MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/24/15

Friday, July 24, 2015

1,700 gallon oil spill from a tank of Big Sky Energy out of New Concord, Ohio, brings call for Shenango Valley water conservation



 
Posted: July 24, 2015
BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio - 

Homes and businesses served by the Shenango Water Treatment Plant are being asked to conserve water until further notice due to a spill in the area.
Hazmat crews have been on the scene of a crude oil spill reported Friday morning along the Shenango River near North River Road in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Although authorities say the spill has been contained, Jim Willard, Western Area Manager for Aqua of Pennsylvania tells 21 News that operations a the Shenango Water plant have been shut down until investigators give them the "all-clear" allowing them to resume water intake.

Until then, Aqua customers in the area are being asked to conserve. 
"Because we are not producing and treating water we are riding on the storage volume in our tanks right now. That means we need to conserve that water to get us through this time period before we can bring the intakes back online," says Willard.

The affected service area is listed below:

Mercer County:
City of Farrell, City of Hermitage, City of Sharon, Coolspring Township, E.
Lackawannock Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township, Lackawannock Township, Mercer Borough, Shenango Township, West Middlesex Borough, Wheatland Borough, Wilmington Township, and Sharpsville Borough.


Lawrence County:
New Wilmington Borough, Pulaski Township, Wilmington Township.

Trumbull County:

Brookfield Township, Hubbard Township, City of Hubbard.
The source of the spill is believed to be from an oil well across the state line along Orangeville and Thompson Sharpsville Roads in Brookfield.

The oil made its way into a tributary of the Shenango River.

The Ohio EPA says it is coordinating hazmat efforts in Trumbull County. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Health is monitoring cleanup efforts at the Shenango River. 

 The Brookfield Fire Department, Hermitage Fire Department, Sharon and Transfer Fire Department, as well as state authorities, are investigating the situation. 

Authorities estimate the oil had been leaking for about 24 hours.  Approximately 500 gallons had escaped from the tank.

According to a statement from Congressman Tim Ryan, the U.S. EPA informed his office that the spill entailed 1,700 gallons.

The owner of the well is Big Sky Energy out of New Concord, Ohio.

The president of that company, Robert Barr, tells 21 News the bottom of the tank had rusted out, leading to the leak.


He says his company will pay for clean-up costs he estimates to reach around $40,000.

Aqua Pennsylvania asks users to conserve water in light of oil spill on a tributary that feeds the Shenango River





Posted: Friday, July 24, 2015
 
SHARON, PA – 

Aqua Pennsylvania (Aqua) is asking its customers in the Shenango Valley area and a small portion of Trumbull County, Ohio to conserve water following a crude oil spill that caused Aqua to shut down the raw-water intake at its water treatment plant as a precaution to protect its drinking water supply.

At the request of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Aqua is asking its customers in the Shenango Valley area to conserve water until further notice. This is necessary because, as a result of the spill, the plant is no longer drawing in new water. Aqua is asking its customers to use water for essential purposes only. Essential uses include water needed for eating and drinking. Non-essential uses include watering lawns, excessive showering, laundering and washing cars.
At about 8 a.m. today, Aqua was notified by the Mercer County Emergency Management Agency of a crude oil spill on a tributary that feeds the Shenango River — the water source for Aqua’s Shenango water treatment plant.
Upon notification, Aqua implemented its standard operating procedures (SOP) for such an emergency by shutting down the Shenango plant to assess the situation. Aqua increased monitoring of the raw water at the plant intake and upstream of the plant. Booms have been placed around the raw water intake to protect it from the spill.
Staff is also closely monitoring its distribution storage and will continue this and its other procedures throughout the event.
The affected service area is listed below.
Mercer County: City of Farrell, City of Hermitage, City of Sharon, Coolspring Township, E. Lackawannock Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township, Lackawannock Township, Mercer Borough, Shenango Township, West Middlesex Borough, Wheatland Borough,

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

1,700 gallon oil spill from a tank of Big Sky Energy out of New Concord, Ohio, brings call for Shenango Valley water conservation

Posted: July 24, 2015

BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio - 

Homes and businesses served by the Shenango Water Treatment Plant are being asked to conserve water until further notice due to a spill in the area.
Hazmat crews have been on the scene of a crude oil spill reported Friday morning along the Shenango River near North River Road in Sharon, Pennsylvania.

Although authorities say the spill has been contained, Jim Willard, Western Area Manager for Aqua of Pennsylvania tells 21 News that operations a the Shenango Water plant have been shut down until investigators give them the "all-clear" allowing them to resume water intake.

Until then, Aqua customers in the area are being asked to conserve. 
"Because we are not producing and treating water we are riding on the storage volume in our tanks right now. That means we need to conserve that water to get us through this time period before we can bring the intakes back online," says Willard.

The affected service area is listed below:

Mercer County:
City of Farrell, City of Hermitage, City of Sharon, Coolspring Township, E.
Lackawannock Township, Jackson Township, Jefferson Township, Lackawannock Township, Mercer Borough, Shenango Township, West Middlesex Borough, Wheatland Borough, Wilmington Township, and Sharpsville Borough.


Lawrence County:
New Wilmington Borough, Pulaski Township, Wilmington Township.

Trumbull County:

Brookfield Township, Hubbard Township, City of Hubbard.
The source of the spill is believed to be from an oil well across the state line along Orangeville and Thompson Sharpsville Roads in Brookfield.

The oil made its way into a tributary of the Shenango River.

The Ohio EPA says it is coordinating hazmat efforts in Trumbull County. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Health is monitoring cleanup efforts at the Shenango River. 

 The Brookfield Fire Department, Hermitage Fire Department, Sharon and Transfer Fire Department, as well as state authorities, are investigating the situation. 

Authorities estimate the oil had been leaking for about 24 hours.  Approximately 500 gallons had escaped from the tank.

According to a statement from Congressman Tim Ryan, the U.S. EPA informed his office that the spill entailed 1,700 gallons.

The owner of the well is Big Sky Energy out of New Concord, Ohio.

The president of that company, Robert Barr, tells 21 News the bottom of the tank had rusted out, leading to the leak.


He says his company will pay for clean-up costs he estimates to reach around $40,000.

PUCO: ‘Improperly abandoned’ gas line led to house explosion at 3418 Sunningdale Way in Upper Arlington




By

A series of events stemming from an "improperly abandoned natural gas line" as many as 30 years ago led to the explosion of an Upper Arlington house last March, according to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

The PUCO's investigative report released today, July 24, said a gas line to the house at 3418 Sunningdale Way was not properly sealed and cut off from the main line by Columbia Gas of Ohio when it was replaced due to a corrosive leak sometime between 1985 and 1997.

The March 21 explosion that reduced the house to rubble, left seven others uninhabitable and damaged 18 others throughout the neighborhood occurred after a Columbus Water Department worker responded to a call for service at the address, confused the gas line for a water valve and then failed to fully close the line.

Columbia Gas of Ohio spokesman Dave Rau said July 24 the PUCO report was not intended to find fault in the incident.

He said there were a "very unique set of circumstances" that led to the explosion that were "very unlikely to occur again."

"Prior to 2008, Columbia Gas was not allowed to install or repair service lines," Rau said. "That was the responsibility of the customer.

"The customer would've called a plumber, and the plumber would've replaced the service line. Then the plumber was responsible to call Columbia Gas to have that new service line connected to our main."

Rau said Columbia Gas had no record of the newer gas line to the house, and noted the shutoff valve to the original, abandoned service line got mislabeled as a water line.

"As the report mentions, someone partially opened that valve on the original service line and that was the source of the gas that eventually went got into the house and caused the explosion," he said.

Rau said his company was "very thankful" no one was hurt from the blast.
"We will certainly work with the PUCO to address any concerns they have," Rau said.

Matthew Schilling, a PUCO spokesman, said the PUCO will hold an enforcement proceeding in the matter.

During those proceedings, Columbia Gas and other parties will be permitted to provide evidence and testimony before the PUCO ultimately determines if "corrective actions or monetary fines" should be imposed, Schilling said.

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


Explosion investigation could take months

Six houses have been declared unsafe for occupancy in the Sunningdale Way neighborhood where a seventh house was leveled by a weekend explosion.
Upper Arlington Fire Chief Jeff Young said investigations into the explosion could take months to conclude.

Investigators from both Columbia Gas of Ohio and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio continue to look into how a 2,224-square-foot house at 3418 Sunningdale Way exploded Saturday, March 21. Owners Hidefumi and Mariko Ishida reportedly were in Japan at the time of the incident and had not returned as of press time Tuesday.

Upper Arlington Police Chief Brian Quinn said his office currently doesn't suspect foul play in the explosion.

"At this point in time, we have no reason to believe it was an arson," Quinn said. "We have no reason to believe there was any criminal intent."

Young said firefighters and medics responded to the scene within approximately five minutes of it being reported at 2:48 p.m. March 21.

He said Tuesday, March 24, that his division is working under the assumption that a leak and buildup of natural gas caused the blast because a mailman on his route reportedly smelled gas in the area and a Columbia Gas employee was responding to a reported gas leak at the time of the blast.

Upper Arlington city officials released 911 calls from the incident Tuesday. They support Young's assertions that the Upper Arlington Fire Division did not receive reports of a possible gas leak prior to the explosion.

According to a timeline of events released by the city Tuesday afternoon, a neighbor called the police department's nonemergency number at 12:46 p.m. March 21 to say a security alarm might go off because he intended to enter the property at the request of a Columbia Gas representative who was checking reports of a gas leak.

After that, Young said, the first call the fire department received was a report of the explosion at 2:48 p.m.

In the hours after the blast, bricks, shattered glass and other debris littered Sunningdale Way. No one was seriously hurt, which Young and area residents said was a miracle.

"To me, quite honestly, it's amazing," Young said hours after the blast. "A warm spring day with a volume of people out enjoying the day -- that someone was not hurt was, quite honestly, amazing."

Numerous homes on Sunningdale experienced structural damage and homes on nearby streets also had windows broken out and owners reported drywall cracking and other damage.

"I was laying down here on the couch and when it happened, it blew me three feet off the couch," said Mark Fisanick, whose home at 3430 Inverness Way is about one-tenth of a mile from the house that was destroyed. "It was like a grenade went off."

Some other neighbors whose homes were significantly damaged also were said to be out of town on spring break vacation.

According to a Monday, March 23, press release issued by the city, Upper Arlington's Building Division inspected several nearby homes and determined that six weren't safe for habitation and required structural or utility repair work.
The release said 18 homes sustained "minor" damage, but are safe for occupancy. Eight homes still had their electricity temporarily cut off by AEP Ohio March 23, including the six that had been deemed unsafe.

Fisanick's wife, Theresa, bruised her arm when the blast knocked her off balance while she was showering. She said there were cracks in her roof and 16 windows in her home were damaged -- including one that was blown out in a rear room where her son, Nick, was playing video games.

"I thought it was an earthquake," Nick Fisanick said.
Lin Blackwell, who lives nearby on Fishinger Road, said her aunt was visiting from California and also thought an earthquake had occurred.

"The doors on the second floor all blew open, and they close tight," Blackwell said.

Blackwell said her home experienced cracking on its ceilings and a third-floor window was broken. She added that she was in her backyard with five nephews when they heard the explosion, and they witnessed panicked golfers who previously had been enjoying the 60-degree temperatures at the Ohio State University Golf Course on Tremont Road.

"People were playing and then the golf course just froze," she said. "Then everyone on the golf course started running and someone said, 'Call 911.'"
PUCO spokesman Matthew Schilling said his agency is assisting the UAFD's investigation in an advisory role.

He said the UAFD and Columbia Gas will conduct their initial investigations of the explosion to see if any enforcement action is required. From there, Columbia Gas is required to provide an initial report of its findings to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration within 30 days of the incident.
The PHMSA and PUCO will make a determination of the cause of the explosion based on the initial report and any findings by the fire department.

He said the timing of that ruling "depends on the nature of the investigation."
In the meantime, he reiterated that people should take the smell of natural gas seriously.

"Any customer out there who wants to report a leak should contact their local utility and their local emergency responders," Schilling said.
Columbia Gas posted a press statement on its website Tuesday, saying the matter remains under investigation.

"Gas service remains shut off to the seven damaged homes. Before service is restored, Columbia Gas will perform a thorough safety inspection at each of those homes."

Boat crashes into restaurant dock in Dania Beach in Florida


DANIA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- 

Patrons at one local restaurant were in for quite a show when a boat crashed into a dock, Thursday afternoon.

The crash occurred behind the Rustic Inn at the 4300 block of Ravenswood Road in Dania Beach.

According to Broward Sheriff's Fire Rescue, 50 patrons were relocated inside the restaurant after the crash. The dock did suffer damage.

It is unclear what exactly caused the boat to crash.

No one was injured other than the pocket book of the boater.

3 children taken to hospital after boating accident on Fox River near Cary, Illinois



CARY, Ill. — 

A boating accident sends one person to the hospital in the far northwest suburbs.

Witnesses say two boats were traveling in opposite directions on the Fox River near Cary this evening.

There was reportedly some sort of collision and three children on tubers somehow ended up in one of the vessels.

One child was taken to the hospital with broken bones and was in and out of consciousness.

Two other children were also hospitalized with minor injuries.

All three are expected to be okay

Employee’s death at International Paper’s Ticonderoga plant ‘preventable’. OSHA cites paper manufacturer for willful, repeated, serious safety violations







U.S. Department of Labor

July 24, 2015
Employee’s death at International Paper’s Ticonderoga plant ‘preventable’.
  OSHA cites paper manufacturer for willful, repeated, serious safety violations

ALBANY, N.Y.

The death of an employee at International Paper Co.’s Ticonderoga plant could have been prevented if his employer provided proper safeguards and training, an inspection by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has determined.

The 57-year-old general mechanic was removing burned filter bags of combustible fly ash dust from a dust collector in the facility’s power plant and replacing them with new bags when the fly ash ignited. He sustained severe burns as a result and subsequently died.

OSHA cited the paper manufacturer on July 22 for two willful, one repeated and three serious violations of workplace safety standards.

The agency opened its inspection on Jan. 24, 2015, and found that International Paper failed to supply the employee with necessary fire-resistant clothing and did not train him and employees on the specific physical hazards of combustible fly ash. In addition, the system for conveying and collecting the fly ash was deficient. It had not been inspected for defects, did not comply with National Fire Protection Association standards and had not been maintained adequately.
“This worker’s death was preventable. International Paper knew of these hazards and deficiencies and did not address them,” said Kim Castillon, OSHA’s area director in Albany. “While nothing can return this man to his daughter and co-workers, the company can and must take prompt and effective steps to ensure that this never happens again.”

The inspection also found that the company’s procedures for isolating the dust conveyor system’s power source during maintenance activities were incomplete. It also found that the company failed to complete annual evaluations to ensure the procedures were effective. View the citations here*.

OSHA has placed International Paper in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program, which mandates targeted follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with the law. Initiated in March 2011, the program focuses on recalcitrant employers who endanger workers by committing willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations.

International Paper, which faces $211,000 in proposed fines, is a global leader in the paper and packaging industry with manufacturing operations in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Asia and North Africa.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Albany Area Office at 518-464-4338.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. 
OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

BSEE Verifies Response Equipment of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. in Gulf of Mexico Region




JULY 23, 2015
FORT JACKSON, La.

Preparedness Analysts with BSEE’s Oil Spill Preparedness Division boarded the Louisiana Responder at Fort Jackson, Louisiana on July 14 to test the response readiness of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. 

While conducting an equipment verification, the team witnessed the testing of a skimmer and other associated equipment, stored in Buras, Louisiana, on the Mississippi River. Subsequent response equipment, stored at Marine Spill Response Corp. in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, was also verified. 

The objective of equipment verification is to assure operators have access to necessary resources outlined in their oil spill response plans and to confirm that specialized equipment is in acceptable operating condition and is being properly maintained.

 07232015_BSEE_Verifies_Response Equipmen_GOMR_600px

After 4 young women killed when their limo was T-boned while making a U-turn in the Wine Country of Long Island, how safe are these limousines?

A Fatal Crash Shows a Safety Problem With Stretch Limousines

To travel safely as they toured wineries on the North Fork of Long Island last weekend, eight young women booked a stretch limousine for the afternoon. They could enjoy the wine and spirits without having to worry about driving.

As it turned out, they got into a vehicle that, like many stretch limousines, had been stripped of the very safety features intended to help people in regular cars survive broadside collisions.

Late in the afternoon, when the limousine started to make a U-turn, it was hit broadside by a pickup truck on Route 48 in Suffolk County. Four of the women died.

In looking at photographs of the wreckage, Raul Arbelaez, an engineer with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety who has studied side-impact crashes, said on Thursday that the truck struck the limousine at a spot that had virtually none of the conventional protections.
“This couldn’t have been centered on a worse place,” said Mr. Arbelaez, a vice president at the institute’s Vehicle Research Center. “It hit the most vulnerable spot.”

To make a stretch limousine, an ordinary car is cut in half and plates are used to extend the floor and the roof. Pillars in the car, running from the ceiling to the floor, are normally part of a structural cage around the passenger compartment in conventional cars. But in a stretch limousine, the passenger areas are generally not protected by the pillars.
“Where this crash was centered, you have none of that structure,” Mr. Arbelaez said.

Because seats are reconfigured in stretch limousines, the ordinary principles of protection for side-impact crashes do not apply: For a person sitting with her back to the door on one side, the collision comes from the rear; for a person facing her, it is a head-on collision. Officials could not say if the side seats were equipped with safety belts.

In regular passenger cars, federal standards require curtain airbags that are packed into a roof rail and activated during a collision from the side to protect the heads of the driver and passengers.

“What you have in a stretch limousine is none of that,” Mr. Arbelaez said. “Even if you wanted to put them in, I know of no airbag suppliers that make an airbag big enough.”

A strict regulatory regimen has reduced highway deaths drastically over the last four decades — seatbelts, airbags and proof that vehicles can continue to protect passengers in at least some collisions. Before a car becomes a stretch limousine, the manufacturer must prove that it can meet federal safety standards. After it has been bought, the new owner can modify it into a stretch limo without having to show that it is crashworthy.

The young women had been riding in a Lincoln Town Car that had been converted into a stretch limousine. The vehicle was hired from Ultimate Class Limousine Worldwide, which has a base in Hicksville, on Long Island. A public relations person for the limousine company did not reply to questions about its safety features.

The driver of the truck, Steven Romeo, has been charged with driving while intoxicated, but authorities chose not to give him a breathalyzer test at the scene, and officials in Suffolk County say they have not yet received lab tests on his blood when this article was written.  Today, the DA revealed that the blood alcohol level was 0.068, less than the 0.080 legal limit. 

The charge was based on a police officer’s observations that he was unsteady after the crash, had an odor of alcohol, and acknowledged having had beer, according to Bob Clifford, a spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney, Thomas Spota. The limousine driver passed a breathalyzer test, Mr. Clifford said. The authorities also seized the cellphones of both the limousine driver and Mr. Romeo.

On Thursday, Suffolk prosecutors agreed with Mr. Romeo’s lawyer that his bail should be reduced to $50,000 from $500,000. Mr. Spota has scheduled a press briefing for Friday.

Drunken driving is an undeniable hazard, but it is not clear yet if it was a factor in the devastation on Saturday. Officials would not say if they expect the intoxication charges against Mr. Romeo to stand. A family friend described him as being “inconsolable.” He remains hospitalized.

Another factor at the crash site, a spot where limousines often make U-turns, is the absence of a red light. Traffic tickets are issued every week to limousine drivers for failing to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic, the police in Southold said.

People getting into limousines assume they are safe, but the stretch limousines in particular do not provide much protection to passengers in a crash. “It’s like playing in the World Cup,” Mr. Arbelaez said, “and leaving the goalie box open.

New Jersey Transit riders livid after power problems again cause Amtrak delays


AJ Ross reports
Power problems caused delays for commuter train lines into New York City on Friday, leaving thousands of riders livid and transit officials apologizing for the fourth such problem in a week.

Friday's rail power issue added to a summer that has seen delays of a half hour or more for New Jersey Transit riders, about once every three working days, according to a review of the agency's messages to commuters.

Amtrak was restricted to operating three trains at a time through the Hudson River Tunnel into New York City Friday morning, spokesman Craig Schultz said in an email.

The head of New Jersey Transit again apologized to commuters for the delays into Manhattan. Executive Director Ronnie Hakim said in an email Friday that NJ Transit is "taking all steps necessary to hold Amtrak accountable."

Amtrak, which owns most of the tracks and equipment on the Northeast corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston, has said it needs money to repair and replace infrastructure dating to the 1930s associated with the 105-year-old rail tunnel into New York. More than 2,000 trains operated by Amtrak or commuter rail lines run each day on the Northeast corridor, according to Amtrak.

Amtrak's master plan to upgrade the Northeast corridor includes improvements to tracks, signals and power lines between New Jersey and New York; Amtrak officials didn't immediately comment Friday on the status of those improvements.

Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman met with reporters Friday afternoon to discuss the power problems.

Last year Boardman said damage from Superstorm Sandy in 2012 would force Amtrak to shut down one of the tunnel's tubes for repairs within less than 20 years.

Funding for Amtrak has long been a contentious issue in Congress. In May the House Appropriations Committee voted to cut Amtrak's budget for next year to $1.1 billion, a $251 million reduction and voted down a Democratic effort to boost federal funds for the railroad by more than $1 billion.

In an emailed statement Friday, Gov. Chris Christie said he asked the state attorney general's office to see what steps can be taken to ensure the money paid by NJ Transit to Amtrak is used properly. He also took to Twitter about the issue:


NJ Transit pays about $100 million per year to Amtrak to use the rail lines.

"We've got to make a decision on whether we're going to make some significant investments in infrastructure or whether we're going to live with the delays, the lost productivity, the inferior quality of life and less business opportunities," Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on housing, transportation, and community development , said Friday.

Montclair resident Matthew Walters blamed the aging infrastructure and said delays are a weekly occurrence on his commute into New York.


"It's come to the point where in the past, especially in the winter - the winter's awful because of snow and ice, the trains are constantly backed up and delayed, can be delayed for several hours - that in the winter I come in the night before and stay with friends in Manhattan," he said Friday.

The latest problem came two days after Amtrak power problems on Wednesday delayed thousands of commuters from getting to and from New York City. NJ Transit was forced to suspend service in and out of the city and the agency apologized on Twitter to riders, saying the "quality of the commute last few days has been unacceptable, we share your frustration." The transit agency said it had "contacted Amtrak at highest levels seeking solution."

1 BMW driver killed in 4-vehicle crash on Route 280 west in West Orange; a BMW hit a construction vehicle and then two other cars


Shannon Sohn is over the scene in Newscopter7
A major roadway was shut down for hours in New Jersey Friday after one person was killed in a crash involving four vehicles.

It happened at about 11:15 a.m. on the westbound lanes of Route 280 near the Pleasant Valley Way/CR 636 exit (mile marker 7) in West Orange.

Police said the driver of a BMW struck a construction vehicle and then struck two other cars.

The driver of the BMW was taken the hospital where he was pronounced dead. A woman who was in the car with him suffered minor injuries.

The people in the other vehicles struck received only minor injuries.

Emergency crews opened up the shoulder to traffic as of about 4 p.m., with a six-mile backup behind the crash site.

Keep checking abc7NY for updates on this developing story.

2 injured in ATV collision with a deer in Minnesota

By Krystal Frasier
July 24, 2015

 
Mountain Iron, MN (NNCNOW.com)

Two people in Mountain Iron had to be taken to the hospital after their ATV collided with a deer.

The crash happened around 5:30 Thursday on the 9500 block of old Highway 169.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says 41 year old Dale Halik and 31 year old Laura Leoni were ejected from the ATV when it struck the deer in the roadway.

Leoni was taken by helicopter to a Duluth hospital and is said to be in serious condition.

Halik was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Sheriff's Office is continuing to investigate the crash.

They say alcohol appears to have been a factor.

ATVs are Dangerous: Medical helicopter called to ATV collision with another vehicle in Beaver County, PA



JULY 24, 2015

DAUGHERTY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — 

A medical helicopter was called to an accident involving an all-terrain vehicle and another vehicle in Daugherty Township, Beaver County, Friday afternoon, Channel 11 has learned.

Initial reports indicated that a juvenile suffered a head injury when an ATV he or she was on was involved in accident in the 600 block of Blockhouse Run Road.

The victim was reportedly unconscious at the scene.

No further information about the victim’s condition was immediately available.

Pickup Driver Killed After He Rear-Ended a Semi-Truck at I-5 Construction Site in California





Photos captured at the scene of a fatal crash on northbound I-5, Thursday July 23, 2015. Traffic was at a stop on the interstate due to construction, officials said. (Published Friday, July 24, 2015)





A driver was killed when a pickup truck slammed head-on into a tractor trailer on Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton overnight.


Traffic was at a complete stop due to construction, officials said.


The California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred at 11:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-5 near Harbor Drive.


The victim was identified as a 67-year-old man from Santa Fe Springs.


The tractor trailer driver was uninjured. He was carrying 80,000 pounds of tomatoes.



Greek Customs Seize Panamanian Vessel. The Vessel Was Carrying 16 Armored Vehicles for Libya

Libya
By MarEx 2015-07-24 15:19:42 

Greek customs officials have seized 16 armored vehicles from the Panama-flagged roll on, roll off (Roro) carrier Tychy, which was stopped at the Keratsini port in Greece. The roro carrier was bound for the Libyan Khalid port. 

The illegal cargo consisted of eight armored Typhoon GSS-300 military vehicles, five armored Toyota Land Cruisers, one armored Mercedes and one BMW and another unnamed vehicle.

Shipping these vehicles into Libya is a violation of paragraph nine of United Nations decision 1970/2011 which prohibits the supply, sale or transfer of military or paramilitary equipment into the country.

The vessel is owned Maritime Operators Inc and is commercially managed by Reefer & General Ship Management, both of which are based in Greece.

2 women killed, 5 critically injured by big rig on I-35 in Texasafter their car stalled






AUSTIN, TEXAS (KXAN) – 

An early morning crash between an 18-wheeler and a pickup truck killed two women and critically injured five others.

The collision happened at about 1:30 a.m. in the 8200 block of I-35, near Rutherford Lane. Austin-Travis County EMS reports the pickup truck was stopped on the highway for some unknown reason when the 18-wheeler hit it from behind at highway speed. The speed limit in that area is 70 miles per hour.

The people killed in the crash were Telesfora Moran Fuentes, 46, and Yesenia Nayeli Resendiz, 23. Both were from Oklahoma City.

EMS took three other children to Dell Children’s Medical Center with critical injuries. Another adult in critical condition went to University Medical Center Brackenridge. The woman driving the big rig was also hurt, but is expected to recover.

All northbound traffic is being diverted off of the interstate at US 183. APD says the lanes may be closed through rush hour traffic. Drivers are encouraged to use MoPac or SH 130 as an alternative.

One driver went around the barricades blocking the crash scene. After a short pursuit, officers were able to stop that car.

Update: I-35 is now open.  Drive safely and cautiously.


SINCE 9/11/2001, WE HAVE LOST VERY FEW PEOPLE TO TERRORIST ACTS. BUT WE LOST 500,000 PEOPLE ON THE DEADLY ROADS, WITH MILLIONS INJURED, BILLIONS IN DAMAGES









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 17,000 people and an additional 400,000 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.

Elderly drivers cause many accidents.  We need to force drivers to take driving refresher courses every 5 years or more often.  Drivers must also be tested for eye-sight, hearing, drugs, etc.  Many thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries would be prevented if we do so.  Please remember that a vehicle is a lethal weapon and only a regularly-trained, capable and fit person should operate it.

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.