MEC&F Expert Engineers

Saturday, June 9, 2018

OSHA Proposes Rule to Ensure Crane Operators Are Qualified To Safely Operate Equipment





OSHA Proposes Rule to Ensure Crane Operators Are Qualified
To Safely Operate Equipment

WASHINGTON, DC – 

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a proposed rule to increase the safety of America’s construction sites. In addition to providing long-term clarity regarding crane operator certification requirements, the proposal reinstates the employer duty to ensure that a crane operator is qualified to safely operate equipment.

Under the proposed rule, a change to the categories of certifications for crane operators would ensure more operators are able to meet the requirement. The proposal discontinues a 2010 requirement, which never went into effect, that crane operator certification must include the crane lifting capacity for which the operator is certified. The proposal would expand the type of certification programs for crane operators.

Comments on the proposed rule may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, or by facsimile or mail. See the Federal Register notice for submission details. Comments must be submitted by June 20, 2018.

OSHA recently published a final rule extending the operator certification compliance date until November 10, 2018, in order to provide the agency with additional time to complete this rulemaking to address stakeholder concerns related to the Cranes and Derricks in Construction standard.

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 www.osha.gov.
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June is National Safety Month, an opportunity to help prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths at work, on the roads, and in our homes and communities.






Make One Change for Safety this National Safety Month

Posted on by Dawn Castillo, MPH and Kim Shambrook
June is National Safety Month, an opportunity to help prevent unnecessary injuries and deaths at work, on the roads, and in our homes and communities. With this year’s theme, No 1 Gets Hurt, we are encouraging readers to think of at least one change you can make to improve safety this month. This joint blog from NIOSH and the National Safety Council (NSC) highlights the weekly themes of emergency preparedness, wellness, falls and driving. Help us spread the word about National Safety Month to your family, friends and co-workers. Use the information below, download and share free materials from the NSC website, and visit the NIOSH website to help ensure that No 1 Gets Hurt.

Week 1: Emergency Preparedness

NIOSH: The NIOSH Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) program integrates occupational safety and health into emergency responses during planning and preparedness activities to protect response and recovery workers. Workers are the common denominator in an emergency event. Visit the EPR Program website for resources to protect the safety and health of first responders.

NIOSH’s Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance™ (ERHMS™) framework provides recommendations for protecting emergency responders during small and large emergencies in any setting. You can download the free ERHMS Info Manager™ software from the NIOSH website.

NIOSH has been active in addressing the opioid epidemic and the workplace. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug that is similar to morphine and heroin, but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Fentanyl and related drugs can pose a potential hazard to law enforcement, emergency medical personnel, and firefighters who could come into contact with these drugs through the course of their work day. See the blog Fentanyl Exposure Risks for Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Workers  for information about exposure routes, prevention, and recent research.

NSC:   Emergency situations can happen at any time, making it crucial that you are prepared for the unexpected including natural disasters, fires, active shooter situations or chemical or gas releases. It is best to be prepared both at work and home. Actively participate in workplace drills. With violent acts on the rise, know how to respond to an active shooter with free NSC training at nsc.org/communitytraining. At home, create emergency plans with your family. It is also helpful to put together emergency kits for both your home and car.

In the event of an emergency, one of your best defenses against harm is to be trained in First Aid. Our First Aid infographic and App can help you be prepared. Since the first week of June is also CPR and AED Awareness Week, the Council is offering our NSC First Aid Online course for free between June 1 and June 10. Availability is limited.

Week 2: Wellness

NIOSH: The Total Worker Health® (TWH) program at NIOSH advocates for a holistic approach to worker safety, health and well-being that explores opportunities to both protect workers from hazards and advance their health and well-being. The TWH approach integrates health protection with broader interventions to advance worker well-being by targeting job conditions and encouraging health and safety improvements starting at the organizational level.

Getting enough sleep is important to do your job safely. And, there are some jobs where sleep plays an even more important role in ensuring the safety and health of workers and the people they serve. For example, NIOSH has guidance on organizational and individual strategies on how to reduce risks from workplace fatigue for truck drivers, pilots, emergency responders, and healthcare workers. Nurses can earn free CEs for taking the course!

High stress levels, especially for prolonged periods of time, can lead to hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes. Work-related stress can lead to risk of injury and depression, which contributes to absenteeism, presenteeism (workers going to work when they are sick), disability, and unemployment [Schnall, Dobson, Landsbergis, 2016[i]]. Further evidence demonstrates that employees who report stressors such as low job control or high job strain have an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease [Theorell et al., 2016[ii]]. 

 Providing training for supervisors on approaches to reducing stressful working conditions can improve employee health, reduce turnover, and increase employee retention. Learn about Total Worker Health strategies to reduce worker stress by viewing this NIOSH Total Worker Health webinar: Intervening for Work Stress: Work-life Stress and Total Worker Health Approaches.   For more information about designing programs to support worker safety, health and well-being, please see Fundamentals of Total Worker Health® Approaches: Essential Elements for Advancing Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being and https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/programs/hwd/default.html


NSC: As NIOSH mentioned earlier, opioid-related deaths have reached epidemic levels. Part of the problem is, many people don’t know they are taking an opioid, which include commonly prescribed drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet. It is important for doctors and patients to have a conversation about the medications being prescribed, the potential risks and whether an alternative non-opioid treatment may be more appropriate. Be proactive and order free Warn Me labels for insurance and prescription cards to help prompt that critical discussion. Order labels for yourself or sheets of labels for your workplace. Visit stopeverydaykillers.org for more information.

You can also find out what opioids are costing your organization by using our NSC Substance Use Cost Calculator. Addressing this issue is not only the right thing to do, but can help your organization’s bottom line.

Another growing concern that organizations need to pay attention to is worker fatigue. Employer practices and policies have a significant influence on the potentially deadly impact of employee fatigue. Getting 7-9 hours of sleep every day is key. The Council has many resources on fatigue including infographics, videos, research and reports, including another that will be released in mid-June as the second of a three-part series. Fatigue also has many economic costs for organizations. Check out the NSC Fatigue Cost Calculator to assess how fatigue financially impacts your workplace.

Week 3: Falls

NIOSH: Falls remain a persistent but preventable problem in the workplace.   Falls are the number one cause of construction-worker fatalities, accounting for one-third of on-the-job deaths in the industry. This year marked the fifth National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction part of the larger National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction. Join the campaign today and download the fall prevention infographics.

The highest number of nonfatal fall injuries continue to be associated with the health services and the wholesale and retail industries. Data show that in 2016, work-related ladder fall injuries in the United States resulted in 172 fatalities[iii], an estimated 16,990 nonfatal injuries[iv] that involved days away from work, and an estimated 46,000 nonfatal injuries treated in emergency departments[v]. Download NIOSH’s award-winning Ladder Safety app today to learn how to prevent extension and step ladder falls. You can also watch the joint ISSA and Total Worker Health webinar on “Preventing Slips, Trips, & Falls at Work and Beyond”.


NSC: Falls are the third leading cause of unintentional-injury-related deaths for all ages and the No. 1 cause of death for those 65 and older, according to Injury Facts. Falls from heights often cause more serious injuries and deaths. The Council’s new Safety from Heights resources offer best practices, planning tools and more to keep workers safe.
Falls are a safety risk for many age groups. Use the Council’s Safety Checkup Tool to identify your personal risks. In fact, preventable injuries are now the third leading cause of the in the U.S. Register now for our free webinar on June 21 to find out Why Preventable Deaths Are on the Rise.

Week 4: Driving

NIOSH: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the U.S. All workers are at risk of crashes, whether you drive light or heavy vehicles, or whether driving is a main or incidental job duty. Behind the wheel, driving is your number 1 job. There are simple actions you can take to stay safe while driving:
  • Buckle up: every trip, every person. It only takes a second.
  • Do not drive if you are fatigued. Stop and take breaks as needed.
  • Focus on driving and stay aware of your surroundings. Other drivers may be impaired, fatigued or distracted.
  • Talk to your supervisor and co-workers about potential hazards on your planned route, including road construction, bad weather, or dangerous curves.
View this animated image to learn why motor vehicle safety matters, and access more resources about how to stay safe while driving on and off the job.

NSC: We all believe ourselves to be safe drivers, yet up to 94 percent of motor vehicle crashes involve human error. One simple step we can all take is to buckle up every trip, every time.

Impairment plays a role in many crashes and can take several forms – distraction, drugs, alcohol as well as fatigue. NSC offers a free Safe Driving Kit to help employers address all of these issues. NSC is also offering a free 20-minute Avoiding Fatigued Driving online session between June 24 and June 30 – availability is limited.

Although new technologies have added to the distraction on the roads, there are other technologies making us all safer. Visit MyCarDoesWhat.org to stay up to date on the safety features in your car. You can also visit CheckToProtect.org to regularly check your vehicle for recalls.

The Council believes we can eliminate preventable deaths on our roadways. If you do too, consider joining the Road to Zero Coalition, comprised of more than 700 organizations committed to ending all roadway fatalities by 2050.

Please share with us what actions you will take this month to ensure that No 1 Gets Hurt.

Dawn Castillo, MPH, is the Director of the NIOSH Division of Safety Research.
Kim Shambrook is Senior Director of Safety Education & Training at the National Safety Council.

References

[i] Schnall P, Dobson M, Landsbergis P [2016]. Globalization, work, and cardiovascular disease. Intl J Health Serv 46(4):1–37.
[ii] Theorell T, Jood K, Jarvholm S, Vingard E, Perk J, Ostergren PO, Hall C [2016] A systematic review of studies in the contributions of the work environment to ischaemic heart disease development. The European Journal of Public Health 26(3): 470-477.
[iii] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of labor Statistics, in cooperation with State, New York City, District of Columbia, and Federal agencies, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Fatal occupational injuries by selected worker characteristics and selected primary source (Ladders, code 74XXXX), All U.S., all ownerships, 2016. May 14, 2018. Available from: https://data.bls.gov/gqt/RequestData.
[iv] U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected worker and case characteristics and source of injury/illness (Ladders, code 74XXXX), All U.S., private industry, 2016. May 14, 2018. Available from: https://data.bls.gov/gqt/RequestData.
[v] NEISS-Work data (ED-treated) for 2016. May 16, 2018.

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


National Safety Month Free Materials

Thank you for your interest in National Safety Month. Download and share these materials to help identify risks and ensure No 1 Gets Hurt. 
Think of at least one change you can make to improve safety this June. Use these resources during the designated weeks, or create a schedule that works best for your organization.


Week 1: Emergency Preparedness



Week 2: Wellness



Week 3: Falls



Week 4: Driving



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Elevator Construction worker Michael David Zeller, 31, with KONE Elevator Company, killed after falling down 20 feet an elevator shaft in Cockeysville, MD



The I.U.E.C. Brotherhood has lost a brother in the line of work. Please pray for Michael Zeller and his family as they go through this difficult time. Thoughts to all those in local 7. 

31 year old Apprentice Michael Zeller was killed in an on the job accident. He was working new construction for KONE Elevator Company in Local 7 Baltimore MD. He began with The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) in May of 2015


Cockeysville, MD
 
Friday, June 8, 2018

Phil Yacuboski and Tyler Waldman, WBAL NewsRadio 1090


Baltimore County fire officials said a construction worker died Friday after he fell down an elevator shaft in Cockeysville.

The call came in at 8:30, fire officials said, from a building being renovated in the unit block of Schilling Road. The victim was later identified as Michael David Zeller, 31, of the 800 block of Creek Road in Essex.

Medics from the Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Company responded, then called in additional resources, including the Urban Search and Rescue Team from Texas Station. Within 15 minutes of the medic unit's arrival, crews were able to pull Zeller out. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Preliminary findings indicate that Zeller may have fallen roughly 20 feet and became trapped between a wall and the counter-weight from one of the elevators. No other injuries were reported.

Police and Maryland Occupational Safety and Health officials are still investigating.

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




Authorities investigating death of construction worker at planned McCormick & Co. headquarters in Hunt Valley



A man died after being trapped behind weights in an elevator shaft in Hunt Valley on Friday morning, the Baltimore County Fire Department said.
Nicholas Bogel-BurroughsContact ReporterThe Baltimore Sun


Authorities are investigating the death Friday of a 31-year-old construction worker who was pinned against a wall after falling down an elevator shaft at McCormick & Co.’s planned headquarters in Hunt Valley — the second construction fatality in the Baltimore area this week.

Michael David Zeller of Essex was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics after he fell 20 feet Friday morning and became trapped between the wall of an elevator shaft and the elevator’s counterweight, Baltimore County fire officials said.
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A Cockeysville medical unit arrived at the scene above the corner of Shawan and York roads shortly after 8:30 a.m. and the man was extricated 15 minutes later, officials said.

Maryland Occupational Safety and Health investigators and Baltimore County Police were at the scene and both agencies are probing the circumstances that led to Zeller falling and being pinned against the elevator shaft.

Zeller worked for Kone, an international elevator and escalator company. The company is cooperating with local investigators “to determine the cause of this tragic incident,” spokesman Patrick O’Connell said in an email. 



Michael Zeller, left, with Frankie Valentin, one of his best friends. Zeller was killed Friday after falling down an elevator shaft at the planned McCormick and Co. headquarters. (Courtesy of Frankie Valentin)

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a KONE team member, Mike Zeller, from our Baltimore operation,” O’Connell said. “Our heartfelt thoughts go out to Mike’s family and friends during this time. The safety and well being of our employees remains at the forefront of all we do.”

Zeller’s death is the second incident this week in which a construction worker has died on the job in the Baltimore area. Kyle Hancock, 20, of Glen Burnie, died Tuesday after a 15-foot-deep trench caved in on him while he was working on a city sewer line in the Clifton Park neighborhood of Northeast Baltimore. Maryland state officials are investigating the circumstances of Hancock’s death.

Zeller had been working as an elevator mechanic for several years after two tours in Iraq over eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, according to his mother and one of his friends.

They said Zeller had graduated from Archbishop Curley High School in 2005.

“Not just because he’s my son, but he was one of the kindest people that I ever knew,” said his mother, Debbie Zeller, in a phone interview. “He would always do something for somebody. If somebody needed something, he was there.”

Zeller was working in the elevator shaft of 99 Shawan Road on Friday when he was killed. The 339,000-square-foot former phone company building is being redeveloped to be the next global headquarters of spice maker McCormick & Co.

“All of us at McCormick offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the worker involved in an accident at the construction site of our future headquarters today," said Lori Robinson, a vice president and spokeswoman at McCormick. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic news.”

A spokeswoman for Connecticut-based Greenfield Partners LLC, which owns the property and is leading the redevelopment, did not return a phone message seeking comment.

Zeller was a tinkerer, his mother said. Debbie Zeller said she and his friends used to joke that his property looked like a used car lot because of how many old cars he kept there.

Frankie Valentin said he and Zeller would spend days outside with their friends in Middle River, usually boating, fishing or working on and riding motorcycles and old cars.

“He was one of the most giving, loving, honest people you could ever meet,” Valentin said. “If you needed something, he would be there for you. He would give you the shirt off his back — literally.”

Valentin said Zeller was the kind of guy who wanted to see his friends succeed and got joy from their happiness.

“One of the saddest things about this situation is he’s not going to meet my daughter,” said Valentin, whose partner is nearing her due date.

The first of 900 McCormick employees are scheduled to move into the building at the end of July, and a grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 2. McCormick announced its move in 2015 after studying 60 possible sites in three states.

Much of the parking lot was gated off Friday morning and dozens of construction workers were working outside the building.

No one else was injured in the incident, fire officials said.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, one in five worker deaths occur in the construction field. Of those, the leading cause of death was falls, which accounted for 384 out of 991 total deaths in the industry in 2016.

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





Cockeysville Confined Space Rescue Leaves One Dead
Jun 08, 2018 2:00:00 PM EDT


A 31-year-old man was killed in an industrial accident this morning in the unit block of Schilling Rd., 21030. Michael David Zeller, of the 800 block of Creek Rd., 21221, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics from the Baltimore County Fire Department.

At 8:30 this morning, a medic unit from the Cockeysville Volunteer Fire Company was alerted for a fall subject. The location of the incident is a building which is currently under renovation. Upon arrival, the medic crew found a single patient who was trapped in an elevator shaft. Preliminary information indicates that the patient may have fallen approximately 20 feet and became trapped between a wall and the counter-weight from one of the elevators.

Crews immediately requested additional resources for a confined space rescue, including the Urban Search and Rescue Team from Texas Station #17. Within fifteen minutes of the medic unit's arrival, the patient was extricated. Zeller was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no other injuries as a result of this incident.

The Baltimore County Police Department, along with Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, continue to investigate.




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Herbert Leo Aviles Maravilla, 16, Marlon Carbajal, 15, and David Sanchez, 13, all of Uniondale, were killed after Cindy Sanchez, 15, crashed a stolen 2005 Chevy Trailblazer at a high rate of speed on Meadowbrook State Parkway

 Marlon Carbajal, 15, dead


Marlon Carbajal, 15, killed in the crash


3 teens killed, 7 others injured in Meadowbrook Parkway accident


Teen driver arraigned in deadly Meadowbrook Parkway accident in
Freeport

UNIONDALE, Long Island (WABC) --
The teenager charged in a deadly wreck on Long Island faced a judge Monday.

The 15-year-old was allegedly seen speeding before losing control on the Meadowbrook Parkway last Friday and killing three people. The teens were reportedly headed to a nearby beach during school hours.
State Police identified Cindy Sanchez as the driver. Her legal name, according to her attorney, is Cindy Sanchez Oliva. Sanchez Oliva, who was too young to have a driver's license, is now charged with three counts of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.

Upon impact, three of the teens, including 16-year-old Herbert Leo Aviles Maravilla, 15-year-old Marlon Carbajal and Sanchez's 13-year-old brother David were killed when they were ejected from the vehicle. Investigators said they weren't wearing seat belts.

Pictured below is victim Marlon Carbajal


Carbajal's sister said her brother was a great guy with a good heart.
"It's heartbreaking, it's hard. I'm trying to be the strong one for my parents," Gisselle Carbajal said.

Sanchez Oliva, her 18-month-old baby and five other teens who were all piled into the car only suffered minor injuries.

Sanchez Oliva's attorney James Toner said his client didn't have much experience behind the wheel and lost control of the car.

"She was not supposed to drive that day," Toner said. "The information I have available to me is that there was another designated driver who was intoxicated and she had assumed the role as driver because she did not want to get in the car or have her child driven by an intoxicated driver."

Students returned to class at Uniondale High School on Monday where there were grief counselors on hand. Fellow classmates said they were heartbroken about the crash.
Friends and family have planned a vigil for the victims at the high school later Monday evening.

Sanchez Oliva is due back on July 3.

State Police urge any witnesses to call 631-756-3300.
 
==============================

Saturday, June 09, 2018

FREEPORT, Long Island (WABC) -- Three teenagers were killed in a stolen vehicle that overturned and rolled in an accident on Meadowbrook State Parkway, while six other teens and an infant were injured.

The accident happened shortly before noon in the southbound lanes at exit M9 (Merrick Road) in Freeport, Nassau County.

According to investigators, a stolen 2005 Chevy Trailblazer was seen driving at a high-rate of speed in Freeport when the driver, Cindy Sanchez, 15, lost control. The vehicle flipped and rolled several times before coming to a stop off the roadway.

The 3 teens ejected from the vehicle were killed. The driver, five other teens, and an 8-month old infant suffered injuries but were expected to survive.

New York State Police say 3 teens died in a crash involving a stolen vehicle. Six others and a baby were hurt.

Herbert Leo Aviles Maravilla, 16, Marlon Carbajal, 15, and David Sanchez, 13, all of Uniondale, were killed in the crash,

The vehicle was stolen in Roosevelt on Thursday, investigators said.

Officials say excessive speed was a contributing factor in the crash.

State Police is urging any witnesses to call 631-756-3300.

Statistics show that blacks and Hispanics cause a disproportionately high rate of vehicle crashes and this  is another sad addition to the lethal statistics.  They appear to love speeding and speed kills.  Young people whose brain has not fully developed made horrible, stupid or reckless decisions and they end reaching their final destination.  At least some of them will not do that again.
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Friday, June 8, 2018

Tractor-trailer driver Kevin Markay Souriyavong, 34, was watching a Pittsburgh Steelers football game on a smartphone when he rear-ended a motorcycle, killing the rider, John Thomas Baum Jr., 56, on Interstate 81 in Dickinson Township in October




A driver was watching a football game on a smartphone when he rear-ended a motorcycle, killing the rider, on Interstate 81 in Dickinson Township in October, according to State Police at Carlisle.


Kevin Markay Souriyavong, 34, of Chambersburg, was distracted by a Pittsburgh Steelers football game he was watching on his smartphone while driving a tractor-trailer along I-81 south around 4:20 a.m. Oct. 17 when he struck the motorcyclist, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by State Police.


The motorcyclist, John Thomas Baum Jr., 56, of Walnut Bottom, was killed in the crash, according to police.


Souriyavong told police he was in the right lane on his way to deliver diapers to a local hub in Shippensburg when he saw Baum pass him near mile marker 47. He saw the motorcycle ahead of him right before the crash near mile marker 44, police said.


He told police that he did not realize Baum was as close as he was and admitted to being distracted, according to police.


Dash cam footage from inside Souriyavong’s truck showed him frequently turning his head to the right to look at something and the sound of a football game could be heard on the audio, police said.


Police said they were able to identify the football game in part because the crash occurred during a major play in the first quarter, which can be heard in the dash cam audio.


According to the affidavit, Souriyavong sent text messages while he was driving, but several hours before the crash, he was placing bets on the Steelers and several other teams.


Souriyavong is charged with felony homicide by vehicle and multiple traffic violations, including reckless driving and texting while driving, according to court records.


He was arraigned Monday by Magisterial District Judge Susan Day and released on unsecured bail, court records show.


Souriyavong is scheduled to appear in front of Day at 10 a.m. July 30 for a preliminary hearing.



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





John Baum with his blue "trike."


John T. Baum overcame birth defects, beat liver cancer and survived a liver transplant.

After a lifetime of medical struggles, he was enjoying a new lease on life in recent years.

His favorite thing to do was ride his motorcycle. That's where he felt most free. His pain and medical history would disappear in his rear-view mirror as he rode for hours and hours.

Last October, he took his sister out for dinner for her birthday. It was 77 degrees that day, nice enough for one more motorcycle ride that season.

But Baum, 56, of Walnut Bottom, never made it home alive.



As he drove his sister home in Cumberland County, a distracted truck driver on Interstate 81 hit the back of his motorcycle, flinging Baum and his sister Lori Radnor onto the asphalt.

Baum, who was wearing a helmet, died from his injuries.

Radnor landed on her chin and suffered a neck injury, and broken bones in her foot, pelvis and ribs.

Baum was among 26 fatal crash victims last year in Cumberland County.

His death illustrates the tragic fact that anyone on the road could become a fatality victim under the right, or perhaps wrong, circumstances.

"Motor vehicle accidents can happen to anybody at any time," said Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall, who noted deaths from car crashes in his county far outnumber homicides.

In Dauphin County, fatal crashes killed nearly twice as many victims as homicides yet deaths on the roads don't always command the same public attention.




Because of the incredible risks facing anyone who sets foot or tire on the road, PennDOT officials closely track crash data.

Each year, PennDOT releases detailed spreadsheets showing the major causes of all crashes, including statistics focused solely on crashes that resulted in deaths.

The statewide data show fatal crashes fell to an all-time low last year, and four of six local counties also saw declines.

But Dauphin County was the local outlier that recorded a notable increase in vehicle deaths last year. The county recorded the most deaths since 2010. We'll look more at each county's statistics later.

PennDOT officials analyze the data collected from police departments statewide for clusters that could indicate engineering problems with roadways, or the necessity for enforcement or driver education.

The majority of fatal crashes are due to driver behavior, according to Fritzi Schreffler, a PennDOT spokeswoman.

"The majority of crashes are due to choices drivers make behind the wheel," she said. "You could go your whole life and have nothing bad happen, and then you could pull out of a parking lot and get T-boned."



The Oct. 16 crash that killed Baum involved three factors that were among the trends from Cumberland County last year.

The county saw slight increases in distracted driving, motorcycle rider deaths and crashes involving heavy trucks.

Last year's deaths included six motorcycle fatalities, the most since 2005.

Cumberland County logged 26 total fatalities last year, which represented a slight decline from 2016, but a large boost compared to 2015.

Thirteen crashes last year were attributed to drinking drivers or impaired drivers, six to speeding, three to distracted driving and two to aggressive driving.




In Baum's case, he was traveling south on Interstate 81 near mile marker 44 about 3 a.m. when the tractor trailer's bumper hit the back of Baum's Harley Sportster 1200.

The police report said the 33-year-old driver from Chambersburg was "distracted."

But details about what exactly served as the distraction have not been revealed as the District Attorney's office is still reviewing the case.

Baum's family members, meanwhile, have retained attorney Matthew S. Crosby for possible civil action so they also declined to discuss details of the crash. But they shared details of Baum's life, which included a love for collecting patches and pins, attending family gatherings, and all-things motorcycle.

He doted on his nieces and nephews and took them for rides on his "trike," which he bought after his liver transplant in 2012. The three-wheeled motorcycle was one of three motorcycles he owned.

Baum's three sisters described him as "one-of-a-kind," a very smart character with an exceptional memory and knack for math.






He enjoyed jokes and pranks and even took the fall for a 5-year-old niece who broke his mother's Tiffany-style lamp during a pillow fight.

It was Baum, after all, who had started tossing the pillow at the girl in the first place, his sister Lisa Grabb said.

"John told the story that he had accidentally knocked the lamp off the stand," Grabb said. "He didn't want Amy to get into trouble for throwing the lethal blow."

Grabb remembers the last time she talked to her brother. He dialed her accidentally, while taking a break from a motorcycle ride.

"He was trying to reach someone in his contacts, and called me instead," she said. "He laughed about it. So I asked him how he was doing, and he said great! He was riding the Ridge Road on his way to Mount Holly...We didn't talk long because he was on the bike. We said, 'I love you' to each other, and then good-bye."

She didn't know at the time the misdial would turn out to be so significant, the final time she heard Baum's voice.

Crash in Palmer Township


In many fatal crashes, the causes aren't known or can't be proven, and some crashes involve multiple factors but only the most prominent is counted in police reports.

For that reason, "distracted driving is something I would consider to be grossly underreported," in police and PennDOT's statistics, Schreffler said. "How often is someone going to say to an officer, 'Yes, I was on my cell phone.'"

Police have difficulty cracking down on texting behind the wheel because state law allows phones to be in driver's hands to dial calls and use map applications. An officer who sees a phone in a driver's hand then must be able to prove the use didn't fall under one of the allowable exclusions.

While some local municipalities have launched efforts with officers looking for texting while driving, such efforts are labor-intensive. It takes multiple officers to drive plain vehicles with a passenger to observe and other officers in marked vehicles to pull over offenders.

Proving texting after crashes also can be difficult. Police must obtain search warrants for phones. A good defense attorney often can then argue with the time stamps of text messages and whether the evidence can pinpoint the exact seconds preceding the crash.



Dauphin County bucked the statewide downward trend with an increase in six deaths for a total of 36 fatalities last year.

Twelve deaths were attributed to drivers drinking or impaired driving and six to speeders, with just one chalked up to a distracted driver.

Crashes involving heavy trucks increased to seven, from four the prior year, and aggressive drivers caused fatal crashes in six cases, which was up from two the prior year.

Four pedestrians were killed, including Dorena Archer, a 61-year-old disabled Harrisburg woman who was struck and killed while walking home in December near Fifth and Maclay streets, just feet from her home.

The pedestrian deaths represented a decline from 2016 when six pedestrians were killed. The highest number of pedestrians killed annually in the county was seven, which happened in 2002 and again in 2012.



When last year's statistics are broken down by age, drivers over the age of 65 accounted for six fatalities, the most of any age category.

The results were similar in Cumberland County, and other local counties.

But Schreffler said those statistics have more to do with older drivers' frailty and difficulty recovering from injuries as opposed to a reflection of their driving.

Younger drivers account for the bulk of crashes in general, but they are better able to recover medically, Schreffler said.

Dauphin County also logged two bicycle fatalities in 2017, which represented the first bicyclists killed in the county since 2012. No bicyclists were killed last year in the other five local counties.



One of the first fatal crashes of 2017 in Dauphin County occurred Jan. 20 and killed a 50-year-old man riding his bike to work in the 5000 block of Jonestown Road.

Ronald Hewitt was within eyesight of the restaurant where he worked as a bus boy when a driver turned in front of him.

Hewitt had been pedaling along the shoulder as westbound traffic was backed up on Jonestown Road when the pickup truck turned into a parking lot in front of him. The driver didn't see Hewitt passing vehicles on the right and didn't know he was there, police said.

The collision caused Hewitt's tire to hit a big pothole, which launched Hewitt off the bike. He struck his head directly against the concrete curb. He was not wearing a helmet.

"If he had landed in grass, and didn't hit his head, I think he would have survived," said Sgt. Steve Cover, of the Lower Paxton Police Department. "It was a glancing blow from the truck, but it forced him into the pothole and he went over the handlebars."



The truck driver was cited for violating the required position and method of turning statute.

The type of crash that killed Hewitt is fairly typical of crashes that involve bicyclists or pedestrians, Cover said.

"Drivers making a right-hand turn tend not to look," for pedestrians and bicyclists who might be approaching on a shoulder or sidewalk, he said.

People on foot often have the agility to be able to move out of the way, but bikes travel at faster speeds, Cover said.

"Then there's nowhere to go" he said.

That's why Cover advises drivers to always check for pedestrians and bicyclists, and for bicyclists on a shoulder to travel with the flow of traffic and stop when vehicles stop. It may take longer, but he said it's definitely safer for vulnerable bicyclists.



York County logged the most fatal pedestrian crashes last year than the county has had in at least 20 years.

Nine persons died in pedestrian crashes, up from seven in 2016. Nine other victims died in motorcycle crashes, which was an increase compared to six the prior year.

Overall, 38 victims died in crashes in York County, which represented one fewer death than in 2016. The death rate was the lowest since 2012.

Twenty-four cases cited drinking drivers or impaired drivers, which was higher than other local counties.

Four fatal crashes were caused by speeding, down from nine the prior year, and five crashes were attributed to distracted driving, the same level as 2016.

Just one crash was chalked up to aggressive driving, down from nine the prior year.



Lancaster County recorded its lowest number of vehicle fatalities in at least 20 years with 43 deaths, down one from 2016.

The county logged fewer pedestrian deaths (5) and motorcycle fatal crashes (7) compared to 2016.

The county also saw a dramatic decrease in crashes involving drivers drinking or impaired drivers. The county logged 15 compared to 26 the year prior.

There were fewer head-on crashes (five compared to 10 in 2016,), but more drivers last year struck trees. (eight compared to three in 2016.)

Three crashes were attributed to aggressive driving and two to distracted driving.



Perry County's number of fatal crashes dropped last year to eight, compared to 11 the prior two years in a row.

The victims included one pedestrian and two motorcycle riders, which represented decreases in those categories compared to 2016.

The county saw more impaired driving crashes, however, with seven, or nearly all of last year's cases linked to drivers drinking or impaired drivers.

The county had one fatal crash in that category in 2016.

No crashes were chalked up to speeding, aggressive driving or distracted driving.



Lebanon County was the only local county other than Dauphin to see an increase in fatalities last year, with 22 deaths compared to 21 the prior year.

Half of the victims were not wearing seat belts or properly restrained.

Fourteen crashes were linked to drivers drinking or impaired driving, a steep increase compared to just three the prior year.

One motorcyclist died last year, which matched the rate from 2016. Two wrecks were attributed to speeding and fewer crashes (5) involved heavy trucks.



The best way for drivers to stay safe on the roads is to take personal responsibility, Schreffler said. Speeding, aggression and impaired driving are the biggest causes of fatal wrecks, even if the statistics can't capture every instance.

Buckling up seatbelts also is proven to save lives, Schreffler said.

Statewide statistics are moving in the right direction, she said, with the fewest number of deaths reported last year since at least 1998.

PennDOT officials would like to think that their education efforts and police enforcement have helped decrease the deaths.

But still, 1,137 people died on roads in the Commonwealth last year and each death shattered the lives of their loved ones, so much work remains.




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Obituary for John Baum Jr.

John T. Baum, Jr., 56, of Walnut Bottom, departed this life on the morning of Monday, October 16, 2017.

He was born on August 26, 1961, in Carlisle, the son of John T. Sr. and Beulah L. Stum Baum.

John worked in the construction industry for over twenty years as a member of the PA Heavy and Highway Constructions Workers Union. In his younger years, he worked for the Carlisle Hospital in the Maintenance Department.

John loved to ride motorcycles. He enjoyed traveling to and attending different motorcycle related events all over the area. John spent a lot of time volunteering at the Kings Kettle Food Pantry in Shippensburg and keeping in touch with friends on Facebook. John enjoyed spending time with his family. He was a four and a half year survivor of liver cancer and a liver transplant, something he was very grateful for and proud of.

In addition to his family, John is survived by his three sisters, Jessica L. (Frank) Reese of Shippensburg, Lisa J. (“Buster”) Grabb of Sheakleyville; and Lori J. Radnor of Biglerville; eighteen nieces and nephews; and three Pomeranians; Ginger, Big Boy, and Camel.

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