MEC&F Expert Engineers : 09/04/17

Monday, September 4, 2017

Five reckless people (including the reckless illegal driver Corravion Murphy, 15, Jaquerious Hegler, Marshawn Williams, 15, and Deztanee Cobb, 17) are dead after their speeding Dodge Charger left the road, hit trees and burst into flames in Kalamazoo Township, MI



This idiot black man, Corravion Murphy, did not even have a driver's license and yet he was driving at 100 mph! Thank god he killed himself in the crash. Four other black trash were also taken out, but they will reproduce more of the same trash anyway. Hopefully the tree was not damaged too bad.









Deztanee Cobb, 17, dead in the fiery crash




COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Four of the five people who were killed in a fiery crash early Saturday morning just east of Kalamazoo have been identified.

The driver, 15-year-old Corravion Murphy — who due to his age did not yet have a driver’s license — and a passenger, Jaquerious Hegler, were identified by Corravion’s mother.

Late Sunday afternoon, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas confirmed two other passengers as Deztanee Cobb, 17, and Marshawn Williams, 15. The fifth victim has not yet been identified.

The crash happened around 12:43 a.m. Saturday on E. Main Street, east of Sprinkle Road in Comstock Township.

Kalamazoo Township police say an officer parked on Fenimore Avenue near the E. Main Street intersection watched as a car going an estimated 100 mph passed him heading east on Main Street. The officer turned on his lights and sirens and attempted to catch up to the car, but lost sight of it shortly after.




==========================



According to dashcam video released shortly after the crash, the car passed the officer parked on Fenimore Avenue at 12:42 a.m. The video’s timestamp reads an hour earlier, at 11:42 p.m.; however, investigators say it was an hour behind for some reason.

By the time the officer pulled on to E. Main Street and turned on his lights and siren, the car was already out of sight. Seven seconds after initiating his siren, the officer is heard on the video saying, “I’m trying to catch up to it.”

About 15 seconds after the radio communication, he turned off the lights and siren and continued eastbound. Undersheriff Matyas told 24 Hour News 8 the officer continued given the dangerous speed the car was traveling.

The officer arrived at the intersection of Sprinkle Rd. and E. Main St. at 12:43 a.m., where dashcam video shows the car had already crashed and was on fire.

The distance between where the car past the officer and where it crashed is approximately 1.5 miles. Matyas told 24 Hour News 8 that all five victims were killed on impact.

Sunday night, 24 Hour News 8 spoke with Corravion Murphy’s girlfriend, Kamarey Williams, who said they’d been dating more than a year. She said Corravion was taking driver’s education and wasn’t sure what caused the crash or why he was driving so fast.

Kamarey Williams with her late boyfriend, Corravion Williams (undated photo)

She believes it may have been peer pressure.

“Think about him every day,” she said. “It’s not something that’s going to ever go away. He’s going to forever be in my heart. Every day and I’m going to keep pushing to make him proud because I know he would want me to do be happy and proud and doing what I’m supposed to do.”

24 Hour News 8 also spoke with the mother of Deztanee Cobb on Sunday.

Tracey Taylor said her daughter was entering her senior year and was dual-enrolled at Kalamazoo Central High School and Kalamazoo Community College taking AP classes. Cobb also had two varsity letters in swimming and played softball, but couldn’t play sports her senior year due to an injury.

Taylor said Cobb just lost two friends who committed suicide last year and her sister, who died from childhood diabetes, adding that her daughter went to counseling to get through that tough year and that she wanted to be a child psychologist. Deztanee Cobb (undated photo)

Taylor also said Cobb, who she described as “loyal, loving and empathetic,” mentioned she was going to a party Friday night but it wasn’t alarmed when her daughter didn’t come home because she thought she was just staying a friend’s house overnight.

Funeral arrangements for the victims have not yet been announced.

A Kalamazoo Public Schools spokesperson told 24 Hour News 8 grief counselors will be made available as needed.



==========================
Authorities begin identifying victims in fiery crash
by FOX 17 News, Updated September 4, 2017





KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Michigan authorities are beginning to release the identities of the five people killed in a fiery, high-speed crash in Kalamazoo Township.

Township police said in a news release Saturday that the five victims were riding in a Dodge Charger traveling about 100 mph when it crashed into a tree and burst into flames about 1 a.m. Saturday.

In an updated release from the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, two of the victims were identified as Marshawn Williams, 15, and Deztanee Cobb, 17. It is expected that the remaining victims will be identified later this week.

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas says he can’t speculate on the victims’ ages or genders because the scene is so “gruesome.”

A local pastor says the five victims are all believed to be teenagers, including one he had mentored.

An officer who spotted the speeding car turned on his lights and sirens, but quickly ended his pursuit because of safety concerns due to the car’s speed.

He spotted the crashed, burning car along a roadside shortly afterward.

A Michigan pastor says the victims are believed to have all been teenagers.

Strick Strickland is pastor of the Second Baptist Church and leader of the Kalamazoo area NAACP office. He says it’s his understanding that all the occupants of the car that crashed early Saturday were teens.

Police have not identified the five victims.

Strickland says he mentored one of them and he was a teen who attended an alternative school and played football.

He called the deadly crash “extremely tragic” and difficult to comprehend.



===================

5 dead in high-speed fiery crash in Kalamazoo County, MI

Updated on September 2, 2017

 By Mickey Ciokajlo


KALAMAZOO, MI -- Five people are dead after a speeding car left the road, hit trees and burst into flames, police said.

The crash occurred shortly before 1 a.m. near the intersection of Sprinkle Road and East Main Street in Kalamazoo Township, according to a release from township police.

As of 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2, East Main Street east of Sprinkle Road remained closed, about six hours after the crash.

A township police officer saw the vehicle, a blue Dodge Charger, at 12:43 a.m. going about 100 mph in the 2000 block of East Main Street, police said. The officer radioed in the information and turned on his lights and sirens.

The officer lost sight of the Charger after it went around the curve near Humphrey Street.

"Accordingly, within a few blocks, the officer ceased his efforts to stop the Charger by shutting off his lights and siren and slowing his patrol car," the release says. "Concerned about the Charger's excessive speed, the officer continued to drive east on East Main. When he reached Sprinkle Road, he saw what appeared to be a fire on the north side of East Main, east of Sprinkle. The officer discovered the Charger had crashed into trees along the road was fully engulfed in fire."

Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Pali Matyas told MLive early Saturday morning that five people were confirmed dead in the vehicle.

"There's a rumor going around there was a chase," Matyas said. "There was no chase."

Matyas said authorities have not yet identified the five people.

"We don't know who these people are yet who were in the car," Matyas said. "We have not got positive identification on them yet."

The intersection of Sprinkle Road and East Main Street is closed until at least 8 a.m., and police ask motorists to avoid the area.


Most likely black trash were taken out on their own.  These "people" must have been drunk or on drugs as these types of high-speed crashes caused in the early a.m. hours by drunks or druggies.  Society will not miss these idiots, as we have many law-abiding citizens who want to live a good peaceful life without alcohol or drugs.

=============








COMSTOCK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Kalamazoo County sheriff’s deputies say five people were killed in a fiery crash early Saturday morning.

It happened around 12:43 a.m. on East Main Street, east of Sprinkle Road.

Kalamazoo Township police say an officer parked on Fenimore Avenue near the Main Street intersection watched as a car going an estimated 100 mph passed him heading east on Main St.. The officer turned on his lights and sirens and attempted to catch up to the car, but lost sight of it shortly after.

***WARNING: The dashcam video of the crash may be disturbing to some viewers***

According to dashcam video released shortly after the crash, the car passed the officer parked on Fenimore Ave. at 12:42 a.m. The video’s timestamp reads an hour earlier, at 11:42 p.m.; however, investigators say it was an hour behind for some reason.

By the time the officer pulled on to Main St. and turned on his lights and siren, the car was already out of sight. Seven seconds after initiating his siren, the officer is heard on the video saying, “I’m trying to catch up to it.”

About 15 seconds after the radio communication, he turned off the lights and siren and continued eastbound. Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas told 24 Hour News 8 the officer continued given the dangerous speed the car was traveling.

The officer arrived at the intersection of N. Sprinkle Rd. and E. Main St. at 12:43 a.m., where dashcam video shows the car had already crashed and was on fire.

The distance between where the car passed the officer and where it crashed is approximately 1.5 miles.

Undersheriff Paul Matyas tells 24 Hour News 8 that all five people in the vehicle were killed on impact. He said they are unlikely to have positive identification “for some time” due to the victims being engulfed by the fire, but they believe they know the identity of one of them. Their names will not be released until they are positively identified.

A spokesman for Kalamazoo Public Schools released a statement, saying, “We are deeply saddened by last night’s tragedy. Law enforcement indicates that victims have not been positively identified. We will have grief counselors as necessary in school.”

Matyas said deputies are aware of several posts on social media about possible victims, and the sheriff’s office has been contacted by about 20 families who believe the victims may be one of their loved ones.
East Main Street was closed between Sprinkle Road and 26th Street as the scene was investigation, but reopened around 8:30.

The crash remains under investigation by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office.





=============



Five people were killed Saturday morning in Kalamazoo Township when a speeding vehicle left the road and crashed into a tree, catching fire.

According to a release from the township's police department, an on-duty officer spotted a blue Dodge Charger traveling at an estimated 100 m.p.h. along East Main Street at 12:43 a.m.

The officer lost sight of the fleeing vehicle when it went around a curve near Humphrey Street. When officers turned the same curve, the Charger was gone. Police ceased efforts to stop the vehicle by turning off the cruiser's lights and sirens.

The officer soon discovered the vehicle fully engulfed in flames on East Main near Sprinkle Road. The incident was captured on dashcam and can be viewed above.

In an interview with WOOD TV8, Undersheriff Paul Matyas reported that five people were killed on impact. One of the victims has been identified, but their name has not been released.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation.


Gas pipeline worker Jose de Jesus Diaz-Valenzuela, 38, with Pumpco Pipeline Construction crushed to death by heavy construction equipment in Williamson County, Texas


















WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – A Dallas-area man who died at a gas pipeline construction site west of Georgetown on Saturday evening has been identified by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

They said Jose de Jesus Diaz-Valenzuela, 38, is the man killed after he was struck by a construction machine.

It happened at about 5 p.m. along the pipeline located two miles off of SH 29 halfway between Interstate 35 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

Sheriff Chody said that about 20 workers with Pumpco Pipeline Construction out of Giddings were at the site when the accident occurred.

The pipeline had been placed and covered with soil. Workers were smoothing dirt on top of the new pipeline when a driver operating a large construction machine did not see one of two workers walking next to it and ran into him.

Diaz-Valenzuela survived the initial crash but died at the scene a short time later after medics arrived. Authorities have ordered an autopsy.

Sheriff Chody said all initial signs indicate this was an accident, but an investigation is underway to make the final determination.

OSHA has shut down the work site while they investigate.



=============
Worker dies after construction machine strikes him at Wilco pipeline site

By Jerry Becker 

 September 2, 2017

 


WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – A Dallas-area man in his late 30s died at a gas pipeline construction site west of Georgetown on Saturday evening, said Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody.

It happened at about 5 p.m. along the pipeline located two miles off of SH 29 halfway between Interstate 35 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

Sheriff Chody said that about 20 workers with Pumpco Pipeline Construction out of Giddings were at the site when the accident occurred.

The pipeline had been placed and covered with soil. Workers were smoothing dirt on top of the new pipeline when a driver operating a large construction machine did not see one of two workers walking next to it and ran into him.

The man survived the initial crash but died at the scene a short time later after medics arrived. Authorities have ordered an autopsy.

Sheriff Chody said all initial signs indicate this was an accident, but an investigation is underway to make the final determination.

OSHA has shut down the work site while they investigate.


PUMPCO, Inc. provides a range of pipeline construction services including new construction, maintenance, rehabilitation work on existing pipelines, repair, retirement, and removal services. 

THE DEADLY U.S. ROADS, NOWHERE SAFE: April Felton, her 22-year-old daughter Brandi Rashaw, and Brandi's daughter 2-year-old Braylee Rashaw killed after a 2006 Ford pickup truck driven by 47-year-old Michael Woods collided with their 2005 Nissan Sentra from behind, killing all three women near Bailey on Highway 264



Sunday, September 03, 2017 09:04PM
NASH COUNTY, NC (WTVD) --

A tragic car accident has caused one local family to lose three generations.

Authorities said the crash happened Friday morning near Bailey on Highway 264.

The victims were identified as 42-year-old April Renee Felton, her 22-year-old daughter Brandi Rashaw, and Brandi's daughter 2-year-old Braylee Karsyn Rashaw.


Officials said the family was stopped in a left passing lane when a truck in the right-hand lane tried to pass a camper, not seeing the family.

The truck collided with the car from behind, killing all three women.

NC State Highway Patrol said the incident is under investigation.

At least 34,000 people die each and every year on the deadly U.S. roads. This is one of the highest death rates for a "developed" economy. Hundreds of thousands injured as well. Nobody is safe on the roads: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, passengers, EMS personnel, troopers, road workers, and so on we are all at risk. So be extra careful. The other driver will not pay much attention to you because of the alcohol, drugs, texting, telephones, GPS, speeding, and so many other distractions.

Here is the info posted on the Facebook pages of
Brandi Rashaw:





Intro
22 years old. 💜 Mommy to Braylee Karsyn 😍
Cashier at L & L Food Stores
Studies GED at Nash Community College
Single
From Nashville, North Carolina



==============


Michael Woods


3 killed in U.S. 264 rear-end crash
 
Posted Sunday, September 3, 2017 10:00 pm



By Corey Friedman

cfriedman@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7813

BAILEY — State troopers say two women and a 2-year-old girl were killed when a pickup truck slammed into their stopped car on U.S. 264 Friday morning.

Authorities identified the victims as 42-year-old April Renee Felton, her 22-year-old daughter, Brandi Renee Rashaw, and Rashaw’s 2-year-old daughter, Braylee Karson Rashaw, all of Nashville.

Brandi Rashaw was driving a 2005 Nissan Sentra that was stopped in the left lane of U.S. 264 when it was struck by a 2006 Ford pickup driven by 47-year-old Michael Woods of Wake Forest, according to Trooper K.S. Howald of the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

Woods was driving behind a tractor-trailer and merging from the right lane to the left lane when he struck Rashaw’s stopped car.

“As soon as he got over, the car was there and there was no time to react or take evasive action,” Howald said. “It was a very unfortunate situation.”

Troopers are still investigating the fatal crash. Howald said it isn’t clear whether Rashaw’s car had broken down or run out of gas, whether there was a medical emergency or if there was another reason the vehicle stopped in the left lane.

“We might never know because everyone in the car is deceased,” Howald said. “For whatever reason, the car had stopped in the left-hand lane, and we just don’t know why.”

Woods has not been cited in the crash. Troopers estimate his speed at 65-70 mph, and the posted speed limit for that stretch of the highway is 70 mph. Howald said Woods was not impaired and no other contributing circumstances are known.

The wreck was reported at 10:40 a.m. Friday on U.S. 264 about two-tenths of a mile east of N.C. 581 and three-tenths of a mile outside the Bailey town limits.

First responders rushed Brandi Rashaw to WakeMed’s Raleigh campus, where she succumbed to her injuries. Felton and Braylee Rashaw were pronounced dead at the scene.

Howald and Trooper M.A. Cannon are investigating the crash. The Nash County Sheriff’s Office, Nash County EMS and Bailey Fire Department also responded.

Funeral arrangements for April Felton and Brandi and Braylee Rashaw are pending with Cornerstone Funeral Home of Nashville.

=================







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.

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.

It is worse than a war zone out there. So, please be safe and be on the lookout for 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.




MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2017: CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE IRMA MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD... ...INTERESTS IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF IRMA














 
 
 
 
000
WTNT31 KNHC 040854
TCPAT1

BULLETIN
Hurricane Irma Advisory Number  20
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       AL112017
500 AM AST Mon Sep 04 2017

...TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN THE LEEWARD
ISLANDS LATE TUESDAY...


SUMMARY OF 500 AM AST...0900 UTC...INFORMATION
----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...16.9N 52.3W
ABOUT 625 MI...1010 KM E OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH...185 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WSW OR 255 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...961 MB...28.38 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, and Nevis
* Saba, St. Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
* Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area.  A watch is typically issued 48 hours
before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force
winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous.

Interests in the remainder of the Leeward Islands, the British and
U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic should
monitor the progress of Irma.  Additional hurricane and tropical
storm watches and warnings will likely be required for portions of
this area later today.

For storm information specific to your area, please monitor
products issued by your national meteorological service.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Irma was located near
latitude 16.9 North, longitude 52.3 West.  Irma is moving toward
the west-southwest near 14 mph (22 km/h).  A turn toward the west
is expected later today, followed by a west-northwestward turn late
Tuesday.  On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move
closer to the Leeward Islands through Tuesday and then be near the
northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher
gusts.  Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale.  Some strengthening is forecast through
Tuesday night.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the
center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140
miles (220 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 961 mb (28.38 inches).


HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
WIND:  Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area by
Tuesday night, with tropical storm conditions possible by late
Tuesday.

SURF:  Swells generated by Irma will begin affecting the northern
Leeward Islands today.  These swells are likely to cause
life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.  Please consult
products from your local weather office.


NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
Next intermediate advisory at 800 AM AST.
Next complete advisory at 1100 AM AST.

$$
Forecaster Berg
========================================
WTNT31 KNHC 031450
TCPAT1

BULLETIN
Hurricane Irma Advisory Number  17
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL       AL112017
1100 AM AST Sun Sep 03 2017

...CATEGORY THREE HURRICANE IRMA MOVING WEST-SOUTHWESTWARD...
...INTERESTS IN THE LEEWARD ISLANDS SHOULD MONITOR THE PROGRESS
OF IRMA...


SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST...1500 UTC...INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------
LOCATION...17.7N 48.4W
ABOUT 885 MI...1420 KM E OF THE LEEWARD ISLANDS
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...115 MPH...185 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT...WSW OR 255 DEGREES AT 14 MPH...22 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...969 MB...28.62 INCHES


WATCHES AND WARNINGS
--------------------
There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of
Irma.  Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches will likely be required
for portions of these islands later today or tonight.


DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK
------------------------------
At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located
near latitude 17.7 North, longitude 48.4 West. Irma is moving toward
the west-southwest near 14 mph (22 km/h) and this course at a
slightly slower forward speed is expected through tonight.  A turn
toward the west is forecast on Monday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher
gusts.  Irma is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale.  Some strengthening is forecast during the
next 48 hours.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 km) from the
center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles
(130 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 969 mb (28.62 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
----------------------
None


NEXT ADVISORY
-------------
Next complete advisory at 500 PM AST.