Woman and child were killed after their wrong-way SUV collided with a UPS-tractor trailer on I-55 in Mississippi

  Posted: August 20, 2015

 A woman who was nearly hit by the wrong-way driver who was killed in Thursday's crash, spoke to FOX13 and told us she was on her way home when the car whizzed by her as it was traveling north in the southbound lanes.


"I was just traveling southbound coming home, an 18-wheeler in front of me, and it was slowing down so I was going to veer over to get over and it looked like lights were coming at me," Phyllis Locke described. "They were probably in the northbound lane, but then I realized that it was in my lane, the southbound lane, so then I got over. The car just whizzed by going about 100 miles per hour."

We do not yet know the circumstances that surround this deadly crash that killed Susan McDonald and her young daughter.

Stay with FOX13 both online and on-air as we work to bring you the latest details on this investigation.

Follow FOX13’s Earle Farrell on Facebook and Twitter.

UPDATE Thursday 11:49 a.m.:

Authorities have identified the woman killed in the wrong-way crash Thursday morning on I-55 in Hernando.

DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco told FOX13 that Susan Overton of Jonesboro, Ark., was killed this morning in the crash, along with what is believed to be her nine-year-old daughter.

The child has yet to be identified.

The driver of the UPS tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries and was treated on scene. He was not hospitalized.

Investigators believe that the SUV was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-55 at the time of the crash.

Stay with FOX13 for the latest on this investigation as it develops.

UPDATE Thursday 8:12 a.m.:

The mother and child who were killed in the wreck were from Arkansas, Sheriff Bill Rasco told FOX13.

The identity of the victims have not yet been released.

Investigators told FOX13 that the UPS driver tried to save the mother and her nine-year-old child after the crash.

Authorities continue to investigate what exactly happened.

What we know right now:

The woman and child were traveling in an SUV
The SUV was driving in the wrong direction on I-55 near Coldwater Bridge
This location is south of Hernando in DeSoto County, Miss.
The SUV hit a UPS tractor-trailer head-on
Both the SUV and the UPS truck caught fire
A woman and her nine-year-old child were killed
The driver of the UPS truck was uninjured
The woman and her child are from Arkansas, no word on what part of the state
No one in the accident has been identified at this time
Officials are on scene trying to figure out if anyone else was in the badly burned SUV

UPDATE 7:35 a.m.:

All lanes of I-55 in both directions are open in Hernando at Coldwater Bridge.

Authorities are still investigating the crash that killed a mother and her nine-year-old child.

It has not yet been determined if anyone else was found in the badly burned SUV.

The driver of the UPS truck has been accounted for. This driver's injuries are unknown at this time.

UPDATE 7:05 a.m.:

One lane of southbound I-55 in Hernando at Coldwater Bridge is open as authorities investigate this deadly crash.

All other lanes both southbound and northbound of I-55 remain closed.

FOX13's Earle Farrell has learned that a young mother and her nine-year-old child were killed in the wreck.

The UPS truck and the SUV that were involved in the accident are in the median.

Detours remain in place for all travelers.

As observed by our crew at the scene, the SUV and the UPS truck's trailer are completely destroyed.

UPDATE Thursday, 6:32 a.m.:

Emergency crews are on the scene of the crash on I-55 southbound at Coldwater Bridge in Hernando.

All lanes in both directions of the interstate at this location remain closed as authorities investigate the accident.

There are alternate routes in place for drivers headed in this direction.

We do not yet know if anyone else has been injured or killed as a result of this wreck.

(earlier)

A woman and child were killed in a fiery crash on I-55 southbound at Coldwater Bridge in DeSoto County.

The accident involved an passenger SUV and a UPS truck.

DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco told FOX13 that the SUV was traveling the wrong way on the interstate when it collided with the UPS truck.

The SUV then burst into flames.

All lanes northbound and southbound at this location are closed.

Sheriff Rasco said there may be more people in the SUV who were killed as a result of this crash. He said they were burned beyond recognition.

FOX13 has a crew on the way to the scene and will bring you the latest updates throughout the morning on FOX13 News.

Stay with MyFoxMemphis and FOX13 for the latest on this investigation.

Driver killed after a red BMW collided with a toll booth and caught fire on the Everett Turnpike in Merrimack, N.H

Driver killed in fiery crash in N.H.

By Matthew MacCormack Globe Correspondent 

August 20, 2015

One motorist was killed Thursday afternoon after a red BMW collided with a toll booth and caught fire on the Everett Turnpike in Merrimack, N.H., officials said.

The driver of the car, whose name was not released, died on the scene after the BMW crashed into a side toll near exit 11 southbound at around 1:15 p.m, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement Thursday. No attendants working inside the toll plaza were injured.

Police did not say whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, but said the BMW had been driving erratically and speeding prior to the accident. The car caused a minor accident with a pick-up truck and nearly struck a State Police cruiser at the construction site just north of exit 11 prior to crashing, police said.

No further information on the victim or the crash was immediately available.

THE U.S. HAS THE DEADLIEST ROADS IN THE WORLD: 4 people killed in fiery wrong-way car crash near Alexandria, S.D.

Emergency responders work to put out a fire caused from a two-vehicle crash on Thursday afternoon on Interstate 90 in the westbound lanes, approximately a mile east of Alexandria. (Matt Gade/Republic)

By Daily Republic News Today at 11:30 a.m.

 
ALEXANDRIA, S.D. — 

Four people died Thursday in a two-vehicle accident east of Alexandria, according to officials.


Names have not yet been released pending notification of family members, but the South Dakota Department of Public Safety confirmed Friday morning that three men and one woman died in the car crash, which was around 4:30 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 90, 3 miles east of Alexandria.

According to the department, there was one person in one of the vehicles, a 1995 Chevy pickup. The other vehicle's make and model are listed as "unknown" by the department, but there were three passengers and the driver.

The drivers of both vehicles died, as did two of the passengers in one of the vehicles. Another woman, the third passenger in one of the vehicles, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries.

Authorities say the head-on crash was caused by the Chevy driving the wrong way down the interstate—he was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes. The pickup collided with another vehicle, and both vehicles were engulfed in flames, according to the department. The smoke from the crash could be seen from Mitchell, and westbound traffic on Interstate 90 was re-routed at mile marker 350.

Debris from the crash struck a westbound 2014 Toyota SUV. The two occupants of the SUV were not injured.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Other agencies at the scene were the Hanson County Sheriff's Office, Davison County Sheriff's Office, Hanson County Emergency Management, Alexandria Fire Department, Emery Fire Department and Mitchell Police Division.

2 Critically After Amtrak Train Crash Near Brentwood, California Launches Truck Into Water, Hitting Boat

August 20, 2015 


BRENTWOOD, CA (CBS SF

A man in a pickup truck and a woman on a boat near Brentwood were critically hurt when an Amtrak train hit the pickup truck Thursday, launching the truck into the water where it hit the woman.

Authorities responded around 2:45 p.m. to a report of a collision between a train and vehicle on Orwood Road, Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham said.

Graham said none of the crewmembers or 145 passengers aboard Amtrak No. 713 reported any injuries. The train originated in Bakersfield and was bound for Oakland, she said.

Authorities originally reported that there were two people in the truck that were hurt, but it was later determined only one person was in the truck. The impact of the train catapulted the truck into a boat, injuring the woman in the boat.

Both the woman and the pickup driver were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.

A passenger on the train, Russell Bierle, said he didn’t feel the impact of the truck, but he did see it sinking slowly into a body of water adjacent to the train.

The tracks run through an area bisected by tributaries and canals. The train had just crossed over a bridge when it struck the vehicle, Bierle said.

A multi-truck crash Friday morning that killed two people on I-287 Southbound in Ramapo, NY

(Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)

I-87 crash kills 2 in Ramapo; SB lanes closed

Jane Lerner, jlerner@lohud.com 5:44 p.m. EDT August 21, 2015

The crash occurred just before 10 a.m. Friday near the ramp for Exit 14B

RAMAPO, NEW YORK

 — The southbound New York State Thruway remains closed in Ramapo, snarling traffic throughout the region, after a multi-truck crash Friday morning that killed two people.

State police said all northbound lanes are open, but that traffic is at a near standstill thanks to rubbernecking and the typical Friday rush. Approaching 5 p.m., police were unable to say when the southbound roadway might be opened.

Police said the crash was triggered shortly before 10 a.m. when a northbound truck apparently crossed into oncoming traffic in the southbound lanes near exit 14B. One tractor-trailer, two box trucks and one other vehicle were involved, state police said. They did not say which truck caused the collision.

Police are diverting traffic off the highway at Exit 15 in Mahwah, New Jersey, as the accident investigation continues. Traffic is stop-and-go on Route 59 westbound between Spring Valley and Suffern as drivers seek alternative routes.

Drivers trying to avoid the Tappan Zee Bridge can cross the Bear Mountain Bridge in northern Westchester and Rockland counties, or the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan and New Jersey.

The crash claimed the lives of two people in one of the trucks involved. A passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was cut out of the truck and taken in extremely critical condition to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, where he was pronounced dead.

Another person, a 43-year-old man, was admitted to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, according to a hospital official. A 12-year-old was also being treated at the Suffern hospital but will likely be released before the end of the day.
People stuck in traffic northbound, wait outside of their vehicles as firefighters, police and ambulance personnel work at the scene of a double fatal tractor trailer accident on the southbound New York State Thruway in Ramapo, Aug. 21, 2015. Mark Vergari/The Journal News

The crash led numerous cars and trucks to become stuck between Exits 15 and 14B. Just before 2:30 p.m. police began to let drivers who had been stuck for hours turn around, head north in the southbound lanes, and get off the Thruway at Exit 15.



Shane Zansitis, 4, has been stuck with his mother and baby sister in traffic on I-87 for more than 3 hours. (Photo: Marnie Zansitis)

Marnie Zansitis was trapped in the traffic jam for nearly four hours. The Mahwah resident had entered the Thruway at Exit 15 just before the crash occurred. When she spoke to The Journal News early Friday afternoon, she and her two children, Shane, 4, and Danica, 4½ months, had been stuck in her Toyota without food for hours.

"I'm totally freaking out right now," she said. "I have no food, no formula for the baby. Nothing."

Danica had a full bottle before breakfast and napped much of the time, her mother said. Shane, whom she was taking to child care in Northvale, New Jersey, started to get fussy, Zansitis said.

"This is a nightmare," she said. "I do this drive all the time. It usually takes 20 minutes."



A look from above at the aftermath of a 3-truck accident on the Thruway in Ramapo. WNBC New York

Steve Rothaupt, 26, of Chestnut Ridge said he was heading to Suffern for his next stop as a Snapple salesman when he got on the Thruway northbound in Nanuet at about 10:15 a.m.

​“My father is a firefighter in Tallman, and my mother texted me to tell me, ‘Don’t get on the Thruway,’” Rothaupt said. “But that was unfortunately about a minute or two late.”

Rothaupt added that his father, also named Steve, responded to the incident. The younger Rothaupt tweeted at 12:45 p.m.: “Sitting in my car with it off on the thruway. That's how much we aren't moving.” About three and a half hours later, he finally got off the highway, he said.

Local roads in Suffern and Sloatsburg also were jammed as drivers tried to avoid the Thruway.

Randi Colton, who was trying to get home to Sloatsburg from Suffern around 12:30 p.m, encountered heavy traffic on Route 202, East Maple Avenue and Route 17.

"It was just bumper-to-bumper," she said.

Emergency agencies that responded to the crash site included Rockland Paramedics and firefighters from Hillburn and Tallman, who handled the extrication. Rockland's HazMat team was also at the site Friday afternoon helping to transfer fuel out of the overturned trucks so it wouldn't get on the roadway.

State police said the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit and Collision Reconstruction Unit had also responded.Staff writer Akiko Matsuda contributed to this repor

NTSB: Track was damaged at site of 2014 CSX oil train derailment in Lynchburg, Virginia

(Photo: LuAnn Hunt, AP)


Bart Jansen, USA TODAY 
August 21, 2015

Federal investigators found damaged track at the spot in Lynchburg, Va., where an oil train derailed in 2014, sparking a huge fire and forcing the evacuation of six city blocks, according to documents released Friday.

A CSX train carrying Bakken crude oil derailed April 30, 2014, jumping the rails where joint bars had been bolted in place to reinforce broken track discovered in January 2014, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) documents.



CSX inspectors had checked the track the day before and ordered new rail to be installed within about three weeks, investigators reported.

The documents released Friday describe factual aspects of the crash and don't attempt to analyze what happened. The board will determine the probable cause of the crash and make saftey recommendations in the coming months.

Nobody was injured in the accident. But three of the 17 derailed cars plunged into the James River, where they leaked crude oil. Of the derailed cars, 14 were built to higher safety standards developed by the Association of American Railroads for cars delivered after October 2011, and three were built to the Transportation Department's legacy standard called DOT-111.



CSX estimated damage from the crash at $1 million.

Witnesses reported flames higher than four-story buildings, and emergency personnel evacuated about 350 residents and 20 businesses.



The Lynchburg crash was one of several in recent years that spurred greater federal attention to rail safety. As more trains deliver Bakken crude oil from North Dakota, federal officials have sought to strengthen rail cars against collisions and reduce accidents at grade-level crossings.

In contrast to a speeding Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia in May, the CSX train in Lynchburg was going 23 mph at a curve where the speed limit was 25 mph.

2 injured after a pickup hauling an ATV and train collided near Carlisle, Iowa on Friday morning

  By Emmy Victor

UPDATED  August 21, 2015

CARLISLE, IOWA

A pickup hauling an ATV and train collided near Carlisle on Friday morning.


The crash was reported about 8:45 a.m. at Highway 5 and 190th Street, a couple yards off the highway.

Authorities said the train was backing up and the truck crossed the tracks and was hit. Authorities said it was a low speed collision.

The truck was knocked into ditch. Hartford Fire Department is trying to get it out.


A male driver appears to be OK, but a female passenger was taken to a hospital to be checked out.

Look for more on this story coming up on KCCI-TV, KCCI.com, our Facebook page, mobile website m.kcci.com and apps.

Man Pleads Guilty To Deadly Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma Boat Crash

 


 Posted: Aug 21, 2015
Brandi Ball, NewsOn6.com

EUFAULA, Oklahoma -

A man has pleaded guilty to being drunk, crashing his speeding boat and killing a man on Lake Eufaula in 2013.

Ryan Shumway, 31, left the scene of the July 4, 2013 crash, even though two little girls had broken legs and their grandfather, Gary McIninch, 55, was missing in the water.



McIninch’s body was recovered two days later, and Shumway turned himself in four days after the fatal crash.

Shumway was sentenced on Friday for felony manslaughter and misdemeanor failure to render aid. He was given six months in the county jail and will serve no less than 85 percent of the time.


According to a civil lawsuit the family filed in 2013, McIninch "placed his body between Ryan Shumway's careening boat and his granddaughters," and the impact knocked him overboard his stationary pontoon boat, which was displaying the required light for darkness.

McIninch’s granddaughters, then ages 8 and 10,suffered “pecuniary damages, physical pain and suffering, disfigurement and extreme mental anguish, according to the family’s lawsuit against Shumway.

Court records show Ryan Shumway has a series of arrests beginning in 2001 for public intoxication and possessing a beer while being under 21.

In 2004, Shumway was convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, in 2007, he pleaded guilty to transporting an open container, and in 2010, he was sentenced to a year of probation on a DUI charge.


In another twist in the case, McIninich’s widow asked the medical examiner to return her husband’s wedding band after his death. Months later, after requiring her to obtain a letter from the district attorney to get the ring back, the ME’s office told her they destroyed the ring.

When News On 6 requested records about McIninich’s personal belongings, we were told we would have to obtain a court order to receive the records. Board members refused to return our calls and emails about the issue.

The attorney general and governor said they had no power to wield in the situation.According to McIninich’s widow, the ME’s office finally told her they changed the policies and offered her money, which she refused.





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





Boat Driver Sued In Fatal Lake Eufaula Collision 


Posted: Jul 31, 2013
Brandi Ball, NewsOn6.com


PITTSBURG COUNTY, Oklahoma -

The mother of two children who were seriously injured in a July 4 fatal hit-and-run boat crash on Lake Eufaula has sued the driver in civil court, court documents show.

According to the lawsuit filed in Pittsburg County on behalf of Tonia Foster, her children had to be flown by medical helicopter, and their grandfather, Gary McIninch, 55, was tossed from their boat.

His body was recovered from the lake two days later.

Roberts' lawsuit is levied at Shumway and his wife, Janai Shumway, who, along with the couple's children, was on the boat at the time of the crash. It seeks in excess of $75,000 in damages and costs associated with prosecution.

The Shumways showed gross negligence and displayed "wanton and reckless disregard for the rights and the health and welfare of the Foster children," according to the suit.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 30-year-old Ryan Shumway was identified as the driver of the ski boat that crashed into McIninch. McIninch's pontoon was tied up to another vessel as several people watched a fireworks show near Eufaula Cove.

The lawsuit claims Ryan Shumway's boat was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the pontoon, and the pontoon was stopped and displaying the required light for darkness.


McIninch "placed his body between Ryan Shumway's careening boat and his granddaughters," and the impact knocked him overboard, according to the suit.

Troopers said Ryan Shumway circled the pontoon and another boat after the collision. According to witness reports, he drove off when he learned there was a man missing in the water.

"Ryan Shumway and Janai Shumway, after striking the Foster children and knocking Gary McIninch into the waters of Lake Eufaula, then fled the scene without rendering any aid to the small children… or the drowning man they had knocked overboard," the lawsuit says.

Foster's daughters, ages 8 and 10, have suffered pecuniary damages, physical pain and suffering, disfigurement and extreme mental anguish, the lawsuit claims.

Ryan Shumway has not been charged in the incident.

Court records show Ryan Shumway has a series of arrests beginning in 2001 for public intoxication and possessing a beer while being under 21. He pleaded guilty to both of those charges.

In 2004, he was convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, in 2007, he pleaded guilty to transporting an open container, and in 2010, he was sentenced to a year of probation on a DUI charge.

He also has a number of speeding violations on his record, both in Pittsburg and Latimer counties.

Nearly all contact lens wearers in national survey report risky eye care behaviors that can lead to eye infections

One-third of contact lens wearers sought care for potentially preventable eye problems

Press Release

Embargoed Until: Thursday, August 20, 2015, 1:00 p.m. ET Contact: Media Relations
(404) 639-3286

Almost all of the 41 million estimated contact lens wearers in the United States may be engaging in at least one behavior known to increase their risk of eye infections, according to a report published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly one-third of contact lens wearers who participated in a national survey reported going to the doctor for red or painful eyes related to wearing contact lenses.

More than 99 percent of survey respondents reported at least one risky behavior. The majority of wearers reported:

• Keeping their contact lens cases for longer than recommended (82.3 percent);
• “Topping off” solution in the case—adding new solution to the existing solution instead of emptying the case out fully before adding new solution (55.1 percent); or
• Wearing their lenses while sleeping (50.2 percent).

Each of these behaviors has been reported in previous studies to raise the risk of eye infections by five times or more.

An online survey was administered to a sample of contact lens wearers to determine how often contact lens wearers engaged in behaviors that could put them at risk for an eye infection. CDC collaborated with the Contact Lens Assessment in Youth (CLAY) group, a multi-university group of researchers, to conduct the survey. 

A separate survey was used to estimate the number of contact lens wearers – about 41 million adults. Taken together, the survey results indicate that millions of Americans could be at risk for serious eye infections because of poor contact lens hygiene behaviors.

“Good vision contributes to overall well-being and independence for people of all ages, so it’s important not to cut corners on healthy contact lens wear and care,” says CDC Medical Epidemiologist Jennifer Cope, M.D., M.P.H. “We are finding that many wearers are unclear about how to properly wear and care for contact lenses."

To prevent eye infections, contact lens wearers should:

• Wash hands with soap and water and dry them well before touching contact lenses;
• Take contacts out before sleeping, showering or swimming;
• Rub and rinse contacts in disinfecting solution each time they remove them;
• Rub and rinse the case with contact lens solution, dry with a clean tissue and store it upside down with the caps off after each use;
• Replace contact lens cases at least once every three months;
• Avoid “topping off” solution in lens case (adding fresh solution to old solution); and
• Carry a backup pair of glasses in case contact lenses have to be taken out.

Aug. 24 through 28, 2015, marks the second annual Contact Lens Health Week. To celebrate the week, CDC is promoting its campaign for contact lens and eye health, developed in collaboration with doctors, public health, eye care industry, and regulatory partners. By focusing attention on good contact lens hygiene steps, CDC hopes to help reduce the risk of eye infections and complications in people who wear contacts. 

For more information on preventing eye infections and proper contact lens wear, please visit: www.cdc.gov/contactlenses.

New fires have erupted within the three kilometer disaster zone where warehouse explosions killed more than 116 people in China’s Tianjin port.

By MarEx 2015-08-21 16:30:19

Four new fires have erupted within the three kilometer disaster zone where warehouse explosions killed more than 116 people in China’s Tianjin port. Firefighters, soldiers and police offers have been dispatched to put out the flames.

According to reports, the fires were seen in a logistics park as well as three other locations in the central blast zone. There were at least 3,000 cars in the logistics park, which had been torched in the August 12 eruption. Authorities suspect that the fires were caused by combustible material in the cars’ fuel tanks.

Technicians have detected levels of cyanide up to 356 times the safe level within the evacuated blast zone.

Officials confirmed that more than 700 tons of sodium cyanide were stored at the Tianjin warehouse that blew up. Inspections of facilities handling dangerous chemicals and explosives were ordered by China’s State Council after the blasts.

The Tianjin explosions exposed several safety issues regarding the storage of hazard chemicals.

HERE COMES DANNY: Captain of the Port sets Port Condition WHISKEY for the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico

 


AUGUST 21st, 2015 
 
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — 

Coast Guard Sector San Juan Captain of the Port, Capt. Robert W. Warren, set Port Condition WHISKEY at 2p.m. Friday for all the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico due to the current projected path of Hurricane Danny.

The Captain of the Port anticipates that the port condition may be increased from WHISKEY to X-RAY Saturday, at 4p.m. for the ports in the U.S. Virgin Islands and 8 p.m. for the ports in Puerto Rico, if the track for Hurricane Danny remains as forecasted.

During Port Condition WHISKEY (72 hours before gale-force winds make landfall) all maritime operations including waterfront facility and vessel transits may occur until further notice and are subject to prudent seamanship and safe working practices. Commercial vessel and facility operators should plan for contingencies and review vessel schedules for arrivals and departures to and from maritime facilities.

Waterfront facilities should be removing potential flying debris, hazardous materials and pollutants from dockside areas. All oceangoing vessels greater than 500 gross tons should make preparations to leave the port at this time or request in writing from the Captain of the Port, prior to the setting of Port Condition X-Ray, permission to remain in port.

Vessels bound for this port, which are unable to depart 24 hours prior to threatening winds making landfall, are advised to seek an alternate destination.

“WARNING”

Ports, facilities and operators should anticipate additional restrictions on inbound and outbound traffic as the hurricane approaches.

Mariners should prepare for impending severe weather prior to the anticipated arrival of gale force winds.

Owners and operators of pleasure craft should follow small craft advisories from the National Weather Service and take the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of their vessels, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Pleasure craft operators are advised to seek safe harbor. Owners of larger boats are urged to move their boats to inland marinas where they will be less vulnerable to breaking free of their moorings or sustaining damage. Trailer able boats should be pulled from the water and stored in a place that is not prone to flooding. Those who are leaving their boats in the water are reminded to secure life rings, lifejackets and small boats. These items, if not secured properly, can break free and require valuable search and rescue resources be diverted and precluded from assisting people who may actually be in distress.

Future port conditions cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty, but provided the storm remains on the projected course and track, port stakeholders can expect the established progression of port conditions.

1 man working on cutting down a tree was killed when it fell onto his head in Pennsylvania

 

Mercer County tree worker dies from injuries 

Posted: Aug 21, 2015
By Will Brown, Web Producer

COOLSPRING TOWNSHIP, PA

A Carlton man who was hit by a falling tree near Lake Latonka earlier this week has died.

Pennsylvania troopers say Michael Hiles, 45, was working on cutting down the tree around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday when it fell on him.

The 1988 Cochranton High School graduate had been contracted to cut down several trees near the lake when the accident occurred.

Hiles sustained serious injuries and was transported to Grove City Medical Center. Emergency workers later airlifted the Carlton man to Allegheny General in Pittsburgh, where he died on Wednesday.

According to the Allegheny Medical Examiner's office, Hiles died from blunt force trauma to the head. His death was ruled accidental.

Driver whose car had broken down, hit and killed along I-40 in Wake County, NC

A woman was hit and killed near S. Saunders Street in Raleigh early Friday morning.

Updated 1 hr 41 mins ago

RALEIGH (WTVD) --

A pedestrian was hit and killed near the Interstate 40/440 construction zone in Wake County early Friday morning.

It happened around 2 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-40 near S. Saunders Street in Raleigh. Authorities said 38-year-old Annmarie Elizabeth Perna, was walking across the lanes after her sedan broke down.

She was then struck by a 2010 white Toyota pickup driven by 45-year-old Shawn Lyndell Price. Perna died at the scene. Price was not injured.

No charges have been filed.

The accident shut down all three westbound lanes between exit 297 and exit 298 for a couple of hours as authorities investigated the accident.

HERE COMES DANNY: Hurricane Danny strengthens into Category 2 storm in Atlantic

Hurricane Danny has strengthened today. Casey Curry takes a look at the storm's projected path and what next week looks like with the storm in mind

Updated 1 hr 41 mins ago

 

MIAMI, FL (KTRK) -- 

 

Hurricane Danny has strengthened into a Category 2 storm, but it is still well out in the Atlantic and remains very small. In fact, 21 hurricanes the size of Danny could fit inside Hurricane Ike's wind field when it made landfall in Galveston.

Danny will struggle to overcome dry air and higher wind shear this weekend as it approaches the Caribbean. If it survives these hostile conditions, it could get tangled up with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after the weekend.

A couple more tropical waves following behind Danny have low odds to develop into storms over the next five days. There is also a non-tropical area of low pressure south of Bermuda that could develop over the weekend.

Car slams into building in Warrington Twp., Pa.

Rescuers are on the scene after a car slammed into a building in Warrington Twp., Pa.

Updated 1 hr 19 mins ago

WARRINGTON TWP., Pa. (WPVI) -- 

 

Rescuers are on the scene after a car slammed into a building in Warrington Twp., Pa.

It happened around 9:15 a.m. along Easton Rd. (Route 611) near Bristol Rd.

Officials say the vehicle careened off the roadway and into a building.

The building struck was the Old Barness building, which now houses offices.

The view from Chopper 6 showed the car about halfway into the building.

The driver was taken to Doylestown Hospital.

There is no word on that person's condition.

It's also not known what made the driver lose control.

The building was checked for safety and the owner was advised on what needed to be done to maintain operation.

HEATSTROKE KILLS THOUSANDS EVERY YEAR: Long Island varsity football player critical after heatstroke

Friday, August 21, 2015 09:40AM 

STONY BROOK, ny

A high school football player in Riverhead remains hospitalized in critical condition and on dialysis Friday after suffering heat stroke during practice earlier this week.

Nikolas Visco was taken to Stony Brook Children's Hospital on Monday after he told coaches he wasn't feeling well as practice ended. The team's trainer immediately called an ambulance.

The Riverhead High School junior also suffered from kidney and liver failure.

Dr. Daniel Sloniewsky says Visco was on dialysis but added it wasn't clear if the kidney problem was permanent or temporary.

The Visco family released the following statement:

"We would like to thank our family and friends, and others in the community along with our son, Nikolas Visco's friends and fellow teammates, for their concerns about Nikolas while he is being cared for at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. He remains in critical condition and is being taken care of by a very experienced team of doctors and nurses. We are very grateful and thankful for the care he is receiving. Out of concern for Nikolas' well-being, we ask that you respect his privacy and our family's privacy as we all focus our energy on helping Nikolas recover."

The temperature was 86 Monday morning and the heat index was 92. A heat alert is mandatory when the index reaches 95. The team was practicing under a self-imposed modified heat alert

At least 1 dead, 2 injured in massive multi-vehicle crash on I-87 in Rockland County, New York involving tractor trailer

Jim Dolan reporting live from Suffern






Eyewitness News
Updated 16 mins ago

SUFFERN, N.Y. (WABC) -- 

The southbound lanes of Interstate 87 are closed in Rockland County after multiple vehicles were involved in a crash Friday morning, leaving at least one person dead.

The state police said the two trucks rolled over near the Airmont Road exit 14B in Suffern at about 9:47 a.m. Troopers confirmed that one person died. They said the crash involves one tractor trailer, two box trucks and one other car.





A second person was extricated and taken to Good Samaritan Hospital with serious injuries. One person had minor injuries.

According to troopers, the preliminary investigation shows one of the vehicles was traveling northbound and crossed over into the southbound lanes, causing the collision.

Gordon Wren, director of the Rockland County Office of Fire and Emergency Services, said at least two fire departments are responding to the scene.

All lanes on the southbound side of I-87, also known as the New York State Thruway, are shut down until further notice.



Traffic in the southbound lanes is backed up for miles.

Stay with abc7NY for the latest on this developing story.

Chinese and Korean freighters collide off Pyeongtaek (Korea), 2 crew missing

AUGUST 20, 2015


 Written by AdminSailor

 General cargo vessel Guo Xing 1 collided with unidentified Korean cargo vessel off Pyeongtaek, Korea, Yellow sea, at 2200 LT Aug 20. 

It is understood, that both vessels suffered serious damages, one of the freighters probably sank. 

Two crew of reportedly, Korean freighter, went missing. 

Guo Xing 1 was en route from Incheon to China.

Turkish ship Orsa abandoned by crew and its owner and stranded in Famagusta Port in Cyprus

Written by AdminSailor
 
General cargo vessel Orsa is stranded in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, since March 2015, abandoned by its owner. 

As of now, vessel is said to be under Togo flag, while according to different databases, vessel is or was Turkey or Cook Islands flagged. 

It is understood, that most part of 12 crew left the vessel, and now only 4 remain on board, including Captain. 

Owner doesn’t respond to calls and even official requests.

27 French Tourists and 10 Egyptian Crew Members Rescued in Egypt after Ship Hits Coral Reef in Abu Diab area

AUGUST 20, 2015

Written by AdminSailor 

CAIRO, EGYPT

Egyptian authorities rescued 27 French tourists and 10 Egyptian crew members on Thursday morning after their boat ran aground on a coral reef off the coast of the Red Sea city of Marsa Alam in southern Egypt. 

The 27 French tourists were aboard the ship sailing from the town of Porto Ghaleb to Marsa Alam on a diving excursion, when the vessel hit a coral reef in Abu Diab area, causing damage to the boat, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said in a statement. 

The crew sent a distress alert and all of the tourists and the 10 crew members were rescued, according to the state-run MENA news agency, which cited a security official who confirmed that no one was harmed and everyone returned safely to their residences at the port in Safaga. 

The spot in the Red Sea where the accident took place is famous for its coral reefs and year-long warm waters, which attract many diving enthusiasts.

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has identified two species of super-algae that contain over 50 percent oil

The Sludge of Biofuels


By MarEx 2015-08-21 10:00:10

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) has identified two species of super-algae that contain over 50 percent oil. The researchers suggest that it could be an untapped resource for the production of biofuels.

Using a new technique, the scientists examined strains in the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa, an internationally important algal store based at SAMS in Oban in the Firth of Loren.

Micro-algae produce high levels of oil, carbohydrates and proteins from sunlight. There are only a few species, which are grown commercially for health foods such as Omega-3 oils and pro-Vitamin A. The fatty acids found in micro-algae can also be converted into fatty acid methyl esters, or FAMEs, the molecules used to produce biodiesel.

The SAMS screening revealed two marine strains, Nannochloropis oceanica and Chlorella vulgaris as being ideal biofuel feedstock.

Dr. Stephen Slocombe, a SAMS research associate in molecular biology, commented that producing biofuels from micro-algae will require further data about what strains will generate high yields.

Currently, there are about 10,000 researchers working on super-algae, but the shortlist of super-algae developed by SAMS is considered the best opportunity of genetically engineering the right culture for oil production.

Algae is easily grown and is low maintenance, which make them an attractive option for biofuel production. Commercial algae also requires less land and water than plant alternatives, but production is relatively expensive due to equipment and operating costs.

Several companies and government agencies are currently funding efforts to make algae fuel production commercially viable. The SAMS project is part of the BioMara Project which aims to develop biofuels from marine biomass.

Indonesian police have arrested three men suspected of hijacking the Indonesian-flagged M/T Rehobot.

Siphoning Hijackers Caught

By MarEx 2015-08-21 10:08:10 

Indonesian police have arrested three men suspected of hijacking the Indonesian-flagged M/T Rehobot.

The tanker was transporting about 1,100 tons of fuel when it was boarded by nine men wielding knives on January 28. The Rehobot’s 14 crewmembers were forced to abandon ship and jumped into the vessel’s lifeboats and were not found until January 31.

The ship was found grounded and found on Mindanao Island February 23, and its fuel had been siphoned.

Indonesian authorities are still searching for the six remaining hijackers. North Sulawesi Marine Police believe the operation was led by a man named La Ade, who is a fugitive being sought in another incident of fuel siphoning in 2013.

A two-alarm fire along U.S. Highway 377 in Argyle, Texas left one firefighter hospitalized from smoke inhalation

Argyle firefighter injured in blaze









Published: 20 August 2015 10:35 PM

A two-alarm fire along U.S. Highway 377 in Argyle on Wednesday afternoon left one firefighter hospitalized.

Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger said the plume of smoke from a second-story balcony at a professional office building could be seen from a mile away when the department was first dispatched at about 4 p.m.

The building was cleared of occupants, but one firefighter was injured.

Hohenberger could not release the firefighter’s name as of Thursday evening.

Hohenberger said the firefighter — an eight-year veteran with the department — suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to an area hospital where he remained as of Thursday afternoon.

“It’s possible there are burns to his trachea due to the inhalation,” he said. “I am not sure when he will be released.”

The quick response, with assistance from Denton, Justin and Flower Mound fire departments, saved the brick building from serious damage, said Hohenberger, adding that the fire was out by 4:20 p.m.

The exact cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, but Hohenberger said they suspect it was from a discarded cigarette because the fire started in the designated outside smoking area of the building.

Fire officials said there was some outside structure damage, but the blaze didn’t make its way inside the building, though the interior did receive some smoke damage, Hohenberger said.

He said he wasn’t sure yet of the exact cost of damages, but he estimated it would be at least $100,000.

The building remains closed, officials said.

Woman, dog killed in massive crash with emergency vehicle in Owings Mills, Maryland

By Colin Campbell The Baltimore Sun

AUGUST 20, 2015 

An emergency vehicle was involved in a fatal crash in Owings Mills Thursday.


A woman and a dog were killed in a crash with a Baltimore County Fire Department emergency vehicle responding to a priority call in Owings Mills Thursday, police said.


The woman, Delores Scott, 73, was behind the wheel of a light brown Honda at about 3 p.m. when it was struck by a Suburban EMS-5 at Reisterstown Road and St. Thomas Center, Baltimore County police said.

An EMS supervisor sustained minor injuries in the crash, the union said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the deceased," the Baltimore County fire union, IAFF 1311, said.

 
The Police Department's CRASH team is investigating.

TEXAS POLICE OFFICER REAR ENDS FIRE TRUCK IN LUFKIN, TEXAS

Lufkin PD Video





Friday, August 21, 2015

 A Lufkin Police officer unable to control his car in rainy conditions, will be written-up by the department after he struck the rear of a fire truck that was responding to a car accident.  According to Lufkin Police Chief Gerald Williamson, the fire truck had slowed down as it approached the accident scene to avoid debris in the road.

Rookie officer Zachary Klein, who was traveling below the speed limit at 28 mph, hit his brakes, but skidded into the back of the truck amid rainy conditions at speeds of 15-20 mph. Because he was able to slow the vehicle, his airbag did not deploy.

“I applied the brakes but realized they were locking up and the vehicle was not slowing down because of the recent rain,” Klein said in a statement to Chief Williamson about the incident. “I released the brakes and attempted to apply the brakes again. I was unable to stop before striking the rear of the fire truck.”

No one was injured in the crash, which was investigated by Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Marc Slocum.

Per DPS policy, an officer involved in at-fault, on-duty crash is not ticketed when the officer’s employer takes disciplinary action. Lufkin Police Department has a progressive disciplinary policy that can compromise the officer’s employment status if additional at-fault crashes occur.

Because Klein is still in training, another at-fault crash could end his career with the department, according to Williamson.

“It becomes an issue if he has a pattern of at-fault crashes because that’s a really high liability for agencies,” Williamson said. “If he has issues then it’s one of those deals where we could viewed as negligent for retaining him.”

Williamson said he is thankful no one was injured in the crash and sees this as a learning opportunity.

Four new fires at China blast site, widespread safety hazards found (we would never have thought of that (sarcasm here))

When companies take short-cuts in safety as they manage explosive or hazardous chemicals they eventually pay the price, either directly or indirectly.  China has a poor safety record, as the United States used to have not too long ago.  The industrial expansion, the rush to produce and compete always causes unsafe conditions and the workers and residents pay the ultimate price.  We see this all around the world.  China is not unique in that respect, only that the scale of the manufacturing and industrial growth has reached its deadly limit:  from water pollution, to air pollution, to land pollution, to industrial accidents, to sick workers, and so on.  We have been there, we have done that.  The question is, will the Chinese also learn and fix their problems?  We shall see.

SHANGHAI | By Brenda Goh




Four new fires have broken out at the site where two huge blasts last week killed 116 people, Chinese state media reported Friday soon after officials said safety hazards were found at almost 70 percent of firms handling dangerous chemicals in Beijing.

The explosions in a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals devastated an industrial park in the northeastern port city of Tianjin late on Aug. 12. More than 700 people were injured and thousands were evacuated because of the risk posed by chemicals stored at the site.

The official Xinhua news agency said Friday rescue crews were rushing to the site after four new fires broke out. It said one of the "combustion points" was in a logistics site for automobiles near last week's blasts.


The other three were within the central blast area, it said without giving any explanation of the cause of the fires.

The news agency also said the death toll rose to 116 on Friday from a previously reported 114, and 60 people were still missing.

State authorities have confirmed that more than 700 tonnes of the deadly chemical sodium cyanide were stored at the Tianjin warehouse that blew up.

Nationwide inspections of facilities handling dangerous chemicals and explosives were ordered by China's State Council after the blasts last week.

More than 100 chemical firms across seven provinces have been told to suspend operations or shut down due to safety violations in the recent days, announcements by regional governments show.

That includes 19 companies in Hubei province, 26 firms in Anqing city in the southeastern province of Anhui, two in the capital, Beijing, and 39 in Zhejiang province.



In Beijing alone, an inspection of 124 sites that stored dangerous chemicals found hazards at 85 firms, Xinhua said late on Thursday, citing Beijing's work safety bureau.

THOUSANDS OF DEAD FISH

The State Council said in a statement on Thursday that advanced equipment and the best expertise must be used to prevent major environmental incidents in the future.
 

Pictures taken by Reuters on Thursday showed workers scooping thousands of dead fish out of the Haihe river near Tianjin, a day after authorities had declared the city's drinking water was safe.

Tianjin officials said the dead fish were caused by regular seasonal low oxygen levels in the water and were not related to the blasts.

Authorities however have also warned that cyanide levels in waters around Tianjin port, the world's 10th-busiest and the gateway to China's industrial north, had risen to as much as 277 times acceptable levels.

The blasts at Tianjin also prompted a nationwide review of China's industrial safety record, which has struggled to keep pace with the breakneck speed of China's economic growth.

China has struggled in recent years with incidents ranging from mining disasters to factory fires, and President Xi Jinping has vowed that authorities should learn the lessons paid for with blood.



Executives of Tianjin Dongjiang Port Ruihai International Logistics, the firm whose warehouse exploded, have said they used connections to obtain safety approvals. The site was found to be too close to nearby homes.

Inspectors carrying out the safety reviews in Beijing found that security personnel at a branch of Sinopec Corp (0386.HK), Asia's largest refiner, were unfamiliar with how to handle an oil tank fire, Xinhua said.

"Companies that fail our inspections will be ordered to suspend operations, and their warehouses will be put under 24-hour surveillance," Xinhua quoted Qian Shan, vice-head of the Beijing work safety bureau, as saying.

Despite the infractions found at the Sinopec branch, Xinhua did not say that the facility would be shut.

Beijing has also suspended operations at firms that make or deal in highly toxic chemicals and explosives from Aug. 17 to Sept. 6 in preparation for a military parade and athletics event, Xinhua said.

On Wednesday, three oil and gas firms close to residences were told by authorities in the cities of Hangzhou and Shenzhen to halt operations.

(Additional Reporting by Michael Martina in BEIJING and Sue-Lin Wong and SHANGHAI Newsroom; Editing by Paul Tait and Ryan Woo)

Firefighters in protection suits carry a a man playing the role of a victim on a stretcher during an anti-chemical drill next to storage tanks of liquefied petroleum gas, at a factory in Haikou, Hainan province, China, August 21, 2015.
Reuters/Stringer