Cleveland

Posted: July 11, 2015
 
CLEVELAND, TN (WRCB) - 

One person is dead following an accident involving a motorcycle Friday night in Cleveland. 

The crash happened just before 11:00pm on 25th Street near the intersection of Old 25th Street. 

When emergency crews arrived it appeared that the motorcycle had struck a car.  

An EMS official reported that the motorcycle had exploded on impact and that it was separated into two pieces. The front of the motorcycle struck another vehicle further down the road. The driver of that car was checked out by EMS but was not taken to the hospital.  

The vehicle that was initially hit by the motorcycle only had one occupant, the 18-year old female driver. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. 

The driver of the motorcycle was a 42 year old male. He was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.  His identity has not yet been released. 

Stan Clark with EMS says this is the 8th roadway fatality in Cleveland/Bradley County so far this year. 
 
The accident is under investigation.

Driver arrested for operating while intoxicated causing death and criminal recklessness in fatal motorcycle accident on southwest side on Indianapolis, IN


Posted: July 11, 2015 INDIANAPOLIS, IN - 

Indiana State Police troopers were dispatched to I-465 near Mann Road just after 3:30 Saturday morning to an accident involving a motorcycle. 

The investigation found that Joshua Rork, 37, of Indianapolis was on the entrance ramp from Mann Road to I-465 eastbound with a passenger Tiffany Smith, 35, of Indianapolis.  According to witnesses the motorcycle sped onto I-465 and struck an orange barrel in the road construction area. Rork lost control and both riders were ejected from the motorcycle.  

Rork was transported to Eskenzai Hospital with head injuries and lacerations.  His passenger Smith was pronounced dead at the scene by the Marion County Coroner's Office. Neither of the riders were wearing helmets. 

Rork was arrested for operating while intoxicated; operating while intoxicated causing death and criminal recklessness with a motor vehicle. He is currently being detained in Eskenazi Hospital.

I-465 EB at the area of the crash was closed or lanes were restricted for approximately two hours while the crash was investigated and the wreckage cleared.

2 children killed in Henry Co. crash after a pick-up truck rear-ended a tow truck on Highway 1941


HENRY COUNTY, Ga. -- 

Two young children were killed in an accident in Henry County late Friday night.
Police say a pick-up truck rear-ended a tow truck on Highway 1941.

A 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl were killed. Their names have not been released.

The crash is under investigation; drugs and alcohol have been ruled out.

Teen driver charged with second-degree vehicular homicideafter 15-year-old dies in wreck


By Nick Watson nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com @NickWatsonTimes
POSTED: July 7, 2015 3:23 p.m.
SCOTT ROGERS/The Times 

Flowers and candles are placed Monday on the ground beside a tree near Chicopee Baptist Church, where 15-year-old Alfredo Juarez died Thursday. The Gainesville boy died after the car he was riding in traveled off the road and struck the tree, according to the Georgia State Patrol. 

The driver in a Thursday wreck that killed a 15-year-old Gainesville boy has been charged with second-degree vehicular homicide. 

Marco A. Cruz, 19, of Gainesville, turned himself into the Hall County Jail Tuesday morning after a Georgia State Patrol trooper obtained warrants Monday night, according to the GSP. 

Alfredo Juarez, a passenger in Cruz’s car, was killed in the crash on Atlanta Highway near Chicopee Baptist Church. Cruz, according to GSP, drove northbound on Atlanta Highway and lost control of his Honda Civic. 

After traveling off the road, the car struck a construction barrel, according to the GSP. 

“(The Honda) rotated counterclockwise and struck a tree with the right passenger side door on (the Honda),” GSP Cpl. Dallas Van Scoten wrote in an email. 

Cruz suffered minor injuries. 

Van Scoten wrote that rain and “probably a little speed” were potential factors in what caused Cruz to lose control of the vehicle.

Chicken truck overturns in Lula, Georgia. Driver of vehicle uninjured, some chickens did not survive


By Nick Watson nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com @NickWatsonTimes
POSTED: July 9, 2015 12:05 a.m.
ERIN O. SMITH/The Times
A tractor trailer carrying chickens overturned Wednesday. View Larger

Some chickens fluttered to freedom Wednesday evening after a tractor-trailer overturned in Lula. 

A truck for Pilgrim’s Pride flipped on its right side around 6 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Ga. 51/Old Cornelia Highway at Ga. 52/Lula Road. 

“(The driver)’s making a right-hand turn off of (Ga.) 51 ... and basically cuts it too short,” Georgia State Patrol Trooper Brodie Forrester said. 

The back tires got into a ditch during the turn, and the truck overturned, Forrester said. 

The driver of the vehicle was uninjured, though some chickens did not survive.
“I think there’s a couple dead ones under the trailer,” Forrester said. 

A small amount of fuel leaked from the tanks onto the road, the trooper said.
David Rider, of Cleveland, has seen the same fate befall other chicken truck drivers. The last instance he recalled was about six weeks ago. 

“You get that thing loaded with chickens, it’s top heavy bad,” Rider said.
Chickens toward the front of the trailer escaped the truck, but did not cross the road. 

As the tow truck employees worked to get the truck flipped, other chickens made their way out of the crates.

Plains Pipeline Company Pumping Station Sends 4,000 Gallons of Oil into a Creek in Highland, Illinois





 

 

Pipeline spills more than 4,000 gallons of oil into Highland creek



HIGHLAND, IL (KTVI) –

Big concerns continue after an oil leak Friday near Highland, Illinois, not far from the Madison and Bond County line. Residents worry the oil may contaminate their water supply.

Crews have a lot of work to do after more than 4,000 gallons of oil leaked out of this Plains Pipeline Company Pumping Station in to a nearby ditch.  Trouble is, that ditch leads to a creek, which goes to Silver Lake, and that’s where the water for Highland comes from.

The pipeline runs from Patoka, Illinois to Wood River.


Crews have been working to boom the spilled oil in place. That will keep any additional oil out of the town’s water supply and allow it be cleaned up.  It is unclear at this point just how long the leak lasted unchecked or what it took to stop the oil from pouring out of the massive pipeline. A news conference is expected sometime Saturday morning.

Crews from a variety of public safety agencies are working to clean up the mess and minimize the damage.

The city of Highland released a written statement assuring residents there is no sign any of the oil has gotten into Silver Lake and that the water supply has not been affected by the leak. As a precaution, they are not allowing any recreational use of the lake, but Silver Lake Park is open.

But residents are a little nervous about where this oil could end up
Tanya Rommerskirchen tolk FOX 2’s Paul Schankman, “Well, it is a little unnerving since it goes into the water system that we are drinking. So we are now drinking bottled water just to be cautious.”

To assure the safety of the water supply, Highland has instituted additional monitoring and testing of the city’s water supply.

1 Driver Killed, Another Injured in Lexington, South Carolina Head-on Crash


One driver is dead after crashing into another vehicle, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.


Lexington, SC (WLTX) -

 One driver is dead after crashing into another vehicle, according to South Carolina Highway Patrol.

According to Corporal Sonny Collins the crash happened shortly after 8:30 pm Friday. Collins said a 1998 Buick sedan was heading west on Blackville Road when a 1993 Honda coupe was traveling east. 

The driver of the Honda drove into the westbound lane and crashed into the Buick.

The driver of the Honda was killed. The driver of the Buick survived. There is no further information on the surviving driver's condition.

No charges are being filed.

Elderly woman, 96, in hospice care dies in house fire in Burnet County, Texas


Posted: July 11, 2015
 
BURNET, Texas (AP) - 

Investigators say a 96-year-old Central Texas woman who lived alone and was in hospice care has died after fire swept through her house.

The Burnet (BER'-net) County Sheriff's Office says Hazel Etter was found dead Friday in the remains of her home near Burnet.

Investigators do not suspect foul play in the death. An autopsy has been ordered.

Sheriff's authorities say the initial call for help came from an alarm company after Etter activated an emergency pendant. Crews arrived to find the house engulfed in flames.

The State Fire Marshal's Office will help investigate what caused the blaze.
Burnet is 50 miles northwest of Austin.

Oregon woman dies after falling from a northeast Nebraska lake boat ramp.



Posted: July11, 2015
 
PIERCE, Neb. (AP) - 

An Oregon woman has died after falling from a northeast Nebraska lake boat ramp.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission said in a news release Saturday that the accident happened Friday afternoon at Willow Creek State Recreation Area near Pierce.

Witnesses say the Oakland, Oregon, woman was boating with her family and had just stepped off a boat onto the dock when she apparently lost her balance and fell into the water. She remained under the dock a short time before family members were able to pull her out and perform CPR.

Rescue crews took the woman to a Norfolk hospital, where she died Friday night.

Officials say the woman, whose name has not yet been released, was wearing an inflatable life jacket but apparently was unable to deploy it.

A mother and her 9-year old boy killed, 4 other family members seriously injured when a UPS box truck collided with a buggy in central Pennsylvania. The horse was also killed.

 



 

Truck hits buggy in central Pennsylvania, killing woman, boy, injuring 4 other family members.  The horse was also killed.

Posted: July 11, 2015
 
LOGANTON, PA. (AP) - 

Authorities say a truck struck a horse and buggy in central Pennsylvania, killing a woman and a 9-year-old boy and seriously injuring four other people.

State police in Clinton County say the front bumper of the eastbound UPS box truck hit the front end of the horse and buggy shortly before 7 p.m. Friday in Logan Township.

Police said the 36-year-old Rachel Byler of Loganton and the child were killed. The boy's name was not released.

State police say a 37-year-old man, two boys aged 13 and 14, and an 11-year-old girl were left with major injuries.

Authorities said the truck traveled 100 feet after the collision and hit a tree. The 65-year-old woman who was driving was reported to have a minor injury.

Police said the cause of the crash is under investigation.


///-----------------///


LOGANTON, PA

A mother and her son were killed Friday night when the horse-drawn buggy in which they were riding was struck by a UPS delivery truck in Clinton County.

Rachel Beiler, 36, and her son, David, 13, of Loganton, were pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force trauma by Clinton County Coroner Zach Hanna. The horse also was killed, state police said.

The truck, operated by Sherry L. Croak, 55, of Lock Haven and the buggy, driven by Aaron Beiler, 37, husband and father of the deceased, were going the opposite direction on West Winter Road in Loganton when the accident occurred about 6:45 p.m.

The truck struck the horse and buggy with the driver's side bumper causing the buggy to roll onto its side, police said. The truck continued approximately 100 feet and struck a tree.

Aaron Beiler was reported in critical condition Saturday at Geisinger Medical Center near Danville. An 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl also are patients at Geisinger. Their conditions were not available because state police did not disclose their names due to their ages, but investigators said each suffered major injuries. Croak suffered a minor injury, police said.

No charges have been filed pending the completion of an in-depth investigation, troopers said.



SO MANY HEAD-ON AND WRONG WAY CRASHES THIS WEEKEND, ALREADY. SLOW DOWN FOLKS AND STOP DRINKING AND DRIVING

JULY 11, 2015
 
We have posted a record number of wrong-way head-on crashes today.  What is going on folks?  Don't you want to live?  Stop drinking and driving.  If you are under the influence, take a break and wait for your head to clear.



SINCE 9/11/2001, WE HAVE LOST VERY FEW PEOPLE TO TERRORIST ACTS.  BUT WE LOST 500,000 PEOPLE ON THE DEADLY ROADS.  AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILLION HAVE BEEN INJURED.  OUR PRIORITIES ARE CLEARLY MISPLACED
UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.
Since 9/11/2001, we have lost very few people to terrorist acts.  But we lost 500,000 people on the deadly roads.  An additional 5 million have been injured.  Our spending priorities are clearly misplaced.  Investment in our road infrastructure is what is needed, as the economic toll from all these deaths and injuries and property damage has suffocated our economy.
Thus far this year alone, we have lost 12,000 people and an additional 130,000 people have been injured.
Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.
Approximately 34,000 people are getting killed each year.  In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of dead.
However, the number of injured is rising.  Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year.  That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
Speeding, aggressive driving, tail gating, lane changes for no reason, pass on the left to make a quick right turn, no signals or late signaling, weaving through traffic, driving while impaired, driving while tired or sleepy, are just few of the traits of bad drivers.  The end result is always death or injury or a very close call.
There has been an increase of the number of deaths and injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, and motorcyclists.  Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars and often have high performance capabilities. When motorcycles crash, their riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they're more likely to be injured or killed. The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2012, the number of deaths on motorcycles was over 26 times the number in cars.
Unfortunately, there is a small number of drivers who are refusing to wait for a train to pass and they are trying to beat it, with often tragic consequences.
It's not worth the game of chicken.  The two, three or four minutes you will spend waiting for the train to pass is not greater than the time spent injuring yourself or your vehicle, or even loss of life.

So, in a nutshell, it is worse than a war zone out there.
So, please be safe and be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.
As we always say: it is better to arrive late at your current destination, than to arrive early at your final destination.  Slow down at intersections, let the aggressive drivers go first, it does not worth it getting you or your family injured or killed.  
Drive safely.  Learn from these deadly accidents and slow down.  IF YOU MUST GO, THEN TAKE IT SLOW.

 

Female passenger killed, 9 injured (4 critically) in wrong-way head-on crash on I-10 in Arizona


Posted: July 11, 2015
A wrong-way driver killed a woman and injured several others on Friday evening.

Quartzsite, Arizona

The deadly crash happened on eastbound I-10 Friday evening near milepost 63, just east of Quartzsite.  A woman was killed in the crash, and seven other people, including two children, were injured.

DPS received a report of a vehicle heading west int he eastbound lanes of I-10 at about 7:30pm.  The wrong-way driver crashed head-on into another vehicle, and two other vehicles were also damaged in the crash.

DPS reports that the wrong-way driver is a woman who suffered critical injuries in the crash.  A woman who was riding with her in the vehicle was killed in the crash.  A man and two children in the car were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

Five other patients who were riding in the other two vehicles involved in the crash were all transported to hospitals is the west Valley.

Female passenger killed, 4 injured in head-on collision on U.S. 92 in Florida


SEFFNER, FLORIDA — 


An 80-year-old Georgia woman was killed in a two-car crash Friday afternoon on U.S. 92, Florida Highway Patrol troopers reported. Four others were seriously injured.

The collision occurred just after 2:30 p.m., near Kennedy Hills Drive. Jason Mouzakes, 27, was driving a Honda Accord east on U.S. 92 when he tried to stop for traffic in front of him and swerved into oncoming traffic, troopers said. 

Mouzakes, of Bellport, New York, hit a Hyundai Accent, driven by Keriann Chambers, 37, head-on. 

Chambers and another passenger were were taken to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries, troopers said. A second passenger, Rebertha Chambers, 80, was killed. All three are from Stockbridge, Ga.

The Honda driver, Mouzakes, and his passenger, Nicholas Hernandez, 25, of Spring Hill, were also taken to Tampa General Hospital with serious injuries.
Mouzakes was ticketed for careless driving, troopers reported.

Female driver killed, 3 injured in wrong-way head-on crash in Seminole County, Georgia




JULY 11, 2015

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — 

An Orlando woman was killed and three people were injured in a wrong-way crash in Seminole County, Florida Highway Patrol troopers said.

Troopers said Awilda Figueroa Olma, 49, was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of State Road 417 near Rinehart Road when she struck another car just before 3 a.m. Sunday.

Figueroa Olma hit Rachelle Case, 25, of Geneva, head-on, causing Case’s car to overturn into the median, troopers said.

Figueroa Olma got out of her car and was standing in the roadway when a third driver, a 49-year-old Longwood man, struck her Chrysler, slamming it into her and killing her, reports said.

The man could not stop in time to avoid the collision, troopers said.

Figueroa Olma died, and the man suffered serious injuries, along with a 31-year-old passenger in Figueroa Olma’s vehicle.

Both were taken to Central Florida Regional Hospital.

Case suffered minor injuries.

The crash is still under investigation. Troopers do not know why Figueroa Olma was driving the wrong way on SR 417. 

3 people burned to death: New Jersey State Police Arrest Man Involved in Triple-Fatal Crash on Interstate 80

JULY 11, 2015

Rockaway, Township, N.J. – 

The New Jersey State Police have arrested and charged Bhavuk Uppal, 22, of Mountain Lakes, N.J., who caused a chain reaction crash that killed three people earlier this morning at 1:37 a.m.

Based on the preliminary investigation, K Santiago-Madera, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., was stopped in traffic in a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the left-center lane of westbound Interstate 80 at milepost 34.7. 

A 2004 Kia sedan, which contained three unidentified occupants, was stopped in traffic behind the Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

Bhavuk Uppal was driving a 2014 Cadillac Escalade in the left-center lane when he struck the Kia, which caused it to strike the Jeep Grand Cherokee. As a result of the collision, the Kia became fully engulfed in flames. The Cadillac ran off of the right side of the roadway and overturned in a grass embankment.

The occupants of the Kia, driver John Doe, front passenger Jane Doe, and rear seat passenger Baby Doe, were pronounced deceased at the scene at 4:00 a.m. 

 K Santiago-Madera and his passenger, Brandon Green, 32, of Bronx, N.Y., were both taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Bhavuk Uppal was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released. Uppal was then transported to Netcong Station where he was charged with death by auto (3 counts), assault by auto (two counts), causing death or injury while driving while suspended, possession of drug paraphernalia, and DWI. He was lodged at Morris Jail County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bail with no 10% option.

This case is currently under investigation by the New Jersey State Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. The case will be prosecuted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

3 burned to death, 3 injured in fiery 3-vehicle Route 80 crash in Rockaway Township, New Jersey. Responsible driver charged with death by auto, DWI and other charges


UPDATE

JULY 11, 2015

Rockaway, Township, N.J. – 

The New Jersey State Police have arrested and charged Bhavuk Uppal, 22, of Mountain Lakes, N.J., who caused a chain reaction crash that killed three people earlier this morning at 1:37 a.m.

Based on the preliminary investigation, K Santiago-Madera, 26, of Bronx, N.Y., was stopped in traffic in a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the left-center lane of westbound Interstate 80 at milepost 34.7. 

A 2004 Kia sedan, which contained three unidentified occupants, was stopped in traffic behind the Jeep Grand Cherokee. 

Bhavuk Uppal was driving a 2014 Cadillac Escalade in the left-center lane when he struck the Kia, which caused it to strike the Jeep Grand Cherokee. As a result of the collision, the Kia became fully engulfed in flames. The Cadillac ran off of the right side of the roadway and overturned in a grass embankment.

The occupants of the Kia, driver John Doe, front passenger Jane Doe, and rear seat passenger Baby Doe, were pronounced deceased at the scene at 4:00 a.m. 

 K Santiago-Madera and his passenger, Brandon Green, 32, of Bronx, N.Y., were both taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Bhavuk Uppal was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released. Uppal was then transported to Netcong Station where he was charged with death by auto (3 counts), assault by auto (two counts), causing death or injury while driving while suspended, possession of drug paraphernalia, and DWI. He was lodged at Morris Jail County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bail with no 10% option.

This case is currently under investigation by the New Jersey State Police and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. The case will be prosecuted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

One driver was killed and three other people were injured in a fiery three-vehicle crash Saturday morning on Route 80 in Rockaway Township, according to New Jersey State Police.

The victim, who was not identified, was driving a vehicle, also unidentified, when it was involved in a crash with a Cadillac Escalade and Jeep Cherokee on westbound Route 80 near Exit 34B (Route 15) about 1:37 a.m., according to Sgt. Jeffrey Flynn.

The victim’s vehicle became “fully engulfed” in flames following the crash, Flynn said.

The driver of the Cadillac and two occupants of the Jeep were transported to Morristown Medical Center, Flynn said. Their condition was unknown, according to Flynn.

Westbound lanes of Route 80 were closed for the investigation, but were cleared as of 10 a.m. Saturday, Flynn said.

Flynn said more information about the crash was not immediately available, but would be posted on the New Jersey State Police Facebook page when available.