MEC&F Expert Engineers : 07/06/18

Friday, July 6, 2018

Gas station employee Melissa Ann Myers, 52, killed in fire after drunk driver James Brown, 33, crashed into a pump at Pikel’s Top Tier gas station in Rayne, PA sparking a fire








Commodore, Pennsylvania Woman, Melissa Ann Myers, has been named as the victim in a fiery crash at Pikel’s Top Tier, located at, 22 PA-85, Home, PA.

Myers, 52, was killed after a vehicle crashed into the service station that resulted in a large blaze.

RAYNE, Pa. (AP) — 


Authorities say a drunken driver crashed into a pump at a Pennsylvania gas station, sparking a fire that killed an employee who became trapped inside the burning service station building.

The accident occurred around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Pikel’s Top Tier Fuels in Rayne, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh.

State police say two men were in a car that hopped a curb, struck at least one fuel pump and crashed into an auto repair building.

Fire soon engulfed the car and building, trapping 52-year-old Melissa Ann Myers inside. Her body was found by emergency responders.

Thirty-three-year-old James Brown faces numerous charges, including homicide by vehicle while driving drunk. The second man hasn’t been charged.

No attorney information is available in online court documents.


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



RAYNE, Pa. – 








State police have charged a man following a crash that ignited a fire that killed one person at an Indiana County gas station.


James Brown, 33, was charged with homicide by vehicle with DUI, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, accidents involving death, and several other charges.

Police said a 2003 Subaru Outback crashed into gas pumps at Pikel's Top Tier Fuels service along State Route 119 Thursday in Rayne Township.

Authorities said as a result of the crash, an employee for the service station, 52-year-old Melissa Ann Myers, died at the scene. Police said they identified Brown as the driver and determined he was under the influence at the time of the crash.

A second man, Michael White, 32, was a passenger in the vehicle and left the scene and was taken into custody a short time later in Punxsutawney, according to police.

Police said they interviewed White and he was not charged and has been released from custody.

Worker Dies in 20-foot Fall from Scaffolding at the Hollow Tree Self Storage Facility Under Construction on Hollow Tree Ridge Road in Darien, CT






Worker Dies in Fall at Storage Facility Under Construction on Hollow Tree Ridge Road
By: David Gurliacci | 5 mins ago



A construction worker died Thursday morning after he fell from scaffolding at the construction site where a storage facility is being built on Hollow Tree Ridge Road, Darien police said.

The man was about 20 feet from the ground, doing “surface work” on the side of the building under construction at 131 Hollow Tree Ridge Road when he apparently lost his footing, according to police.

Police were first called to the scene at about 8 a.m. They and personnel from Darien EMS-Post 53 assisted the man, who was taken to Stamford Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived.

Darien police detectives and investigators from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration went to the scene (across Hollow Tree Ridge Road from Noroton Heights Railroad Station) to investigate, according to police. There is no reason to believe the incident was anything other than an accident, police said.

“Detectives will continue assist O.S.H.A. investigators as they continue their evaluation of the incident,” a Darien police announcement said.


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


Self Storage Facility Being Built on Hollow Tree Ridge Road Overlooking I-95
By: David Gurliacci | January 13, 2017



Hollow Tree Self Storage (HTSS), the first high-end, self-storage facility to come to Darien will open its doors in the fall of 2017. The state-of-the-art building is under construction at 131 Hollow Tree Ridge Road and will include a front office, and 800 to 1,000 climate-controlled units in a variety of sizes for myriad self-storage needs.

___________

— an announcement from Hollow Tree Self Storage

___________

“We look forward to bringing this beautifully constructed project and much-needed service to the community,” said John Hertz, one of the developers of HTSS.

Designed by Architect Chris LaVigna of LaVigna Associates, the facility’s design takes inspiration from old New England mill buildings, with the central office recalling a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse. The office presents a small-scale, residential facade that ensures most of the storage units will not be visible from the road.


Rendering from Hollow Tree Self Storage

Once fully built, here’s what Hollow Tree Self Storage will look like at 131 Hollow Tree Ridge Road.



“Our goal was to create a tasteful design that would complement the character of Darien,” LaVigna said. “We wanted to avoid the harsh industrial look common to prefab metal storage buildings in favor a natural color pallet with soft, sandy stucco walls, a well-articulated façade and elements such as pitched roofs and shade trellises to add depth and interest.”

HTSS will be secured by a gated perimeter with electronic access, a state-of-the-art surveillance system, and on-site property managers who will provide around-the-clock security and service to customers.


Image from Hollow Tree Self Storage

Here’s what the facility will look like from the south side, facing Interstate 95 between the Hollow Tree Ridge Road bridge and the Darien South rest stop. (The Avalon Darien entrance on Hollow Tree Ridge Road is just on the other side of the lot and the building.)



“Security was a major focus of ours in designing and creating this facility. We are employing the latest technology and have included all the amenities required to accommodate a full-time, live-in property manager,” Hertz said.

HTSS will offer stand-out features not common in other self-storage facilities, including a solar carport for the storage of boats, RVs and other vehicles (energy collected from the panel will be used to power the facility).


Image from Hollow Tree Self Storage

A rendering of the property as it would look from the air over Hollow Tree Ridge Road



Larger storage units will be drive-up accessible while smaller units will be reachable by elevator. The building, which is 100 percent climate controlled, will offer wine storage, car storage and museum quality storage. Additionally, there will be 16 commuter parking spaces available for lease with easy access to the Noroton Heights train station.

HTSS developers bring more than 30 years of experience in the self storage industry. For more information about Hollow Tree Self Storage visit www.hollowtreestorage.com. [Editor’s note: It appears the website isn’t up yet.]


Image from Hollow Tree Self Storage

Another rendering showing an entrance to the building.

_________________

Editor’s note: The property, which has sat vacant for years, had a major development problem: Sewer service is difficult because the land sits between the highway and the railroad tracks, and Avalon Darien owners don’t want to provide sewer service to the site.

Only a caretaker for the property will live there, and self-storage sites tend to generate little traffic, the Planning & Zoning Commission was told when the land-use application came before it.

The facility will share the driveway that Avalon Darien uses for its entrance.

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


A tract of land at 131 Hollow Tree Ridge Rd. in Darien, Conn. sold for $3.8 million in August 2016, with the developers planning to build a 100,000-square-foot storage facility.


A strip of land has been sold adjacent to the southbound Darien rest stop on Interstate 95, with developers planning a storage facility there.

John Hertz and Robert Wood purchased the 3.7 acre parcel at 131 Hollow Tree Ridge Rd. in Darien for $3.8 million from Karen Park, who was represented by Phil Marshall of brokerage firm O,R&L Commercial, with offices in Branford and Rocky Hill. The buyers were represented by Halstead Properties, which has a Darien office.


The land planned for the storage facility is next to the Avalon Darien apartment community and just across Hollow Tree Ridge Road from the Noroton Heights station of Metro-North.

A construction worker was killed when he fell inside the 150-foot water tower on Water Well Road at Loop 494 and was pinned by a steel panel in Porter, Texas








A construction worker was killed when he fell inside a water tower in Porter, Texas.


By Jeff Ehling
Updated 55 mins ago
PORTER, Texas (KTRK) -- A construction worker has been killed in an accident involving a water tower in Montgomery County.

Authorities said four people were reported trapped inside the 150-foot water tower on Water Well Road at Loop 494 early this morning when a steel panel shifted and fell on the workers.


The panel pinned the man who died inside the tower. Another worker was taken to a hospital with arm and chest injuries. Two other workers were rescued and unhurt.

Officials with the Porter Fire Department believe the piece of metal was being lifted and put into place at the time of the accident.

People who live around the area tell ABC13 the first sign of trouble was a loud boom when a piece of steel fell from a crane and into the tower.

"All you could see was the whole panel come down into the tower," said eyewitness Kevin Reed.

Kevin Reed says he rushed to help the victims of the water tower accident in Porter.

Firefighters used the crane to get to the four workers inside.

"There was one guy they did not have a visual on early on, but then they were able to see him, and that is when they noticed he was a fatality," said Asst. Chief Cleave Pamphile with the Porter Fire Department.

The men working on the tower are contractors with Phoenix Fabricators.

The tower is a 500,000 gallon water storage tank that is under construction.

Construction worker died from asphyxiation after a sewer line ruptured at the bottom of a 20- to 30-foot hole in West Dallas, Texas





Construction worker dies from asphyxiation, 2 others hospitalized after exposure to sewer gas in West Dallas



Written by  Sara Coello, Breaking news reporter

DALLAS, TEXAS

Updated 5:50 p.m.: Revised to reflect that one of the workers has died.

Fumes sent three construction workers to the hospital after a sewer line ruptured at the bottom of a 20- to 30-foot hole in West Dallas on Thursday afternoon.

The rupture happened around 2:30 p.m. at the intersection of Singleton Boulevard and Sea Harbor Road, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said.

Firefighters were able to extract two men who passed out at the bottom of the trench. They performed CPR on one worker, who died at a hospital.

The other rescued man and a third worker who was not in the trench were hospitalized; their conditions were not known. None of the men's names have been released.

Exposure to high concentrations of sewer gas can result in unconsciousness or death by asphyxiation, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 


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




A construction worker who was pulled from 20-30 foot hole in Dallas has died.

Dallas Fire-Rescue was called out to a work site at the intersection of Singleton Boulevard and Sea Harbor Road after two men working in the hole passed out from sewer gases after the line they were working on ruptured.

The firefighters were able to pull the men out before the Urban Search and Rescue team arrived. Firefighters began to perform CPR on one of the workers, officials said. Both men were transported to the hospital along with another worker that was not in the hole.

The identity of the deceased worker has not been disclosed.