BURST PIPE CAUSES 2 MILLION GALLON FLOOD AT DAVID STOTT BUILDING

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Water from a burst pipe is being blamed for flooding the lower levels of the mostly vacant 38-story David Stott building in downtown Detroit.

Authorities have pumped about 2 million gallons of water from the building as cleanup crews work at the site.

The pipe burst earlier this week, WDIV-TV and WWJ-AM reported. The flooding happened during bitterly cold temperatures in the city, leaving icicles hanging from portions of the interior of the building.

The extent of the damage to the 1929 building wasn't immediately known. Kenneth M. Creighton, senior vice president of DDI Asset Management LLC, said in a statement that the flood happened sometime between Sunday morning and Monday morning. He said an insurance investigation is underway to determine the cause, but it is likely the result of a frozen pipe during the recent record-cold temperatures.

A Chinese developer, DDI Group, purchased the 210,000-square-foot David Stott Building on Griswold Street for $9.4 million and the 302,000-square-foot Free Press building on West Lafayette for $4.2 million in September.  

In March 2014, Crain's reported that the broker who sold the building at auction to Shanghai-based DDI Group and one of the main tenants in the Stott building were concerned the investors wouldn't spend what's needed to maintain and lease them out, let alone renovate them. The building has been mostly vacant since the sale.

There also were issues with the maintenance of the elevator that services Skybar, which took up the entire 33rd floor of the Stott building. Detroit Yoga, which occupied 2,500 square feet, left its space citing landlord concerns.

DDI has two tenants in the David Stott Building, Creighton said in a statement: One is a local creative agency that it is helping to relocate while the flood damage is being assessed and repaired. The other tenant, Skybar, is the subject of a previous court-ordered eviction action, but has been granted temporary tenancy pending an appeal.

"The majority of the leases inherited upon purchasing the building have expired, and we have elected not to renew them as we study the feasibility of redevelopment or resale of the building," he said.

MAN KILLED BY FALLING FORKLIFT ATTACHMENT AT ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA CONSTRUCTION SITE

MARCH 1, 2015

ROCHESTER, MINN. (KTTC)

A 30-year-old construction worker was killed on Friday when a large metal attachment from a forklift fell on his head.

The man, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of his family, was underneath a telescopic forklift when a "very large attachment" fell from the arm of the lift. The accident occurred around 12:30 Friday afternoon at the corner of Maine Avenue SE and St. Bridgets Road SE, where a hotel project is underway.

OSHA, Rochester Police, and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the scene on Friday to investigate, and Mayo Clinic will be performing an autopsy.  

"It's under investigation, but we believe it's a crushing type of an injury, some sort of head trauma, that led to his death," said Lt. Jeff Stillwell of the Rochester Police Department.

Source: www.kttc.com

25-VEHICLE PILEUP AND OTHER ACCIDENTS SNARL MISSOURI HIGHWAY AS SNOW MOVES THROUGH STATE

FEBRUARY 28, 2015

I-44, MISSOURI

A chain-reaction crash shut down a Missouri highway Saturday after a Greyhound bus slammed into a tractor-trailer and caused a 25-vehicle pileup west of St. Louis, authorities said. Elsewhere on the same interstate two people were killed in a crash as snow moved through the state. 

In the chain-reaction wreck, at least 25 vehicles crashed into one another after a Greyhound bus carrying 55 people rear-ended a tractor trailer on Interstate 44 near the town of Rolla, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Crumpled tractor-trailers and cars were seen scattered all over the roadway and in a ditch after the 1:30 p.m. crash. 

Eleven people on the bus were sent to a local hospital with minor to moderate injuries. One of the trucks involved in the later crashes was carrying a flammable and corrosive chemical and some of it spilled, but the highway patrol said the spill was minor. 

Hours after that pileup, two people were killed after several cars crashed at around 4 p.m. on I-44 near Lebanon, about 60 miles west of Rolla, the highway patrol said. Snow began falling Saturday morning as a winter storm moved through, making roads treacherous. 

The National Weather Service said heavy snow falling at a rate of one to two inches was possible in the heaviest parts, and the area where the crashes occurred is expected to get between four to eight inches of snow.

TRUCK CRASHES INTO A SINTON, TEXAS HOME, CAUSING THE ENGINE TO CATCH FIRE THAT ENVELOPED THE HOME

MARCH 1, 2015

SINTON, TEXAS (Kiii News)

Two people are safe after their home catches on fire early Sunday morning in the town of Sinton.

Fire officials say a truck left the roadway and slammed into the house sparking the blaze.

It happened right around 1:30 am along the 7500 block of Sodville Road.

It was quite the fire fight for crews on the scene who were there until 9:30 this morning.  The Sinton Volunteer Fire Department received assistance from fire fighters in Odem and Taft.

The impact of the crash caused the vehicle's engine to catch fire which then spread to the house.

Fire officials say two people were asleep inside the back bedroom and reported hearing what sounded like an explosion.  The house shook and the impact knocked the home about 8-10 inches off the foundation.

The two people inside the home were able to get out and are okay.

The driver of the truck was taken by EMS to the hospital.

His condition is unknown right now.

Source: www.kiiitv.com

PERSON STRUCK, KILLED BY FREIGHT TRAIN IN DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS AROUND MIDNIGHT

MARCH 1, 2015

DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS

One person was struck and killed by a freight train overnight in Downers Grove.

Authorities say the train hit a person on the tracks around 11:30 Saturday night.

Metra trains were shut down in both directions for more than two hours, while authorities conducted their investigation on the scene.

So far authorities have not released any details about the victim.

Trains are running again, but Metra says some trains are still running behind schedule

Suicide by train? Drunk or drugged person?  Who knows?