Brazen thefts of farm, construction equipment plague rural Michigan
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office last year asked the public to help it locate a 2015 John Deere Tractor, pictured above, stolen over a weekend from a Three Rivers dealership. (Courtesy | John Deere)
By Rosemary Parker | rparker3@mlive.com
on June 29, 2016 at 1:48 PM, updated June 29, 2016 at 3:37 PM
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, MI -- It didn't take much for thieves to steal the brand new full size farm tractor from a Southwest Michigan farm implement dealership last year. Police said the suspects drove up to the business, cut a wire that secured the vehicle to another tractor then loaded the tractor and drove away with it.
Police investigating theft of 2015 John Deere tractor from Three Rivers dealership
The St. Joseph County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in locating a 2015 John Deere Tractor that was stolen from a Three Rivers dealership during the weekend.
Lawn mowers stolen before Father's Day from John Deere dealership
The commercial lawn mowers went missing Friday or Saturday.
The same dealership was hit again recently, this time when two commercial lawn mowers were stolen over Father's Day weekend, Michigan State Police said.
The Michigan thefts are among a regional larceny trend targeting commercial lawn equipment, farm implements and construction equipment, Michigan State Police Det. Sgt. Todd Petersen said. Such dealerships, with their massive lots and sometime lax security, are frequent targets of theft in Three Rivers, Cass County, Coldwater and all over the southern tier of counties near the Indiana border, Petersen said.
The equipment is valuable, easy to grab, and difficult for authorities to trace once it's gone, Petersen said.
An example, a custom outfitted skid steer loader valued at about $80,000 that thieves simply loaded up and drove away, Peterson said.
Complicating the investigations, many dealerships, lacking sophisticated security systems, may not even discover overnight or weekend thefts for hours or days. "It's unbelievable," Petersen said. "Two times we've had people throw bricks through the front window" to steal chainsaws, he said, thefts that were not reported until they were discovered Monday morning.
Doug Finnerman, Store Lead at GreenMark Equipment, a recent target of thefts, declined comment for this story. "I'm sorry but I don't have time to (talk about that)," he said, adding that no one else from his company would have time, either.
Equipment theft
Detective Brett Wilson works for the Johnson County Kansas Sheriff's Department in Olathe, Kansas where farm and construction equipment thefts are not uncommon. authorities there are turning to social media for help.
Founded on June 11, 2014 the TRACE program--Theft Reports of Agricultural and Construction Equipment -- is intended to " quickly inform all participants of suspicious activities and crime in your neighborhood, farming community or construction site."
Wilson said his department wanted to be able to spread information throughout rural areas of the as well as urban Kansas City. "Let's say we have a skid steer loader stolen, we want to be able to tell other people in that trade," he said, to make public its serial number and picture so people can be on the lookout if they see it offered for sale on Craig's list or at equipment auctions.
It also gives members a wake-up call to how many items are being stolen, and how, which may prompt better security efforts, Wilson said. The program uses Facebook as a data base for stolen pieces, and sends out an email alert to members.
As a result, many heavy equipment dealerships have been putting up pipe fences around their property to prevent equipment from being driven away, he said.
It's easy
Wilson said many factors contribute to the thefts.
First, items from big name manufacturers such as Case and John Deere often have all been keyed the same, he said, to allow easier employee access on big farms and construction sites. "A company may want to order 20 trucks, all with the same key," Wilson said.
But making keys cheap and interchangeable for crew members has targeted vehicles for easy theft. "If I have a key to a John Deere Gator, I also have a key to other pieces of equipment," Wilson said. With just a few keys, thieves can gain access to equipment of the same manufacturer at farms or construction sites "all over the world," Wilson said.
In 2016 many manufacturers of large pickup trucks are just beginning to put computer chips in those because theft so huge, Wilson said.
Another reason theft is so common is the value of the equipment, Wilson said.
"A cheap three-quarter-ton plain Jane truck can cost you $45, 000 and up," he said.
"Skid steer loaders average $50,000."
Once they are stolen, the recovery rate is very low, Wilson said. Only 8-10 percent of these types of vehicles are recovered, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Unlike personal cars and trucks, these commercial items are not registered, licensed or tracked, he said.
If there is a theft of a vehicle or piece of equipment manufactured by Caterpillar or Case or John Deere or another large manufacturer, if the owner knows the Vehicle Identification Number he gives it to police and to the dealer, who will put it in the computer system, Wilson said.
But unlike a car, which is registered with the state and has a license plate that is easy to trace, the tractor or truck's number will only come up again if the new owner needs to order a part from the dealer, and even then, the number is easily faked.
Also, he said, police officers are taught to check license and registration for vehicles and their drivers, but rarely check the contents of trailers that are being hauled.
Once the stolen equipment is resold, it may never move off the farm or construction site so it may never been seen again.
Spreading the word
That's how social networking can help, Wilson said.
Detective Lt. Russell Ammon of Michigan State Police Southwest Commercial Auto Recovery unit in Kalamazoo County said the thefts are sometimes discovered when community members report suspicious purchases as well as thefts.
When items are discovered to have been stolen, authorities return them to the original owner, and the purchaser is out the money spent, no matter if they didn't know they were buying stolen goods.
That's the price of going for a deal that seems too good to be true, authorities said.
It probably is.
1st self-driving car death reported involving Tesla S
FILE:
Tesla Model S is on display on the first press day of the Frankfurt
Auto Show IAA in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Updated 32 mins ago
WASHINGTON
(KABC) -- Officials have confirmed the first self-driving car death
involving a Tesla S sports car where the driver was using autopilot.
"What
we know is that the vehicle was on a divided highway with Autopilot
engaged when a tractor trailer drove across the highway perpendicular to
the Model S," Tesla said in a statement on their website.
The
fatal crash occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration says preliminary reports indicate
the crash occurred when a tractor-trailer rig made a left turn in front
of the Tesla at a highway intersection.
"Neither Autopilot nor
the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a
brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied," the statement said.
The Model S went under the trailer, and the impact sheared off the roof of the vehicle.
The
victim was identified as 40-year-old Joshua D. Brown of Canton, Ohio,
owner of a technology company who nicknamed his vehicle "Tessy."
"He
was a friend to Tesla and the broader EV community, a person who spent
his life focused on innovation and the promise of technology and who
believed strongly in Tesla's mission," the company said.
Frank
Baressi, 62, the driver of the truck and owner of Okemah Express LLC,
said the Tesla driver was "playing Harry Potter on the TV screen" at the
time of the crash and driving so quickly that "he went so fast through
my trailer I didn't see him."
"It was still playing when he died
and snapped a telephone pole a quarter mile down the road," Baressi told
The Associated Press in an interview from his home in Palm Harbor,
Florida. He acknowledged he couldn't see the movie, only heard it.
Tesla
Motors Inc. said it is not possible to watch videos on the Model S
touch screen, and there was no reference to the movie in initial police
reports.
The company says autopilot is disabled by default. When
drivers enable autopilot, they are reminded that the function "is an
assist feature that requires you to keep your hands on the steering
wheel at all times," and drivers should be prepared to take over at any
given time.
NHTSA says it is investigating the design and performance of Tesla's system.
Brown's
published obituary described him as a member of the Navy SEALs for 11
years. The Pentagon said Brown left the service in 2008.
He was
an enthusiastic booster of his 2015 Tesla Model S and in April credited
its sophisticated Autopilot system for avoiding a crash when a
commercial truck swerved into his lane on an interstate. He published a
video of the incident online.
"Hands down the best car I have ever owned and use it to its full extent," Brown wrote.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Multi-vehicle crash in Queens kills pedestrian, critically injures 1 other person
Eyewitness News
Updated 45 mins ago
ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- At least one pedestrian was struck and killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Elmhust, Queens on Thursday evening.
It happened just after 6:30 p.m. at Junction Boulevard and the LIE Service Road.
Two people were taken to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition. The female pedestrian later died from her injuries.
The driver of the car that hit her fled the scene.
There is an ongoing investigation into what led to the crash.
Dearborn Heights janitor says she's vindicated by OSHA
Theresa Ely and Rob Smith, both custodians with Dearborn Heights District 7 Schools talk about being exposed to asbestos. Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press
Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press 4:56 p.m. EDT June 30, 2016
(Photo: Romain Blanquart Detroit Free Press)
School custodian Theresa Ely says she's been vindicated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which found her boss at Dearborn Heights School District No. 7 ordered her to dry-sand floor tiles knowing they contained asbestos, then tried to cover up the exposure with a fraudulent report.
In its findings today, OSHA said the district labeled Ely a troublemaker after she complained about the asbestos exposure to state and federal agencies. OSHA said the district also withheld her pay, denied her a raise, drastically increased her workload and sent her multiple censure letters or reprimands after she spoke up about asbestos, a known carcinogen.
Ely and fellow custodian Rob Smith were featured in a May Free Press investigation that found the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration rarely gets tough with employers who expose their workers to asbestos.
OSHA said the district did not want Ely to raise the issue "because it wanted to avoid loss of student enrollment."
OSHA ordered the district to pay Ely $8,139 in lost wages and $185,000 for emotional stress, medical bills and "loss of reputation and humiliation in her community."
"I feel very good. I feel vindicated," Ely said shortly after receiving the OSHA report four years after she and fellow custodian Rob Smith dry-sanded the floors of Annapolis High School. "The money is great, but it's not what I needed most."
She said she put a copy of the report on the desk of her boss and "then I walked out. That was my best vindication so far."
District Superintendent John Fazer did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment. He wasn't with the district when the dry sanding happened, but told the Free Press earlier this year that he was convinced there wasn't any asbestos exposure.
The district has 30 days to appeal the findings to the U.S. Department of Labor.
OSHA said Ely's boss, John Nicholl, plant operations supervisor, directed her and three other custodians to dry-sand floor tiles that contained asbestos with an industrial sander in June 2012.
"NIcholl directed this activity having knowledge that the floor tiles contained asbestos in each building where the dry-sanding was taking place," OSHA said in its report. "However, Nicholl did not inform his employees of the asbestos or train them in asbestos hazards; nor did he provide the employees personal protective equipment. Furthermore, he was aware that students were in nearby parts of the school while the asbestos work was being performed."
That August, Nicholl told employees that samples of the dust had been tested at a lab and had come back negative for asbestos. In September, he produced an undated asbestos testing report that contained no sampling numbers and referred to the property as a home. According to OSHA's findings, that testing report was "falsified" and "fraudulent."
Ely told the Free Press that the district was behind schedule and asked custodians to dry sand to save time, rather than use water and scrubbers. Smith described how he used a leaf blower to corral the fine white dust that piled up in a second-story classroom after he used a high-powered electric sander to strip the wax from the tiles.
Ely said she scooped the powder into 30 garbage bags and dragged them down the stairs and tossed them into an overflowing Dumpster. Smith said it was so dusty he covered his mouth with wet rags. Ely said she spat out the dust with mouthfuls of Pepsi.
Neither suspected the tiles contained asbestos until months later. According to OSHA, the district stopped training employees in asbestos awareness more than 20 years ago.
MIOSHA investigated Ely's complaint about asbestos at Annapolis and a second school, Madison Elementary, where asbestos-containing floor tiles had also been dry sanded. It found three violations at each building and settled with the district for $3,600 in penalties.
Ely's attorney, Robert Fetter, said he was glad OSHA "did a thorough investigation that cited the cover-up, and the fraud, lies and fraudulent activity of the people in the district. And I’m happy that it outlines the years-long campaign that the district had against Ms. Ely for doing what we expect public employees to do — to be the ears and eyes in the workplace to ensure students, teachers and staff are safe.
"I hope this decision has a deterrent effect not only Dearborn Heights but other districts to ensure they handle dangerous substances like asbestos appropriately, and applaud those that blow the whistle rather than retaliate with a campaign of character assassination and harassment."
Fetter said the OSHA report underscores that MIOSHA's penalties in the case were "a travesty."
Ely said the MIOSHA penalties just added "insult to injury. ... I cannot understand how they sleep at night with their insulting fines. Finding out you might have a potentially deadly disease, it's degrading, it's insulting, it's a joke and if it wasn't such a serious issue, I would say it's laughable."
The former fabrication building at the Quincy shipyard undergoes demolition Thursda... [+] By Patrick Ronan
The Patriot Ledger
Posted Jun. 29, 2016 at 5:01 pm Updated Jun 30, 2016 at 2:19 AM
OSHA cites contractor for Quincy shipyard building project
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an
East Bridgewater company for a pair of workplace safety violations on a
building project at the Quincy shipyard.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an East Bridgewater company for a pair of workplace safety violations on a building project at the Quincy shipyard.
Earlier this month, OSHA issued two citations, totaling $5,600, against D’S Welding Inc. after inspectors reported finding violations at 119 East Howard St., where crews are constructing a new metal building on property owned by auto dealer Daniel Quirk’s company, March Fourth LLC.
The new structure is replacing the old fabrication building, which was demolished after the roof collapsed under the weight of the record snowfall in 2015.
OSHA’s citations say D’S Welding failed to “ensure that each powered industrial truck operator is competent to operate a powered industrial truck safely,” and that the nameplates and markings on a truck “are in place and are maintained in a legible condition.”
The federal agency ordered the company to abate the driver competency issue by June 16 and the nameplate and markings issue by July 14.
D’S Welding has requested an informal conference with OSHA to discuss the violations and/or the abatement dates, according to James Lally, a spokesman for the federal agency.
According to business records filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office, D’S Welding is based out of East Bridgewater and led by Stephanie A. D'Andrea. OSHA mailed the citations to an address on Circuit Avenue in Weymouth.
A representative from D’S Welding couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
Melanie Smith, a representative from Daniel Quirk’s company, said Quirk has no knowledge of the OSHA violations.
One dead, traffic shut down on I-95 near Palm Bay J.D. Gallop, FLORIDA TODAY 3:03 p.m. EDT June 30, 2016
A crash involving a semi truck left one person dead and shut down traffic in both directions on I-95 between West Melbourne and Palm Bay.
(Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)
Florida Highway Patrol troopers shut down onramps today leading to Interstate 95 from West Melbourne and Palm Bay as rescue crews treated multiple patients following a crash involving a semitrailer and a box truck.
One person was killed and another possibly impaled by a metal rod in the cab of one of the vehicles. Southbound lanes of the interstate reopened at 10:35 a.m. while the northbound lanes remain shut down.
Delays are expected to remain through the afternoon as troopers investigate the crash and workers clean up debris.
The crash happened at 9:15 a.m. just north of the Palm Bay Road exit. Two semitrailers were involved, including one truck – a 1996 semi driven by 48-year-old Douglas Platt of Melbourne – that was hauling heavy equipment. A fatal crash happened at 9:15 a.m. on Interstate 95 near mile marker 176, just north of the Minton Road overpass. Two tractor trailers were involved, including one truck that was hauling heavy equipment. Northbound lanes were shut down for hours as traffic was re-routed. MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY
"This crash occurred when a semi-truck hauling an excavator (road construction equipment), on a trailer, was traveling southbound on I-95, had a tire tread separation," Kim Montes, spokeswoman with the Florida Highway Patrol, said in an emailed statement. "The truck driver lost control of the semi and traveled through the guardrail."
An excavator came off the trailer and rolled into the northbound lanes, hitting a semitrailer in the process, Montes said. Debris scattered, striking at least one other car's windshield. The unidentified driver of the semitrailer, from Ormond Beach was killed in the crash.
Authorities initially said there were six patients but just one person, Platt, was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne. There was also a diesel spill, although it was not immediately known how much of the fuel was involved.
A fatal crash involving two semitrailers as seen on Thursday, June 30, 2016 near Palm Bay. (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)
Video stills taken from state surveillance cameras in the area show mangled wreckage and skid marks leading from one lane and into another.
Palm Bay Fire Rescue along with Brevard County Fire Rescue crews responded within minutes. Palm Bay police have also blocked off traffic at the northbound on ramp at Palm Bay Road.
Police tell Action News that around 11:40 a.m. Thursday two vehicles were involved in an accident which also injured a pedestrian. (WPVI)
Updated 32 mins ago
NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A pedestrian was killed after a crash involving two vehicles in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
It happened at 11:40 a.m. along Roosevelt Boulevard at Southampton Road.
The victim, 52-year-old Stanley Anderson, lived just up the block, at a drug and alcohol treatment facility. He was doing well in his recovery but, in a terrible coincidence, was killed by someone who police say was driving under the influence.
Michael Salmon was one of Anderson's roommates at the Self Help Movement. He came out just after 11:30 a.m., saw police, and learned his friend had been hit and killed while waiting for the bus.
"I just recently talked to him, and to know that he's not here no more, and what really happened blows my mind," he said.
Witnesses told police the driver of a green pickup truck ran the red light at the intersection and collided with a white sedan.
The truck jumped the curb and hit Anderson, who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the bus stop. He died en route to the hospital.
Previously homeless, Anderson had lived at the treatment facility for 10 months and was turning his life around.
"He was happy because he just heard about a new job position, and he was happy because he was a little down about financing, but things were working out better for him. I wished him well. We were laughing about it. That was last night and then..." said Salmon.
Police tell Action News the 24-year-old driver of the pickup truck is being charged with driving under the influence, an irony not lost on Salmon, considering the treatment his friend was receiving.
"He was on the right track, because he was changing his life and he had good people backing him, as far as helping him for whatever treatment he was receiving, it was working."
Officials at the treatment facility tell us Anderson leaves behind a daughter and other family who live here in Philadelphia.
Big Lake Death Shines Spotlight On Electric Shock Drowning
June 28, 2016 10:00 PM By Bill Hudson
MINNEAPOLIS
(WCCO) – Concern is growing over a hidden and deadly danger as more
cabin and lake home owners electrify their docks.
Each year
unsuspecting swimmers are killed when power to boat lifts, shore
stations and dock lighting leaks into the water. As a rural Big Lake
neighborhood learned, it takes just a tiny amount to disable, shock and
then drown a child or adult.
It happened on the Fourth of July
in 2013, when Big Lake was buzzing with holiday fanfare, swimming,
boating and relaxing in the summer sun.
“People were out there
at the cabin, just you know, trying to enjoy the weekend, getting ready
and set up for fireworks and all that, Big Lake resident Casey
Neuerenburg said. “We, all of the sudden, heard a commotion over at the
neighbor’s.
Their neighbor, Dan Peterson, was going to charge his boat battery. An extension cord led to the charger he held in his hand.
“He
was such a good guy — so helpful,” Peterson’s neighbor Keith Hamrin
said. “This was a guy who was pretty handy. I’m sure he understood —
just didn’t do the right thing at the right time.”
Peterson lost
his footing and fell into knee deep water. Instantly, his muscles were
paralyzed by the electric field of the submerged power cord.
Chief
of emergency medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, Dr. Jim Miner
says the electric shocks cause intense pain. But in a lake, pool or tub,
it’s far worse.
“Eventually, once you’re cramped up, you can’t
move at all,” Miner said. “But if you’re in water and you can’t move,
because your muscles are all stiff from a muscle cramp, you’re going to
sink and you’re going to drown.”
Peterson’s sister jumped in to help and was shocked too, but miraculously survived.
“You don’t think about water and electricity being all that much of a problem,” Hamrin
It’s known as Electric Shock Drowning, or ESD, and it’s responsible for hundreds of deaths nationwide.
“It takes about 10 miliamps to bring on the onset of skeletal muscle paralysis,” ESD expert Ed Lethert said.
Lethert
says what’s so frightening is that electricity can leak into the water
without you knowing, and so slight, it doesn’t even trip the typical
circuit breaker.
“If you have circuits running out to your dock, they have to be GFCI protected,” he said.
Those
types of breakers are designed to trip by the tiniest electrical fault,
but even they can fail. Experts say wherever there’s an electrical
circuit leading down to a dock or waterfront, you should never assume
the water is safe for swimming, because the slightest leak of
electricity can reach out 150 feet.”
That’s why marinas prohibit
swimming. By the time a leak is detected it could be deadly. It’s also
why many are choosing solar-charged, 12-volt boat lifts and lighting
schemes.
“Most of these were situations where people were
merrily going along their way and suddenly, something catastrophic
happens,” Lethert said.
There are a lot of ways you can prevent
ESD from becoming a danger this summer. It begins with having a licensed
electrician inspect any circuits leading to your shoreline.
For more preventative information, visit Electric Shock Drowning Minnesota online.
No mines eligible for a Pattern of Violations, MSHA screening shows
Assistant Secretary Main: ‘POV regulation reins in chronic violators, protects miners’
ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced today that – for the first time since reforms began in 2010 – none of the nation’s more than 13,000 mining operations meets the criteria for a Pattern of Violations notice.
Part of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, the POV provision is one of MSHA’ s toughest enforcement tools – reserved for mines that pose the greatest risk to the health and safety of miners, particularly those with chronic violation records.
“The Pattern of Violations regulation is a law that works to rein in chronic violators and protect miners,” said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. “It is achieving its purpose to improve mine operators’ compliance with safety and health standards and enable them to monitor their own compliance.”
In 2010, MSHA launched its series of POV reforms and identified 51 mines that met the screening criteria for further consideration for a POV notice. Five years later, only one coal mine met the criteria for further review.
Main noted significant improvements in violation and injury rates at mines that underwent the POV process. The number of significant and substantial violations issued at those mines declined 66 percent, unwarrantable failure violations decreased 84 percent, total violations fell 42 percent, and the operator-reported rate of lost-time injures dropped 55 percent.
“MSHA’s actions have helped drive better compliance well beyond just the mines that met the criteria for further consideration for a POV notice,” said Main. For the 200 mines with the most significant and substantial violations, those violations dropped 54 percent between 2010 and 2016. These same mines also saw a 38 percent reduction in total violations, and a 64 percent decrease in elevated enforcement actions, such as closure orders for imminent dangers or unwarrantable failures to comply with health and safety standards.
“We have seen a cultural change in the mining industry where high numbers of serious violations at mines are no longer tolerated,” said Main.
The 1977 Mine Act authorizes MSHA to issue a POV notice to mine operators that demonstrate a disregard for the health and safety of miners through a pattern of significant and substantial violations. It requires mines that receive POV notices to be issued withdrawal orders – temporarily ceasing operations until the violation is abated – for all S&S violations.
In January 2013, MSHA published its final POV rule to strengthen safety measures in the nation’s most dangerous mines. The regulation enables MSHA to consider mitigating circumstances before issuing a POV notice and encourages mines to implement a corrective action program if they are approaching a POV.
In recent years, MSHA developed two online tools to help mine operators monitor compliance – the POV monitoring tool, which alerts mine operators that they meet the screening criteria and should take proper corrective actions; and the S&S rate calculator that enables mine operators to monitor their S&S violations.
Image Courtesy: Shipspotting
Panama-flagged tanker Chem Venus allided with three moored sailboats on June 29 at the mouth of the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Kittery, Maine, the US Coast Guard said.
The USCG boarded the Chem Venus and determined that the 2004-built vessel sustained damage to its bow, causing the tanker to take on water.
The rate of flooding was stabilized and is being monitored by the coast guard and the ship’s crew.
The 19,887 dwt Chem Venus was carrying a load of used vegetable oil and a variety of other industrial chemicals.
However, no pollution has been reported, according to the USCG.
The Coast Guard Salvage Engineering Response Team has been engaged to conduct a vessel stability assessment.
In addition, divers are expected to conduct a survey of the damage.
The cause of the allision is under investigation, the coast guard said.
Image Courtesy: Shipspotting
Published June 29, 2016
FoxNews.com
Two trains collide head-on in fiery crash in Texas
The remains of two train workers killed in a head-on freight train collision in Texas were found Wednesday, officials said, while a third worker is unaccounted for and presumed dead.
The bodies were found in the wreckage of the two trains near the town of Panhandle, BNSF Railway spokesman Joe Faust said. A fourth crew member jumped from one of the trains just before impact Tuesday; he is hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening, Faust said.
Work crews continued to pick through the tangled and smoldering wreckage of the smashed locomotives, rail cars and shipping containers near the town of Panhandle, about 40 miles northwest of Amarillo, he said.
The BNSF Railway freight trains were on the same track when they collided, triggering a fireball and causing containers and cars to tumble onto one another in a pileup.
One train had earlier stopped in Amarillo to refuel for its trip to Chicago, and that diesel fuel contributed to a fire that burned into the night, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Dan Buesing said.
"You have two engines on each train with fuel and the eastbound train had stopped in the Amarillo yard and may have had extra fuel added for the trip out east," he said. The westbound train was headed to Los Angeles.
Freight cars and containers were derailed and strewn about 400 yards from the collision site just outside the town of Panhandle, Buesing said. Floodlights were brought in overnight to aid emergency workers trying to quell the flames and start the search for the three crew members, he said.
Both trains carried stacked containers of consumer goods, such as paper products, clothing, television sets and computers.
It's not clear how fast the trains were traveling when they collided, but the speed limit in that area is 70 mph and BNSF spokesman Joe Faust said they were "traveling at less than track speed." It also wasn't clear why the trains were on the same track.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site.
BNSF has pledged to meet a 2018 federal deadline to adopt technology, called positive train control or PTC, that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits. At least three freight railroads have said they'll need an extension to 2020.
Faust said the collision is the type of accident PTC can prevent and that BNSF is "aggressively" pursuing it "across our network."
"While sections of the track operated by the eastbound train involved in this accident have PTC installed and are being tested, the section of track where the incident occurred will be installed later this year," he said in a statement released Tuesday.
It's not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck that's struck by a freight train, Buesing said, but the magnitude of Tuesday's accident was startling.
Tuesday's accident is at least the second in recent years involving BNSF trains striking one another. In September 2013, three were involved in a wreck near Amarillo that injured five crew members, according to an NTSB report. The federal agency in that incident faulted the crew in one train for improperly proceeding past a signal and striking the rear of a stationary train, and cars that derailed were then struck by a train passing in the opposite direction.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
4 people taken to hospital after Bolingbrook gas leak
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Updated 17 mins ago
BOLINGBROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Four people were taken to Bolingbrook Hospital after a carbon dioxide leak at West Liberty Foods in Bolingbrook Thursday afternoon, police say.
Employees were able to cap the leak before emergency crews arrived and employees were evacuated.
West Liberty Food's on-site medical team treated 15 to 20 employees.
None of the injuries appear to be life threatening.
2 killed, teen in custody after Roy crash
By Mary Blanchard and D.J. Bolerjack Thursday, June 30th 2016
Police investigate after Roy crash kills 2 (Photo: DJ Bolerjack/KUTV)
ROY, UTAH (KUTV) Two people are dead and a teen is facing two counts of murder after a crash in Roy early Thursday morning.
Police say it all started with a property damage call in Syracuse, after a Chevy Tahoe crashed into a mailbox.
Officers caught up with the Tahoe and tried to stop the driver, but the driver sped off and police had to end the chase.
Clinton City Police handed the case off to Roy City Police who found a Hyundai Sonata they believe had been rear-ended by the Tahoe, around 6500 South and 3500 West.
Maddison Haan, 20, and Tyler Christianson, 19, were in that Sonata and suffered fatal injuries.
Haan was from West Point, Christianson from Ogden.
WCCOWATCH Mother Acquitted in Distracted Driving Case that Resulted in Fatal Crash
Wisconsin Mom Acquitted in Alleged Distracted Driving Crash That Left 3 Children Dead
By ABC NEWSJun 30, 2016, 12:59 PM ET
A jury acquitted a mother from Wisconsin of charges that she used her cellphone seconds before a fatal car crash involving three children.
Kari Jo Milberg was charged with three counts of felony homicide by negligent operation of a motor vehicle, as well as a misdemeanor count of reckless driving. The crash occurred on Wisconsin Highway 35 in December 2013.
The 35-year-old mother was driving her car when she drove into the path of a truck, resulting in a crash that killed her 11-year-old daughter, Lydia, as well as 5-year-old Clara, the daughter of her sister, Kati, and 4 1/2-year-old Laynie, the daughter of Milberg's other sister, Kassi. Milberg's then 3-year-old son survived the crash.
Milberg claimed she lost control of the car because of slippery snow-covered roads and unsafe tires. The prosecution alleged Milberg was on her cellphone using Facebook messaging moments before the fatal collision.
In court, prosecutors said they found Facebook messages on Milberg's phone between her and a childhood friend about meeting for lunch. The phone was found by investigator Aaron Hansen four months after the crash.
Prosecutors presented a string of messages between Milberg and Jason McKenzie. The final exchange between the two friends was: "Takes a lot to get me nervous," McKenzie wrote. Milberg replied, "I am 2! Kinda bad!"
Prosecutors asserted Milberg's message was sent less than 30 seconds before the crash.
Hansen testified that he discovered a Facebook message typed but not sent when he examined Milberg's phone. "It appeared something was written in the composition line, but I couldn't make out what it was," he told the court.
McKenzie also took the stand and claimed he did not remember texting with Milberg on the day of the crash.
Milberg claimed in court she lost all memory of the accident and defense attorney Aaron Nelson reiterated her claims during cross examination that the snowy conditions and unsafe tires were to blame for Milberg's losing control of the car.
After nearly two hours of deliberations, the jury acquitted Milberg of all charges.
Milberg did not speak publicly after the jury's decision. Her sister, Kati Marie Milberg-Pavek, who lost her daughter in the crash, told ABC News she was "relieved."
"I'm relieved, I'm breathing full breaths of air again. I love Clara, Lydia and Laynie with every fiber in my body," she said in a statement.
Pierce County District Attorney Sean Froelich said after the decision: "I respect the jury's verdict in this particular case. Regardless of the outcome it doesn't change the fact that three children lost their lives in this crash."
Firefighters battle 4-alarm fire in Lawrence, Mass.
Heavy smoke and flames pouring out of home
UPDATED 4:56 PM EDT Jun 27, 2016
LAWRENCE, Mass. —A fire broke out at a three-story home in Lawrence Monday.
Firefighters who responded to the fire at 37 Oregon Avenue called for more units upon arrival.
Heavy smoke could be seen pouring out of the wooden home. Flames ripped through the roof of the home, causing officials to order firefighters out of the building.
There is no word on any injuries at this time, but firefighters did rescue two dogs. Firefighters were experiencing some heat issues, but fire officials were able to keep the fire from spreading to adjoining homes.
4-Alarm Fire Destroys Bagel Shop, Law Firm in Newburyport, Mass.
The fire was located at Abrahams Bagels on Liberty Street
By Caroline Connelly and Tim Jones
Firefighters in Newburyport, Massachusetts, knocked down a four-alarm fire at a bagel shop and law firm Tuesday morning. (Published Tuesday, June 28, 2016)
Firefighters in Newburyport, Massachusetts, knocked down a four-alarm fire at a bagel shop and law firm Tuesday morning.
Investigators say they believe the fire started on a patio outside Abraham’s Bagels on Liberty Street before spreading upstairs to a law firm.
"It’s just devastating. I’m thinking of my employees. They won’t be working, the community," said Linda Garcia, owner of Abraham’s.
A baker working inside the shop noticed the flames spreading around 4:00 a.m. Multiple agencies responded, including crews from New Hampshire, allowing firefighters to preserve the structure of the property.
Firefighters Battle 4-Alarm Fire in Newburyport, Mass.
Firefighters in Newburyport, Massachusetts, are on the scene of a four-alarm fire Tuesday morning. (Published Tuesday, June 28, 2016)
Alarms sounded throughout an apartment building attached to the structure.
"It looks like a bomb went off inside of our office," said Rob Ciampitti, whose second floor law firm was also destroyed.
After extinguishing flames, Ciampitti said firefighters went back in to carry out client files from the space. While the office was ruined, he immediately rented out space up the street in order to conduct business.
"It wasn’t until I stepped foot in there that I realized it is as bad as I can conceive of and then some," he said, "But we’re staying open."
Garcia’s property could take much longer to reopen. Opened 29 years ago, the bagel shop will need an extensive remodel that will likely take several months.
"You work so hard, but we’ll rebuild," Garcia said, "We’re going to rebuild."
A GoFundMe page has been setup to help Garcia and her employees.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
