DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE OR YOU COULD KILL SOMEONE OR YOURSELF: SCHOOL BUS DRIVER TEXTING CAUSED FATAL CRASH THAT KILLED 3 IN TENNESSEE

JUNE 5, 2015

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

(WBIR - Knoxville) 

Knoxville police blame a school bus driver texting for the deadly December 2014 crash that killed two students and a teacher's aide.  Unfortunately the driver has just died at his home, so criminal charges are not going to be filed in this case.

The results of a six-month comprehensive investigation by the Knoxville Police Department into the cause of the deadly collision between two Knox County school buses were released Friday.

KPD said 48-year-old James Davenport was driving while distracted, due to sending and receiving text messages, while driving Bus No. 44. He made a sharp left turn, crossed a concrete median, and crashed into another school bus on Asheville Highway near Governor John Sevier Highway.

The investigation revealed Davenport sent and received multiple text messages during the time leading up to the crash.

KPD said, "The investigators were committed to finding the cause of the crash whether it be from human error, a mechanical issue, weather related or a combination of factors."

The investigation included numerous interviews, evidence analysis, and bus crash experts.

As the investigation neared conclusion, KPD learned of Davenport's death.

Davenport suffered severe injuries during the crash. The 48-year-old died June 1, 2015, at the home he shared with his mother on Maynardville Pike in Knox County.

Officials are awaiting autopsy results from the medical examiner before announcing the cause of death. The preliminary report listed a "natural death" for Davenport. If Davenport's death is deemed to have directly result of injuries sustained in the December crash, the accident report could be updated to list four fatalities.

According to the deputy district attorney general, Kyle Hixson, Davenport cannot be charged with any criminal charges after his death.

"Due to Mr. Davenport's death, we are legally unable to pursue any criminal charges against him," explained Hixson in a press conference Friday. "We always want to seek justice; that's why we're here, that's why we do what we do. So the fact that in some measure, these families were not able to have that, that is upsetting."

However, the families of crash victims have filed wrongful death lawsuits in civil court against the owner of the bus driven by Davenport.

The violent collision on the afternoon of Dec. 2, 2014, flipped Bus No. 57 from Sunnyview Primary School on its side. The impact killed six-year-old Zykia Burns, seven-year-old Seraya Glasper, and 46-year-old teacher's aide Kimberly Riddle. All three were dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene.

Over the course of the past two days investigators have been meeting with the victims' family members to share the results of the investigation. This has been a very difficult procedure for all involved, and hopefully, this has provided the families another step in their healing process.

Knoxville attorney Gregory P. Isaacs, who represents the families of Glasper and Riddle, said Davenport's death would not change plans to file a wrongful death lawsuit "in the very near future."

"Our sympathies go out to the Davenport family and this is a very unfortunate tragedy," Isaacs said on Tuesday. "But our focus is on our clients... who are individuals of tremendous faith and courage who lost loved ones in this tragedy."

The grieving process in the last six months has been intense for local churches and schools in Knox County. In May, the Sunnyview Primary School planted three river birch trees on campus in memory of Burns, Glasper, and Riddle.

The trees were donated by Whittle Springs Middle School. A mural has also been painted in the lobby of the school in honor of the victims.

KPD has turned over its investigative to the Knox County District Attorney General's Office.

"[Texting and driving is] a minor penalty in and of itself, but if it leads to other things, the consequences could be much more serious," said Hixson.

Though there will be no criminal charges filed in this case, Hixson explained for other drivers, "Anytime you kill someone, as the driver of the car, you're subjecting yourself to criminal liability. Vehicular homicide is, of course, a very serious felony."

Source: http://www.wbir.com

A LOS ANGELES POLICE OFFICER WAS CONVICTED TODAY FOR FELONY ASSAULT FOR AN INCIDENT WHERE A 35-YEAR-OLD WOMAN DIED.

JUNE 5, 2015

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

LAPD officer Mary O’Callaghan was captured on her dashcam repeatedly kicking the handcuffed and leg-shackled suspect in the back of her patrol car in 2012, kicking her in the throat and groin.

The woman, Alesia Thomas, lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

But that was not enough to charge O’Callaghan with murder or manslaughter.

Instead, the LAPD cop was charged with felony assault under color of law, to which she pleaded not guilty.

But a jury today decided to convict her anyway. Now she is facing up to three years in prison. She will be sentenced June 23.

A video played in court for jurors Wednesday showed a Los Angeles police officer strike a handcuffed woman in the throat and use a foot to kick or shove her in the groin moments before the woman lost consciousness in the back of a patrol car.

The recording, captured by a squad car camera, showed Officer Mary O’Callaghan telling Alesia Thomas to “knock it off” as Thomas was flailing inside the vehicle. The officer threatened to “punt” Thomas in the groin, using a profanity for her genital area.

As O’Callaghan jabbed at the woman’s throat with her hand, Thomas looked into the camera with wide eyes. The recording captured Thomas, who also had her legs tied with a nylon hobble restraint, repeatedly saying, “I can’t.”

The video showed O’Callaghan raise her boot and strike Thomas, whose body shook in response. A few minutes later, Thomas’ eyes closed and her head fell backward, the video showed. The recording then cut off.

Video from a dashboard camera in a different police vehicle showed O’Callaghan walking near the patrol cars. She lit a cigarette and looked inside the car where Thomas had been placed.

“That ain’t a good sign,” O’Callaghan said out loud. Thomas, 35, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

An  autopsy determined that cocaine intoxication was likely a factor in Thomas’ death but officially listed the cause of death as “undetermined.”

/////////////----------------/////////

A video played in court for jurors Wednesday showed a Los Angeles police officer strike a handcuffed woman in the throat and use a foot to kick or shove her in the groin moments before the woman lost consciousness in the back of a patrol car.

The recording, captured by a squad car camera, showed Officer Mary O'Callaghan telling Alesia Thomas to "knock it off" as Thomas was flailing inside the vehicle. The officer threatened to "punt" Thomas in the groin, using a profanity for her genital area. 

As O'Callaghan jabbed at the woman's throat with her hand, Thomas looked into the camera with wide eyes. The recording captured Thomas, who also had her legs tied with a nylon hobble restraint, repeatedly saying, “I can’t.”

The video showed O’Callaghan raise her boot and strike Thomas, whose body shook in response. A few minutes later, Thomas’ eyes closed and her head fell backward, the video showed. The recording then cut off.

Video from a dashboard camera in a different police vehicle showed O’Callaghan walking near the patrol cars. She lit a cigarette and looked inside the car where Thomas had been placed.

“That ain’t a good sign,” O’Callaghan said out loud.

Thomas, 35, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

The opening statements in O'Callaghan's assault trial marked the first time that the video has been shown publicly since Thomas' death in 2012.

Assistant Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Shannon Presby told jurors that O'Callaghan kicked and shoved Thomas out of frustration when the woman wouldn't comply with her orders to sit in the backseat.

“The defendant kicked first and asked questions later,” Presby said.

He said O'Callaghan and other officers involved thought Thomas was faking when she asked for medical attention.

O'Callaghan's attorney, Robert Rico, told jurors that his client didn't kick Thomas but used her left foot to push the woman into the patrol car during the arrest.

Thomas, he said, refused to comply with orders given by O'Callaghan and other officers. He played another audio recording that he said showed O'Callaghan did not want to hurt Thomas.

"If you want to kill me, just kill me," Thomas said on the recording.

"I don't want to kill you. I just want to transport you," O'Callaghan responded.

"Why?" Thomas asked.

"To get you some help," the officer said.

After playing the recording, Rico described his client's actions as "reasonable, justified and necessary." 

"Those words show the true Officer O'Callaghan," Rico told jurors.

Rico and the prosecutor reminded jurors that O'Callaghan was not charged in connection with Thomas' death. The officer is charged with assault under color of authority.

An autopsy by the L.A. County coroner determined that cocaine intoxication was likely “a major factor” in Thomas’ death. It wasn't possible to determine what role, if any, the struggle with the officers played in her death and the official cause of death was listed as "undetermined."

O'Callaghan had arrived at Thomas' home in the 9100 block of South Broadway on July 22, 2012, to assist other officers responding to allegations that Thomas had abandoned her children after they were left at a local police station.

Los Angeles police Chief Charlie Beck previously criticized the officer's actions.

In a report to the Police Commission, the civilian board that oversees the LAPD, Beck concluded -- without naming O'Callaghan -- that a veteran female officer violated department policies by repeatedly using her feet to kick or shove Thomas in her genitals and midsection.

The same officer, the chief and the commission found, showed "apparent indifference" toward Thomas as she cursed at the mother of two young children during the messy effort to restrain her and place her in the back of the police cruiser.

An unexpected twist in the criminal case came in February when a judge declared a mistrial after an official in the Los Angeles Police Department's internal affairs division came forward with new information about the incident.

O’Callaghan is one of three LAPD officers facing charges of assault under the color of authority over on-duty incidents captured on camera.

In April, Officer Richard Garcia, 34, was charged with using unlawful force during an arrest last year. Clinton Alford Jr. told The Times he remembered being kicked in the head and said his body “flopped like a dead fish.” Security footage from a nearby building captured the arrest and officials said it shows Alford voluntarily getting on the ground and putting his hands behind his back.

Last year, Officer Jonathan Lai, 31, was charged with using excessive force while detaining a man near Staples Center in 2012. Security footage from a nearby restaurant shows Lai using his police baton to repeatedly hit the man, who prosecutors say was kneeling and had his hands on his head. 

Source: http://www.latimes.com

SLOW DOWN WHEN IT RAINS: TRACTOR-TRAILER CARRYING BEER HYDROPLANES AND CRASHES, CAUSES 8-VEHICLE PILEUP IN SOUTH CAROLINA

JUNE 5, 2015

HARDEEVILLE, SC (AP) 

Hardeeville police say multiple tractor trailers crashed on Interstate 95 in an eight-vehicle wreck after a tractor-trailer hauling beer hydroplaned.

Police tell local media outlets the tractor-trailer was heading northbound on I-95 around 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning and hydroplaned, hitting a tree and spilling beer into the grass along the highway. Hardeeville Police Department chief Sam Woodward says the tree fell in the roadway.

Woodward says another tractor trailer and six other cars were unable to stop in time, causing a pileup. There were no reported injuries.

I-95 was open around 8:30 a.m. Police closed one lane of the interstate while the tractor trailer that hit the tree was removed.

Source: http://www.wistv.com

So many suicides by train: Man dies after getting hit by NJ Transit train in Edison

JUNE 5, 2015

EDISON, NEW JERSEY

A 58-year old man was struck and killed by a train Friday morning, leading to  delays on a large stretch of NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor line.

Trains between Trenton and Metropark are running again as of 6:30 a.m., but are facing 60-90 minute delays in both directions, the agency said on its Twitter feed.

The accident occurred about 5 a.m. a short distance west of the Metropark station when a train from Trenton headed for New York hit the person, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson.

Officials were not releasing the victim's name because they have not contacted family member, Nelson said. 

The 58-year-old was trespassing when he was struck, Nelson said.

"We don't know what he was doing on the tracks," Nelson said.

Nelson said the man's name should be released later Friday.

Earlier, service had been suspended between the two stations.

A spokesperson from Amtrak identified the man as Thomas Kilroy Jr. of the Avenel section of Woodbridge.

Ohio electrician electrocuted to death at construction site when his lift touched power cables

JUNE 5, 2015

HEATH, Ohio (AP)

Fire officials say a central Ohio man has died after he was electrocuted at a construction site.

Heath Fire Department Captain Warren McCord says 24-year-old James Wolfe was electrocuted shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday at a construction site in Heath, east of Columbus.

McCord says Wolfe, of Newark, was an electrician. 

He says Wolfe had been working on a scissor lift and doing electric work when the incident occurred.  Apparently, the lift touched live wires and the poor fellow electrocuted.

Officials say Wolfe was in cardiac arrest when first responders arrived. He was then taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.

What a day: 3 people jump in front of subway trains in separate suicide attempt incidents; only one man dies

JUNE 5, 2015

 

Chevrestt, Angel/Angel Chevrestt, Freelance

A woman was struck after jumping in front of a 3 train headed downtown at the 72nd St. station. She was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition.

Three people leaped in front of subway trains in separate incidents in the Upper West Side, Queens and the Bronx Friday morning, leaving one dead, officials said.

A 20-year-old man jumped in front of a Manhattan-bound L train as it pulled into the Myrtle-Wyckoff station in Ridgewood, Queens, about 8:50 a.m., officials said.

He was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where he died about a half-hour later.

Later in the morning, a man in his 40s leaped in front of a downtown 4 train at the Fordham Road station in the Bronx, officials said.

He was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital in critical condition after being struck about 10:35 a.m. but was expected to survive, officials said.

Just over a half-hour later, a woman in her 40s jumped in front of a downtown 3 train at the 72nd St. station in Manhattan.

She was taken to Mount Sinai St. Luke's Hospital in serious but stable condition, officials said.
Source:http://www.nydailynews.com

2 DEAD AFTER RAFT OVERTURNS ON COLORADO RIVER AT THE DEADLY FUNNEL FALLS IN WESTWATER CANYON.

JUNE 5, 2015

MOAB, UTAH

A Bountiful, Utah man and another man from New York died Thursday after their rafts overturned on the Colorado River.

Adam Ericksen, 27, of Bountiful, and Charles McLynch, 50, of Bay Shore, New York, were riding in separate rafts that both overturned at Funnel Falls in Westwater Canyon.

According to a news release from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, several people were said to have been thrown into the river around 1:30 p.m.

Ericksen and McLynch were recovered from the river, but efforts to revive them were unsuccessful. Their bodies were transported by raft downriver to the Cisco Boat Ramp, then taken to the Utah State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Funnel falls is 54 miles upriver from Moab.

Ericksen’s family released a statement Friday, see below for the full text:

We are mourning the loss of our son, brother, and fiancé.

Adam passed away in a drowning accident at West Water Canyon on the Colorado River at 1:30 pm on Thursday.

He was a senior at the University of Utah Business School. He had one semester left.

He was a Musician. He was Entrepreneur of the year at the Salt Lake Community College. He loved the outdoors.

He was on a trip with friends. He had an engagement ring and was intending to formally propose.

He will be greatly missed. He was positive, kind-hearted and a great light in our family.

He also took risks with his life by riding the deadly rapids at these swollen waters and he end-up paying for it.  RIP.