MEC&F Expert Engineers : 06/18/16

Saturday, June 18, 2016

Deli Meat and Bread Trucks Collide on Interstate 287's southbound lanes in Piscataway, NJ


Deli Meat, Bread Spill Onto New Jersey Highway After Truck Crash




A truck carrying deli meat collided with a another truck carrying bread on a New Jersey highway Friday morning, causing a sandwich-like spill on the busy roadway. (Published Friday, June 17, 2016)


A truck carrying deli meat collided with another truck carrying bread on a New Jersey highway Friday morning, causing a sandwich-like spill on the busy roadway.

The trucks collided on Interstate 287's southbound lanes in Piscataway shortly before 6 a.m., causing backups that stretched several exits.


Chopper 4 footage from over the scene shows first responders cleaning up spilled bread and meats. The trailer portion of one of the trucks appears to be destroyed, and its contents are spewed about the roadway.

By about 7:30 a.m., most of the cleanup had been completed.

Unfortunate Truck Spills: Deli Meat and Bread Trucks Collide

There weren't any reports of injuries.

Backups on the roadway stretched several miles as all but one lane on the roadway's southbound lanes were closed.

Son of Chief Deputy of Hickman County, TN was killed in a wreck that involved a hazmat semi-truck, two vehicles and possibly a delivery truck


Victim identified fatal I-40 crash in Dickson



 Joshua B Arntz, jarntz@dicksonherald.com 


10:45 a.m. CDT June 18, 2016



(Photo: James Bendall / The Herald)

The victim in the fatal crash on Interstate 40 in Dickson on Friday afternoon has been identified as Jesse Butts, the son of Hickman County Chief Deputy C.J. Butts.

The Hickman County Sheriff's Office made the announcement via their Facebook page:

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that the Hickman County Sheriff's Office announce the passing of Jesse Butts the son of our Chief Deputy CJ Butts. Jesse passed away today from injuries sustained in automobile accident on I-40 in Dickson County. The thoughts and prayers of the Hickman County Sheriff's Office family is with our Chief Deputy."

The crash, which occurred around 4:30 p.m., involved a commercial vehicle hauling hazardous material and passenger vehicles on Interstate 40 westbound in Dickson. At the time, traffic was rerouted at the Burns-Fairview exit as the roadways were shut down until around midnight.

I-40 West at exit 172 is now open, according to Dickson Emergency Communications media release at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Miller told The Herald via email that preliminary information on the accident indicated one fatal injury from the crash at exit 172; and that westbound traffic was being diverted at exit 182.

Herald reporter James Bendall was at the scene.

According to Bendall, the wreck involved a semi-truck, two vehicles and possibly a delivery truck. The semi-truck rig caught on fire and melted but was later extinguished.

Bendall also reported a hazardous chemical leak at the scene, and emergency management agents were on site.

A driver is killed in a high speed crash in Lansing, which ended up knocking out power to over a thousand homes in the area


Fatal Accident Leads To Power Outage In Lansing



By WILX |
Updated: Sat 8:55 AM, Jun 18, 2016

 

A driver is killed in a high speed crash early Saturday in Lansing, which ended up knocking out power to over a thousand homes in the area.


SOURCE: MGN

The fatal accident happened just after 3:00 a.m. on West St. Joseph Street near MLK Jr. Boulevard.

The crash remains under investigation, but officers say the car was going well above the speed limit when it hit a utility pole.

The driver was reportedly pinned inside the car.

Police are waiting to notify family before they release the driver's name.

The accident knocked out power to thousands of nearby homes and businesses.

Lansing BWL tells us nearly 1,400 customers on Lansing's west side were in the dark this morning, because of damage to the utility pole.

Power has since been restored to the area.

Two women and a toddler were injured in an ATV accident on Murrock Farms in the town of Pamelia, NY


Two adults, toddler injured in Pamelia ATV crash
PUBLISHED: SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 2016 AT 12:30 AM


 AMANDA MORRISON / WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES
Two women and a toddler were injured Thursday evening in an ATV accident on Murrock Farms off Route 283 in the town of Pamelia.






WATERTOWN — Two women and a toddler were injured Thursday evening in an ATV accident on Murrock Farms off Route 283 in the town of Pamelia.

Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene around 8:20 p.m.

Cinthia Murrock, 49, was taken via helicopter to Upstate Medical University hospital in Syracuse. A 3-year-old was also flown to Syracuse by helicopter.

The third ATV occupant, Roberta Nebel, 49, was taken to Samaritan Medical Center.

Deputies did not comment on the extent of the passengers’ injuries, but did say that all three are expected to recover.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Deputies were assisted at the scene by state police, Black River police, Guilfoyle Ambulance, the Northpole Fire Department, Mercy Flight and LifeNet.

Teen fatally struck by elderly driver while mowing lawn in Orland Park, IL








Updated 25 mins ago
ORLAND PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- Orland Park police are investigating a deadly crash that killed a 17-year-old boy Friday afternoon.

The teen was mowing grass on Silo Ridge Road when a 73-year-old driver veered off the road and hit him around 4:30 p.m. The teen was taken to Franciscan St. James Health in Olympia Fields and was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m.

The boy has been identified as David Dolitsky.

The driver was not hurt and at this point and has not been charged.

a small child and a woman have been killed after a pickup truck was hit by a freight train in southern Ohio


Train accident leaves two dead

SOURCE: MGN


Posted: Sat 12:53 PM, Jun 18, 2016

 
PIKETON, Ohio (AP) - Police say a small child and a woman have been killed after a pickup truck was hit by a freight train in southern Ohio.

Three-year-old Breea Holschuh and 67-year-old Brenda Hanshaw were killed Friday in the collision in Piketon, about 70 miles south of Columbus. They were passengers in the truck driven by Breea's mother, 40-year-old Cassandra Blankenship.

Police say Blankenship survived the collision. She was flown by helicopter to a Columbus hospital where police say she's listed in stable condition.

The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Authorities say the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Piketon police and the Piketon County Sheriff's Office are investigating to determine why the collision occurred.

Bicyclist critically injured in hit-and-run crash in Haddon Township, New Jersey.


Police: Bicyclist struck by hit-and-run driver in Camden Co.





Police are looking for the hit-and-run driver who allegedly ran into a person riding a bicycle in Haddon Township, New Jersey.





Updated 2 hrs 36 mins ago

HADDON TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Police are looking for the hit-and-run driver who allegedly ran into a person riding a bicycle in Haddon Township, New Jersey.

The crash occurred after midnight Saturday in the southbound lanes of the Black Horse Pike near Pershing Avenue.

The victim was rushed to Cooper University Hospital in critical condition.






PICTURES: Bicyclist critically injured in hit-and-run crash in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Police have not released that person's names.

Investigators are working on getting a description of the striking vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Camden County Police.

Speed and alcohol appears to have played a role in a deadly accident on the Katy Freeway eastbound feeder road near Silber Road


Katy Fwy EB feeder at Silber closed due to fatal accident





Investigators are probing why a woman crashed her vehicle into a concrete barrier on the Katy Freeway (KTRK)





By Marla Carter
Saturday, June 18, 2016 08:43AM

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Speed appears to have played a role in a deadly accident on the Katy Freeway eastbound feeder road near Silber Road.

The eastbound feeder road reopened just after 8:30am after Houston police spent several hours working to reconstruct the wreck that killed a woman and injured her passenger.




The crash happened at 2:45 this morning as the 30-year-old victim crashed her black Infinity into a raised median before hitting a retaining wall and a light pole.

The female driver died at the hospital. Her passenger is expected to survive her injuries.



Investigators are still working to piece together what happened, but say alcohol may have also been a factor in the crash.

We have a crew on scene and will update you with details when we get them.

We're following this story on Eyewitness News. Watch for updates on air, online and on our mobile news app.

Upper West Side hit-and-run leaves pedestrian dead







Eyewitness News
Saturday, June 18, 2016 09:03AM
UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A pedestrian was killed on the Upper West Side early Saturday morning.

Around 3:37 a.m., police discovered a 21-year-old man lying in the crosswalk at Broadway and West 61st Street.

He was discovered unconscious and was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the New York City Police Department, the man tried to cross westbound on Broadway at West 61st Street, when he was struck by a car.

It then fled north on Broadway.

There are no arrests. The investigation is ongoing.

5-alarm Bayonne building fire leaves 2 firefighters hurt, several homeless








Marcus Solis reporting lvie from Bayonne





Eyewitness News
Updated 11 mins ago
BAYONNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Several people are homeless after a fire overnight in Bayonne.

The five-alarm fire, reported around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, was in two buildings, at Avenue C and West 20th Street in Bayonne.

Both are mixed-use buildings. One of the buildings has a laundromat on the ground floor with apartments above.

Heavy flames broke through the roof.

Two firefighters were injured by falling debris after part of an exterior wall collapsed, but they are expected to recover. They were taken to Jersey City Medical Center. Firefighters from Hudson and Essex counties assisted in fighting the blaze.

It was under control by 5 a.m. Fourteen families, including 45 people, were displaced.

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Bayonne High School at 667 Avenue A in Bayonne for families displaced by the fire. Members of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) responded to the scene.

The cause of the fire is undetermined.

Attorneys for Plains All American Pipeline company accused Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley and California Attorney Kamala Harris of making false and inflammatory statements to the media about Plains’ responsibility for last May’s Refugio oil spill




Paul Wellman (file)

In its attempt to silence Grand Jury transcripts, Plains All American Pipeline states a fair trial in the case of the Refugio Oil Spill -- which poured into the ocean at the cliff here where the pipeline break emanated -- would be in jeopardy.
Pipeline Company Cries Foul

Accuses DA of Poisoning Jury Pool
Saturday, June 18, 2016
By Nick Welsh (Contact)

Attorneys for Plains All American Pipeline company accused Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley and California Attorney Kamala Harris of making false and inflammatory statements to the media about Plains’ responsibility for last May’s Refugio oil spill in a manner “patently designed to poison the jury pool and prejudice Plains.” These charges were made in legal documents Plains filed to prevent transcripts of the Grand Jury investigation into the oil spill from being made public.



Paul Wellman

Santa Barbara District Attorney Joyce Dudley, joined by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, announce criminal charges being brought against the Plains All American Oil Company for the 2015 Refugio Oil Spill. (May 17, 2016)

That investigation led Harris and Dudley to file 46 criminal charges — four felonies and 42 misdemeanors — against Plains. The Texas-based pipeline company contends that the release of such documents will impair the ability of the company and James Buchanan — the company’s environmental regulatory compliance chief — to get a fair trial. Plains attorney Susan Yu described media coverage of the spill as “continuous, inflammatory and highly prejudicial,” noting that the local press had generated 500 distinct news articles about the spill. She also described as “prejudicial” televised images of “oil pouring into the ocean, oil-slicked waters and beaches, and oiled and dead animals and birds.” The release of Grand Jury transcripts, she contended, would make it that much harder for her clients to get a fair and impartial hearing.

Yu objected to comments made by Harris and Dudley during a May 17 press conference announcing the indictments. At that press conference Harris and Dudley described Plains as being “uncooperative” during the investigation. Yu said those remarks were “highly prejudicial and inaccurate.” She also said it was “improper” that Harris and Dudley released the identity, title, and age of the only individually named defendant, James Buchanan. As a result, she said, Buchanan and his family were “hounded” by members of the media seeking interviews.

Attorneys for Harris and Dudley pointed out that Plains was the first to issue a press release notifying the media that the company had been hit with 46 criminal charges. In the Plains release, the company characterized the spill as “an unfortunate accident,” that the charges had “no merit,” and that the company had “cooperated fully with all governmental regulators.” “Plains cannot have it both ways,” they replied in legal papers. At issue, they argued, “is the public’s right to the facts, not just the information Plains wants the public to hear.” To the extent the public has been prejudiced, attorneys for the prosecution have contended Plains attorneys retain the right to cross-examine and winnow out prospective jurors they believe are biased.

Plains has made similar arguments objecting to media requests to photograph inside the courtroom during court proceedings involving the criminal charges against Plains.

The next scheduled court date for the Plains case is June 30.

Beaufort Memorial Hospital will now have to pay for continued cleanup to restore the environment back to its pre-incident status at the Lady's Island Marina



Coast Guard: Beaufort Memorial Hospital will have to pay for oil leak



Published 06/17/2016 11:47 AM EDT

 
BEAUFORT, S.C. (WJCL) -- The Coast Guard tells WJCL News that it has notified officials at Beaufort Memorial Hospital about the results of a recent testing at the Lady's Island Marina.

The lab results show investigators found the same petroleum-based oil as discovered in the spill at the hospital. They conducted several water samples, and the oils matched and came from the same source: Beaufort Memorial.

The Coast Guard says the hospital will now have to pay for continued cleanup to restore the environment back to its pre-incident status.

At this time, the Coast Guard does not have a total dollar amount for the cleanup, but says they will be giving that information to the hospital once it is gathered.

In late May, fuel oil leaked from inside Beaufort Memorial Hospital into the nearby Beaufort River.

On May 23, nearly 300 gallons of fuel oil leaked in the hospital's boiler room. At that time, the hospital staff contained the leak and alerted the proper authorities, according to the hospital. Out of caution, some areas of the bottom-floor were evacuated and some elective surgeries were also canceled. The South Carolina Department of Environmental Control arrived on scene and cleaned up the remainder of the leaked fuel oil, according to the hospital.

However, hospital officials later learned that cleanup crews likely missed some of the oil gathered in the drain pipes.

"They cleaned up all the fuel from that and went into the floor drains, cleaned those, but it appears that some was actually still residing inside the floor drains beyond where they could clean," said Ed Ricks, vice president and chief information officer at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. "There was a residual amount that the rain water from this weekend was enough to force it through our storm drain system."

Nearby neighbors first spotted the "shimmer" in the Beaufort River and alerted the hospital.

"When we were looking at the boat we noticed a lot of oil floating on the water or a sheen that looked like oil," said Clay Bush, neighbor.

At first, Bush says he blamed the family boat as the source of the oil since it had just undergone maintenance.

"But we checked it out and couldn't find that it was leaking anything and so we didn't know what it was," said Bush.

Bush said he later learned of the oil's origin when he visited the hospital's website.

U.S. trade association, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), has urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) not to remove any more areas from the 2017 –2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program



 






 





U.S.: BOEM urged ‘not to lose sight of what energy security means’ 


 U.S. trade association, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), has urged the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) not to remove any more areas from the 2017 –2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program claiming the nation’s energy security depends upon it.

Following joint trade comments submitted on the 2017-2022 Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program by a number of associations that support keeping the Proposed Program as is with no additional areas being removed from future leasing consideration, NOIA President Randall Luthi on Thursday issued a statement saying that Gulf of Mexico and Alaska offshore lease sales are vital to the nation’s energy and economic future.

Luthi said: “In support of the thousands of men and women working daily to provide sustainable, reasonably-priced and reliable energy for our nation, NOIA submitted joint comments today on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) 2017 –2022 OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Proposed Program, calling for sustained sales in the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico and in the Alaskan Arctic. NOIA joined the American Petroleum Institute, Independent Petroleum Association of America, International Association of Drilling Contractors, U.S. Oil and Gas Association, American Exploration & Production Council, International Association of Geophysical Contractors, Petroleum Equipment and Services Association and the Alaska Oil and Gas Association to urge BOEM to stay the course and not lose sight of what energy security means to our country.


“It is vital that the final program is not reduced to mere crumbs.”

“While other nations are actively pursuing their offshore oil and natural gas opportunities, federal policies in the U.S. have closed over 85% of America’s offshore areas to exploration activities. Currently, we don’t have an accurate assessment of our own offshore oil and gas resource potential and under the limited current plan, we can’t even look. It is important that we not back-track any further on our energy future. With the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic already excluded, the current proposed program is truly a quarter of the loaf option; it is vital that the final program is not reduced to mere crumbs.
‘Keep it in the ground’ rhetoric



Luthi also added: “It appears the administration was unduly swayed by ‘keep it in the ground’ rhetoric when it removed the proposed Atlantic sale from the proposed program earlier this year. Instead of heeding the majority of residents in Atlantic states, stakeholder groups across a wide array of industries, various state and local elected officials, and the longstanding bipartisan and bicameral support in Congress for offshore development, the administration opted to appease a vocal and misinformed minority for what appears to be purely political reasons. If the administration makes the same mistake with the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska OCS lease sales, we run the strong risk of forfeiting the economic opportunities and energy security of our country.


“The world’s energy needs are only expected to grow.”

“Today’s comments lay out a sound economic and scientific case for continued energy and economic development. For example, for generations the Gulf of Mexico has fostered a healthy relationship between energy development and a thriving fishing, tourism and military-based economy. Contrary to the claims of environmentalists, real life experience shows that these activities are not mutually exclusive. In addition, the Alaskan Arctic may hold great future potential, but we won’t know if we can’t look. Many of those calling to drop the Alaskan Arctic sales cite the need for more studies and scientific information. They fail to recognize that millions of dollars have been spent by oil and natural gas companies on research and monitoring activities in the Arctic, providing new information about environmental conditions, wildlife and species vital the people of northern Alaska. Ending leasing opportunities in the Alaskan Arctic also ends this source of Arctic research and monitoring.

“In light of the short-sighted Atlantic decision and what is at stake in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, it is crucially important that the administration supports a robust offshore leasing program as part of an ‘all-the-above’ energy approach. The world’s energy needs are only expected to grow. While non-traditional forms of energy, such as wind and solar are expected to produce more energy, this will not be able to meet the expected demand. Keeping all the sales in the proposed program, without further restriction, will foster a diverse and dynamic energy portfolio that assures stability, economic security and revenue to states and the federal government.”

Steven Herder, of South Jersey, stole more than $140,000 by collecting insurance payouts over phony hospital stays for his twin sons


Cops: SJ dad used young twins in $140K scam
Matt Flowers, @CP_MFlowers 9:40 a.m. EDT June 16, 2016

Credit card skimming happens when you least expect it



It takes just a few seconds for someone to essentially copy your credit card. It happens at restaurants, movie theaters -- even fast food restaurants. Most times, you have no idea that it's happened.



(Photo: Provided)


TRENTON, NJ – A South Jersey man stole more than $140,000 by collecting insurance payouts over phony hospital stays for his twin sons, authorities said.

Steven Herder, 40, of Lindenwold, was indicted on second-degree charges of insurance fraud, impersonation, and theft by deception for allegedly filing five false claims to his insurer, Aflac, between June 2012 and November 2014, the state Attorney General's Office announced Wednesday.


Herder also was charged with third-degree attempted theft by deception and five counts of fourth-degree forgery in connection with the fraudulent claims. The boys were between 6 months and 3 years old when the claims were submitted, prosecutors said.

“Most parents would never dream of using their young children as a ruse to steal money from an insurance carrier, but this father allegedly thought nothing of manufacturing hospital records alleging his young sons were spending weeks on end in the hospital,” acting Attorney General Robert Lougy said in a release. “In continuing down the path of criminal greed, Herder then allegedly used those fake records to bolster his fraudulent insurance claims.”

The claims sought payment for five stays — ranging from 11 weeks to 26 weeks — at West Jersey Hospital in Voorhees for one or the other of his twin boys. Herder forged three doctors’ signatures on the fake hospital records, which he’d manufactured on a computer, according to prosecutors.

3 Meridian, MS men have been indicted for insurance fraud after filing false claims for damages received in an automobile collision


Three indicted for insurance fraud



Posted: Fri 3:12 PM, Jun 17, 2016

 
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)
The Mississippi Attorney General's Office says three Meridian men have been indicted for insurance fraud.

Toreno L. Griffin, 35, Kyle Johnson, 29, both residents of Meridian, were recently arrested by investigators with the AG's Insurance Fraud Unit.
Each was charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

According to a news release, Griffin and Johnson are accused of defrauding GEICO Insurance by filing false claims for damages received in an automobile collision.

Johnson faces additional charges in a separate but similar indictment with the third defendant, 22-year-old Vanoy Adams. Each is charged with one count of insurance fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.

The cases will be prosecuted by Special Assistant Attorney General Larry Baker of the Attorney General’s Insurance Fraud Unit.

Police K-9 Dies After Being Left by its Handler In Hot Patrol Car in Georgia



Tribune Media Wire
3 days ago

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A police K-9 died after its handler left the dog in the back of a patrol car for nearly three hours.

The Cherokee County Marshal’s Office and the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office were called out to the home of Cherokee County School Police Lt. Daniel Peabody Friday after getting a call that the police dog had died, WSB-TV reports.

Peabody arrived home around 4:15 p.m. and left the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois named Inka in the back of the car, with the engine turned off, while he dealt with another dog inside his home. 


“He gets out, turns the car off, gets busy with his wife helping another dog, and apparently he simply forgot about the dog, accidentally,” said Cherokee County Marshal’s Office Chief Ron Hunton.

Around 7 p.m., the officer remembered he left Inka in the car and found the dog dead.

Temperatures that day reached the 90s, and Hunton says it got much warmer inside the car.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, Peabody let another officer use his K-9 squad car and was driving a regular patrol car. Another department vehicle outfitted to handle a K-9 officer was out of service.

A Marshal’s Office spokesman says criminal charges are possible in this case, but explained the department’s investigation is not complete.

Driver Dies After Speeding Car Loses Control and Crashes Into Semi Trailer, Catches On Fire in AR



Posted 7:52 am, June 17, 2016, by Connor McGinnis



ROGERS, AR (KFSM) — One person died Friday morning (June 17) in a single-vehicle crash in Rogers.

The wreck happened around 3:45 a.m. in the area of North Arkansas Street and East Walker Road, according to the Rogers Police Department.

Police said the driver was going southbound on Arkansas Street at a high rate of speed when the car left the road and collided with several fence posts. The car then hit a trailer and caught on fire with the driver still inside, according to police.

The driver has not been identified and the body has been sent to the State Crime Lab in Little Rock.

1 person was killed and 4 were injured in a 7-vehicle wreck at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Jumpers Hole Road in Pasadena, MD


Police identify driver killed in seven-vehicle crash on Ritchie Highway





PASADENA, MD


One person was killed and four were injured in a wreck at the intersection of Ritchie Highway and Jumpers Hole Road, police said.

Lauren Loricchio lloricchio@capgaznews.com

Police identify driver who died in 7-vehicle crash on Ritchie Highway


Anne Arundel County police on Friday released the identity of a woman who died a day earlier in a seven-vehicle crash in Pasadena.

Janet Ellen Stomps, 44, of Arnold, was the driver of a silver 2014 Honda Accord that was struck by a trash truck at around 2:10 p.m. on Ritchie Highway at Jumpers Hole Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene and later taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy.

Numerous witnesses told police the truck was traveling south on Ritchie Highway toward Jumpers Hole Road when it struck the back of the Honda Accord, which was stopped with numerous other vehicles at a red traffic signal. The impact forced the Accord forward as the truck plowed into other stopped cars, police said.

Police said there is no evidence that the truck was braking or making any maneuvers to avoid the crash.

The driver of the trash truck, identified by police as Robert Peter Neal, 55, of Abingdon, was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for injuries as a precautionary measure, police said. A Shock Trauma spokeswoman said Neal was in good condition on Friday morning.





Emergency officials investigate a fatal crash on Ritchie Highway involving six vehicles and a trash truck. (Craig Urban / Correspondent)

Neal was driving a truck owned by trash hauling company Bay Area Disposal of Owings, police said. When reached by phone on Friday morning, an employee declined to comment.

Three other people were taken to Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie for minor injuries sustained in the crash – including an 18-year-old woman driving a blue Honda CR-V, a 52-year-old woman driving a black BMW and 83-year-old James Garner Sr., the driver of a blue Chevrolet minivan, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed.


All three have been treated and released, said BWMC spokeswoman Kristin Fleckenstein.

MaryJane Garner and husband James, of Pasadena, were among those involved in the trash truck. They were on their way to go shopping at an Aldi grocery store.

"It was kind of fast," MaryJane said. "We were sitting there waiting for the light to change and bang — we were struck and hit."

MaryJane said she had never been involved in a car accident before.

"We were upset when we heard about the woman who died," MaryJane said. "She was between us. We were very, very lucky."

The couple's blue minivan was destroyed in the crash. The occupants of remaining vehicles refused medical treatment, police said.

Investigators found in a preliminary investigation the crash was caused by the trash truck driver's failure to reduce his speed to avoid the collision and driving at a "speed greater than reasonable and prudent," police said.

Police declined to comment about whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

The county police department's traffic safety division is handling the investigation. Any charges are pending review by the State's Attorney's Office, police said.

Traffic was tied up for hours Thursday afternoon and into the evening while police investigated.

Southbound lanes were closed until about 7:45 p.m. and northbound traffic was confined to one lane until the roadway was completely opened just before 8 p.m.

14-year-old boy arrested as the driver in the stolen vehicle crash that killed a 9-year-old girl and injured three others in Baltimore, MD


Boy, 14, arrested as driver in crash that killed 9-year-old girl in Southwest Baltimore




BALTIMORE, MD

Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said the juvenile in custody will be charged with vehicular manslaughter among other charges. (Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun video)

Jessica Anderson and Justin George The Baltimore Sun

14-year-old boy arrested as the driver in the crash that killed a 9-year-old girl and injured three others.


A 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged as the driver of a stolen Jeep Liberty that slammed into a 9-year-old girl, killing her and injuring three other people, police said Friday.

Police found the boy at his home Thursday evening after they say he fled the scene of crashed cars, stunned elementary school students and fatally injured third-grader Amirah Kinlaw, who was leaving school Thursday when she was struck.

"It's two young people," Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith said. "This kid's 14. Made a horrible, horrible, horrible mistake. Made a horrible, horrible, horrible decision. It's two lives of two young people who are forever damaged. One is gone and one is in the system. It's a tragedy all the way around."

The teenager faces vehicular manslaughter, auto theft and traffic charges, police said. He is being charged as a juvenile because of his age and the nature of the crime, Smith said.

The collision's impact continued to reverberate throughout the Union Square neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore, where Amirah's classmates and teachers mourned her Friday.

Outside Steuart Hill Academic Academy, children placed star- and heart-shaped balloons with heartfelt messages.






Principal Tanyaneka Lipscomb talks about Amirah Kinlaw, a third grader at Steuart Hill Academic Academy that was struck and killed by a vehicle. (Baltimore Sun video)

"Love you. I wish you could be here," one student wrote in black marker on a red balloon tied to a tree, next to a pink one decorated with Disney princesses.

On the spot where first responders tried to resuscitate the girl, her friends left stuffed animals and flowers. Inside, the principal recalled a "star student" who aspired to be a scientist and loved to write poems.

The events that preceded the crash began when the Liberty SUV, registered to an address in South Baltimore, was reported stolen Thursday. Residents near Steuart Hill Academy called police about 2:20 p.m. to report a suspicious Jeep circling the neighborhood. An officer on patrol passed the SUV in the 300 block of S. Gilmor St. and activated her lights in an attempt to pull it over.

Third-grader killed leaving Baltimore school by driver in stolen car

The Jeep sped off, and the officer did not pursue it, Smith said. Thirty seconds later, the SUV barreled through a red light at Lombard Street, struck a Nissan Sentra and other cars, brushed a crossing guard and hit Amirah, police said.

The teen driver ran, police said. The crossing guard remained in a hospital Friday, but her condition was upgraded to serious from critical, Smith said. A man in the Sentra and a 9-year-old girl hit by flying debris were treated at a hospital and released.

With the help of surveillance video, investigators found the teen at his home near the crash site. He suffered minor injuries and was being treated, Smith said.

Police did not release his name because of his age.

"It's something he's going to live with for the rest of his life," Smith said.

Smith said the Jeep was stolen after someone popped the ignition.

Police Commissioner Kevin Davis met with Amirah's family Friday to update them and offer condolences.

"What can you really say to someone about to pick up their child from the school?" Smith asked. "A family, instead of celebrating at the end of the year, is preparing for a funeral."

Christy Flint, whose daughter Caitlyn was a friend of Amirah's, stopped by Steuart Hill on Friday afternoon to leave a bouquet of flowers near the crash scene, where shards of glass and pieces of a car fender remained.

"In Loving Memory of Amirah Kinlaw, Love Caitlyn Flint and classmates," an attached note read.

Flint said her daughter was standing on the sidewalk waiting for her grandfather to pick her up from school when she witnessed the crash. She said Caitlyn was speaking with grief counselors who had come to the school. "She's not good," the mother said.

Principal Tanyaneka Lipscomb said students "have persevered through this difficult time," and staff has been "making sure we are strong at this difficult time."

She said counselors led activities to help student cope with the loss and remember Amirah. Students drew pictures and wrote letters to remember their classmate.

Lipscomb described Amirah as a creative student who excelled in all areas. She said Amirah liked to write poetry and sing, and was a member of an after-school tennis team. In an end-of-the-year "memory book," she said, Amirah wrote that she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up.

"Amirah was a star student," she said, adding that she regularly received awards for attendance.

"This is my first experience with a loss," she said. "We all here are doing the best we can. Our hearts are very heavy. I just ask everyone to keep us please keep us in your prayers. … Pray for the staff and, more importantly, the family of Amirah."

At the crash scene Friday, Pat Giroux's husband tried to start their son's Toyota 4Runner, which was struck in the crash, while she picked up pieces of a bumper from the street.

Giroux witnessed part of the crash from her front steps down the street.

"It was like everything was flying all over," she said. She walked up to the scene and saw a police officer trying to resuscitate the little girl in the grass.

"The cop was there pressing on her chest to try and revive her, but she didn't come back," Giroux said.

Baltimore Sun reporter Tim Prudente contributed to this article.

Female driver killed in horrific crash when her car stalled on The Lodge Freeway (M-10) and was rear-ended by another car in Detroit


A 23-year-old woman was killed Friday when her car stalled on the lodge in the middle of rush hour.

By: Ingrid Kelley

DETROIT, MI


Posted:Jun 17 2016 05:29PM EDT

One person was killed in an accident on The Lodge during rush hour Friday morning after two cars collided.

The accident happened just after 7 am on M 10 at Telegraph Road when a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am stalled in the center lane.



The driver of the car, 23-year-old Lativia Coker of Ypsilanti, was sitting in the vehicle when she was rear-ended by a 2013 Ford Taurus that was unable to stop.

Driver killed in horrific crash when car stalled on The Lodge

According to police, Coker died instantly.

Arij Nehhas captured video of the scene and says the impact was devastating

"There's police, ambulance, and crashed car. It looked really bad," Nehhas said.

Officials with MSP say the driver of the second vehicle received minor injuries and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

The accident shut down the Lodge for several hours, turning the highway into a parking lot.

"Every which way you took it was a struggle it was backed up everywhere," Darius Jordan said.

Police are working with the other driver to learn about the moments leading up to this tragic accident that has left a family without their precious loved one

"Prayers go out to the family cause it sounded bad. It sounded tragic," Jordan said.

At least 6 dogs kill woman serving court papers at Texas home in Austin, Travis County




Published June 17, 2016
FoxNews.com
 



One of the dogs seized after an attack on a woman at Texas home. (Austin Animal Protection) 


Travis County, Texas

Texas authorities say a woman who went to a home to serve court papers was killed when several loose dogs attacked her.

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office said the victim was Erin McClesky, a 36-year-old process server from Austin who was serving civil papers, Fox 7 reported Thursday.

Deputies said a caretaker for the dogs found McClesky’s body Wednesday night, several hours after she had gone to a home in Northeast Travis County.

“There was no one at the house expect for the dogs when she entered the property,” sheriff’s office spokesman Roger Wade told the station.

Wade told the Austin American-Statesman the dogs' owner probably won’t be charged. “If the homeowner’s not there and doesn’t sic the dogs on them, I don’t know what charges would be filed,” he told the paper.

The paper reported that phone numbers listed for the owners of the property were disconnected and they could not be reached for comment.

Deputies said they seized six dogs that appear to be Lab/Great Pyrenees and husky/Australian cattle dog mixes. They also found 14 puppies who weren’t seized.

The Austin Animal Center is checking the seized dogs for rabies.

When the dogs are released from quarantine in 10 days, a Travis County judge will decide their fate, Fox 7 reported.

Man killed in 2-vehicle wreck in Henrico’s West End in Virginia






by Web Staff and Brendan King, Updated at 11:13pm, June 17, 2016

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Authorities said one person was killed in a car accident in which one of the vehicles overturned in Henrico County’s West End Friday afternoon not far from Godwin High School.

Police said officers were called to the 10700 block of Ridgefield Parkway for a two-vehicle wreck at 2:20 p.m.

Lt. Richard Cosby said a trooper arrived two minutes after the crash and began rendering aid.

“One of the drivers was transported to a local medical facility for treatment and the other was pronounced at the scene,” Henrico Police spokesman Lt. Chris Eley said.

Officials said they victim is an adult male. Police have not yet released his name pending positive identification and next-of-kin notification.

Officials are investigating what caused the crash, but Cosby said the traffic lights, which were not working because of last night's power outages, could be a contributing factor.

 



Man dies after falling from a boat into Montrose Harbor in Lake Michigan





William Lee Chicago Tribune 


June 18, 2016

CHICAGO, IL


A 23-year-old man died Friday after he fell in Lake Michigan from a boat at Montrose Harbor, authorities said.

The man went into the water just before 5:30 p.m. at the harbor near 601 W. Montrose Ave., authorities said.

Life guards pulled the man from the water and paramedics rushed him to Weiss Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Chicago police said.

Authorities are investigating whether alcohol played a factor in the death.

Construction worker with Williams Brothers Construction Company dies after falling from bridge in San Antonio





By News 4 San Antonio Wednesday, June 15th 2016


News 4 San Antonio Photo / World Car Sky 4





SAN ANTONIO - The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the construction worker who fell to his death at Loop 410 and Highway 151 on Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities say Gerardo Lopez fell from a bridge that was under construction at the interchange.

The Texas Department of Transportation said Lopez worked for Williams Brothers Construction Company for less than a year.

Four years ago, another Williams Brothers employee died when he fell from a highway ramp being built at Highway 281 and Loop 1604, according to News 4 San Antonio archives.