Sara DiNatale, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, July 2, 2016 10:47am
ST. PETERSBURG — A Leesburg family is dead after troopers say their pickup was hit on the Howard Frankland Bridge by a drunk driver and sent spinning into the Tampa Bay waters below.
Joshua Burbank, 25, was driving under the influence in his 2014 Honda Civic Friday night, according to Florida Highway Patrol, when he hit a pickup truck with a mother, father and son inside. Burkbank faces three charges of DUI Manslaughter and one charge of DUI involving property damage. He was released from Pinellas County Jail Saturday night after posting $61,000 bail.
Both cars were traveling east on I-275, near Milepost 33, around 9:40 p.m. Friday. Burbank's Honda was in the inside center lane. The family's truck, a 2012 GMC Sierra, was in the inside lane. Burbank lost control of his car, troopers said, and entered the inside lane. The front left portion of his car hit the rear right of the truck, causing the GMC to spin clockwise while overturning several times, according to FHP.
The pickup truck went over a southern barrier wall and landed in the 2 feet of water below, troopers said.
Burbank's car came to a stop on the southern shoulder.
The family's names have not been released pending next-of-kin notifications. The father of the family, 76, was driving the truck. He and his wife, 73, were pronounced dead on the scene. Their son, 52, was taken to the hospital with critical injuries and died shortly after. Troopers said they're from Leesburg in Lake County.
Saturday morning, the FHP released a photo of the dark-colored pickup truck being pulled back over the bridge with a crane. It was battered and dented. A rear wheel was missing and the hood was pushed in.
The same night troopers say Burbank got behind the wheel drunk, deputies in Pinellas County were on the streets arresting drivers for driving under the influence during the holiday weekend. In a county-wide "Wolf Pack" from Friday into Saturday, deputies cited 97 people and arrested 13 others for driving under the influence.
Last year on the Fourth of July, 14 people were killed in over 900 crashes across the state, according to FHP.
Burbank is from Wesley Chapel, according to FHP records. Burbank was arrested for a misdemeanor DUI in Portland, Ore. in 2012, records show, but that case never went to court.
Troopers: Family of three dead after Howard Frankland crash, drunk driver in custody 07/02/16 [Last modified: Saturday, July 2, 2016 10:03pm]
5 Dead, 25 Injured in Florida Crash Between Bus and Truck
by The Associated Press
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Five people were killed and 25 were injured when a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a tractor trailer causing both vehicles to burst into flames Saturday on a highway in the Panhandle, sheriff's officials said.
The Blue Bird bus from Georgia was carrying roughly 34 adults and children when it ran a flashing red light before hitting the tractor trailer, then spun around and hit the semi again. One of the bus passengers killed was a small child. The driver of the semi-truck, Gordon Sheets, 55 of Copiague, New York, also died, said Wakulla County Sheriff Charlie Creel.
Deputies responded to a gruesome and chaotic scene as the front and the back of the bus was on fire when they arrived.
"Our deputies are heroes ... our deputies got on the bus and started pulling people off, people that were not able to get off by themselves. They pulled out two deceased victims," said Creel.
He said deputies continued to rescue victims until the bus was fully engulfed in flames and they were forced to stop.
Wakulla County first responders work on the scene of an accident on Saturday, July 2, 2016 in Wakulla, Fla. The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus and tractor trailer collided on a highway in the Panhandle. Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Jeffrey Bissainthe says the bus was carrying between 30 and 35 passengers and was from Georgia. Joe Rondone /Tallahassee Democrat / AP
"If these deputies had not done that, we would have had a lot more fatalities," the sheriff said in a phone interview.
Both vehicles were resting against a power pole with live wires so fire rescue officials had to wait for the power company to shut off the power before it was safe to spray the vehicles with water. Both vehicles eventually burned out, he said.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported the intersection was strewn with bloody medical gear, clothing, pillows and coolers packed with food littered the road. The accident happened on US-98, a highway that follows the Florida coast around the Gulf of Mexico.
No one on the bus spoke English and authorities brought in interpreters, Creel said.
Florida Highway Patrol officials were also investigating the wreck and were in the processing of notifying victims' family members.
The driver of the bus, 56-year-old Elie Dupiche of Belle Glade, was hospitalized in critical condition. A passenger in the semi-truck, 21-year-old Rafael Nieves of Sound Beach, New York, was not injured, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
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UPDATED: 5 dead, 25 hospitalized in Wakulla County bus crash
LIVE REPORTS FROM FATAL BUS CRASH SCENEWoodville Highway Accident |
Wakulla Sheriff Charlie Creel on Highway 98 fatal wreck Karl Etters/Democrat
5 dead in bus crash on Highway 98 Karl Etters, Democrat staff writer 9:17 p.m. EDT July 2, 2016
A bus traveling south on Woodville Highway was hit by a semi-truck traveling west on Coastal Highway in Wakulla Saturday morning, leaving 5 people dead and 25 more hospitalized. (Photo: Joe Rondone/Democrat)Buy Photo
Charred rubble, personal effects and bloody medical gear littered the side of Coastal Highway 98 in Wakulla after five people, including one child, died in an early-morning crash Saturday.
The fire-gutted frame was all that remained of a refurbished school bus, carrying as many as 35 Haitian migrant workers and their families. The semi-truck that the bus hit was equally destroyed.
The truck disintegrated on impact after the bus blew through the blinking red light that leads south to the city of St. Marks.
Its engine block and shredded front tires still sat on the side of the road in a puddle of muddy water as emergency officials tried to piece together what happened. Small trinkets, coolers once packed with food and drinks, pillows and a watermelon lay in the grass near the burning bus. On a sign post nearby was a smudged, bloody palm print.
Florida Highway Patrol investigators say the southbound bus did not stop for the light, hit the truck that was heading west, and then slammed into a power pole around 5 a.m. Skid marks just feet from the intersection indicate the semi-truck may have only braked seconds before impact.
Live electrical wires were knocked to the ground as fire engulfed both vehicles. That made it hard for emergency responders to get to the passengers or start spraying water to extinguish the flames.
Arriving Wakulla County Sheriff’s deputies pulled two deceased people from the bus as the wires arced and continued to pull injured passengers from the burning vehicle.
FHP identified 56-year-old Elie Dupiche of Belle Glade as the driver of the 1979 Blue Bird bus. Gordon A. Sheets, a 55-year-old from Copiague, New York, was the driver of the 2005 Freightliner semi truck. Sheets had one passenger, 21-year-old Rafael Nieves of Sound Beach, New York.
Dupiche is currently in critical condition at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. Sheets died as a result of his injuries. Nieves was left uninjured.
Wakulla Sheriff Charlie Creel said four of the dead died on the scene and the other died at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.
TMH spokesman Warren Jones said 18 people were taken to the hospital. Twelve were taken to the Bixler Emergency and Trauma Center on the hospital's main grounds at Magnolia Drive and Miccosukee Road. He said the patients taken there are the most seriously injured. Four other patients were taken to TMH's Emergency Center Northeast.
By Saturday evening, 12 patients remained — three in critical condition, three in serious condition and six in fair condition — and were being held overnight.
Jones said the hospital is working with the American Red Cross to connect patients with their families. A Red Cross welcome center for the injured was set up in Tallahassee.
The Haitian migrant farm workers from Bainbridge, Georgia, were headed south to Belle Glade for a few weeks of work before returning north.
Wakulla crash kills 5 injures dozens more. One relative is unsure if his aunt died in the crash or not
The bus left around 4 a.m., said Saintervil Amilcar, who rushed to the small coastal community from Bainbridge when he heard of the crash.
His aunt was on the bus, but Saturday morning he was unsure whether she had died or not.
“Some people said my auntie died. I don’t know,” he said as smoke continued to pour from the repainted school bus and firefighters battled the remaining small blazes.
Amilcar is a farm worker. He said another bus was supposed to accompany the one involved in the crash. He said they may have been lost but earlier had a bad feeling about the route they were taking.
“I told them don’t go through Tallahassee,” Amilcar said as he paced near the wreckage. “If you go there you’re going to have problems. But they didn’t listen and I don’t know if they’re lost but look at what happened. God talked to me.”
Creel, who worked as an FHP trooper for years, said the crash was one of the worst he’d seen in his career and certainly the worst in Wakulla County.
He praised the quick action of first responders – a dozen different agencies and organizations assisted – who saved lives with their expeditious work.
“If not for them and the troopers and firefighters, we would have more fatalities than we had,” Creel said not far from a WCSO mobile command post. “Wakulla County Sheriff’s deputies are heroes. I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude in Wakulla County.”
Wakulla operates four ambulances, each able to carry one patient on a stretcher. Leon County EMS helped rush passengers to the Tallahassee hospitals, and one person was airlifted from the scene.
There are rumble strips leading up to the flashing light, which has a red signal for motorists heading north and south and a yellow signal for those traveling east and west.
The manager of the Exxon gas station at the intersection said she has seen several car wrecks there and just as many people run the red light in her 10 years there. She, too, said this was the worst wreck at the intersection she had seen.
A morning attendant ran out to help but stopped because of the fire and live wires. The station closed for the day.
The crash cut off the coastal town of St. Marks during the busy Fourth of July weekend. Traffic heading east and west on Highway 98 was diverted around the Woodville Highway intersection. There was no open route to the coast to the south.
FHP Capt. Jeffrey Bissainthe said several people fled the scene of the crash and have not been located.
Traffic homicide investigators remained on the scene throughout the day taking measurements and reviewing video footage from a bank and Exxon gas station at the intersection.
Although he said the bus running the light caused the collision, it was still unclear what led to the bus missing the blinking red signal.
“We’re not sure what caused this traffic crash,” Bissainthe said. “But you need to keep your hands on the wheel, eyes on the road and your mind on driving, so don’t drive distracted and pay attention, especially during this holiday weekend.
“Whenever you have a fatality, especially involving a child, it’s bad. The amount of people that’s involved in this crash, it’s very bad.”
Father, young son killed after 2 watercraft collide in New Jersey
Updated 1 hr 45 mins ago
SOMERS POINT, New Jersey -- A man and his young son were killed in a boating accident in Atlantic County.
The accident was reported around 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Patcong Creek near Jennings Gateway Marina, located in the unit block of Somers Point - Mays Landing Road in Somers Point, New Jersey.
Initial reports are a jet ski and a boat collided.
One victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other upon arrival at Shore Medical Center.
A third victim is hospitalized. No word on their condition at this time.
New Jersey State Marine Police and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.
Eric Palangas, 49, of Manchester died when the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle his brother, Nicholas, was driving rolled on Kilton Road in Bedford in September 2015, police said. (COURTESY)
U.S. traffic deaths jump 7.7 percent in 2015 to 35,200
By DAVID SHEPARDSON
Reuters
WASHINGTON — U.S. traffic deaths rose 7.7 percent in 2015 over the previous year to 35,200, the highest number of people killed on U.S. roads since 2008, the government’s preliminary estimate reviewed by Reuters shows.
The report was compiled by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and submitted to Congress. It shows the percentage increase in traffic deaths in 2015 was the highest annual jump since 1966. U.S. officials cite an increase in vehicle miles traveled, lower gas prices and an improving economy as part of the reason for the increase.
The rise in traffic deaths was significantly higher than the overall 3.5 percent increase in U.S. vehicle miles traveled in 2015 to a record high 3.15 trillion miles.
The fatality rate rose to 1.12 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 2015 — the highest rate since 2010.
The report said deaths among bicyclists rose 13 percent, pedestrians 10 percent and motorcyclists 9 percent. Fatal crashes involving young drivers were up 10 percent.
Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, called the increase “alarming.”
“The good news is that the solutions to reducing traffic deaths aren’t a mystery. They include strong laws coupled with highly-visible law enforcement and robust public education campaigns,” Adkins said. His group representes state highway offices that implement safety programs on roads including prevention of speeding and alcohol impaired driving.
The increase in deaths in 2015 — 2,525 more deaths than in 2014 — is one reason why U.S. officials are working to provide guidance this summer to states and automakers on the deployment of autonomous vehicles.
NHTSA says the technology could dramatically decrease traffic deaths — in part because 94 percent of all road deaths are attributed to driver error.
News of the increased road deaths came as NHTSA is investigating the fatal crash of a driver in Florida who was using Tesla Motors Inc’s Autopilot mode in its Model S sedan. Tesla said the crash was the first fatal crash in the more than 130 million miles that the semi-autonomous driving system has been used.
“As the economy has improved and gas prices have fallen, more Americans are driving more miles,” NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind said in a statement. “We know we need to focus our efforts on improving human behavior while promoting vehicle technology that not only protects people in crashes but helps prevent crashes in the first place.”
Driving is far safer now in the United States than it was in the past. In 1966, the fatality rate — measured as deaths per miles driven — was five times higher than today. In that year, nearly 51,000 people were killed on U.S. roads.
Two Victims Transported Following Boat Crash
By Matthew Smith |
Posted: Sat 12:03 AM, Jul 02, 2016
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa:
Two people were transported to area hospitals following what appeared to be a boat collision on the Missouri River.
According to an assistant fire chief with the Council Bluffs Fire Department, two victims had to be rushed to the hospital. The firefighter did not know the condition of the victims, but was able to confirm that one victim was a male, the other an adult female. Names of the victims are not available at this time.
Initial radio reports indicated that one of the boats was sinking. The official said that only one of the two boats was able to be recovered.
It's unclear at this time whether additional people were involved in the crash, or how the crash occurred.
An investigation is still ongoing.
Initially Omaha Fire crews were also called to the Missouri River for the water rescue, as the victims were in the water. A Douglas County Dispatcher told WOWT 6 News that they were called off before the Omaha crews were in the water.
Boise man killed in wreck with tree identified
KTVB , KTVB 11:01 AM. MDT July 01, 2016
GARDEN CITY, IDAHO -- A 34-year-old Boise man was killed Friday morning when the SUV he was riding in struck a tree in Garden City.
The crash happened at about 1:30 a.m. at Lakefront and Riverside Drive.
Emergency responders got to the scene to find all three people inside the SUV were injured.
The 34-year-old man, who had been in the passenger seat, was pronounced dead soon after arriving at the hospital.
The Ada County Coroner's Office identified him as Adrian V. Shaw. Shaw died of blunt force trauma, and his death has been ruled an accident.
The driver off the SUV and a backseat passenger were also taken to the hospital by ambulance. The driver's suffered serious injuries, and his condition is unknown. The backseat passenger's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Alcohol and speed is believed to be a factor in the wreck.
No charges have been filed and the Ada County Crash Reconstruction Team is investigating the wreck, along with Garden City Police.
Police urged people to find an alternative to getting behind the wheel if they've had too much to drink.
"This is a sad reminder that if you have been consuming alcohol don't drive. If you plan on consuming alcohol make a plan before you begin drinking," Lt. Tom Patterson said in a statement. "Once you begin drinking, your judgment is impaired, and you may make a horrible decision which could result in injury or death to yourself or others. We are well within the 100 deadliest days of the year (Memorial Day - Labor Day) for traffic collisions, where numerous people are injured or killed each year, please drive safely."
1 dead after fiery 2-car crash
Louise MacDonald, KUSA 12:05 PM. MDT July 01, 2016
BRIGHTON, COLORADO- A 32-year-old Greeley man died in a two-car crash in northern Brighton early Friday morning.
The crash happened at the intersection of Weld County Road 27 and Weld County Road 4 around 5 a.m., according to police.
Brighton Police Officers say a silver Ford Taurus that was traveling southbound on WCR 27 approaching the intersection collided with a black Dodge Durango that was traveling eastbound on WCR 4 approaching the stop sign at the intersection.
The Durango entered the intersection failing to yield to the Taurus. The Taurus hit the Durango side-on sending both cars off the road.
When police arrived the Durango was already on fire.
The driver of the Durango, Luis Alberto Archuleta Lopez from Greeley, was declared deceased on scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.
The driver of the Taurus, 54-year-old Hope Adame from Ft. Lupton, had to be extracted from her vehicle. She was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, according to police. She was wearing a seat belt.
The crash is still under investigation.Anyone with additional information on the crash is asked to contact Detective Payne at 303-655-2300
A truck brought down a utility pole in Holmesburg, causing a power outage. (WPVI)
Friday, July 01, 2016 11:46PM
HOLMESBURG (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police are investigating a crash that brought down a utility pole, cutting power to hundreds of customers in Holmesburg.
It happened before 8:30 p.m. Friday in the 4700 block of Rhawn Street.
Police say the driver of a truck lost control and hit a utility pole. The pole fell on the truck, trapping the driver.
Chopper 6 HD was over what appeared to be a Home Depot delivery truck with a utility pole collapsed on top of it.
First responders were able to free the victim, who suffered injuries described as minor.
There was no immediate word what caused the driver to lose control.
Peco tells Action News the crash caused a power outage that affected 1,700 customers.
Utility crews were able to restore power to all but 50 customers within an hour or so.
Power was expected to be fully restored by Saturday morning.
NEWS CENTER and Jeffrey Schools, WCSH 1:15 AM. EST July 02, 2016
GORHAM, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — A Hazmat situation at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham resulted in the evacuation of the campus late Friday night.
The response was initiated by an ammonia leak at the USM Ice Arena, according to the Gorham Fire Chief.
That leak was confirmed to be contained early Saturday morning.
The chief also said two people were transported to the hospital for evaluation.
Crews in full gear were seen near the rear of the Costello Sports Complex just after 1 a.m. Saturday morning.
We'll update you with more details as they become available.
Hazmat crews in full gear just went to rear of Costello Sports Complex. Still no word on what the situation is. pic.twitter.com/oS2ANVkRcD— Jeff Schools (@JeffMaineSports) July 2, 2016
Officials are at the ice arena looking at possible leak of coolant Chemicals pic.twitter.com/c3iMXdCNjb— Jeff Schools (@JeffMaineSports) July 2, 2016
Officials on site say there is some sort of ammonia leak at the gym origin unknown at this time pic.twitter.com/G1pvF8TdCs— Jeff Schools (@JeffMaineSports) July 2, 2016
#BREAKING - HazMat situation at USM in Gorham. Campus evacuated pic.twitter.com/SeH7xPnhv3— Jeff Schools (@JeffMaineSports) July 2, 2016
Copyright 2016 WCSH
8 MORE FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN PROVIDENCE
July 1, 2016
Eight firefighters were transported to the hospital for treatment after an overnight fire broke at a home on Orms Street in Providence.
Fortunately none of those injuries were life threatening.
It took crews about two hours to knock down the flames.
Fire crews were hampered by debris on the porches of the building including a mattress and a refrigerator.
The arson squad is on the scene as they try to determine what caused this home to go up in flames.
Of the eight firefighters who were taken to the hospital, a few suffered minor burns while others experienced muscle or back injuries.
Eight people in total lived in the home. All were able to get out safely including several exotic snakes and a four foot alligator.
All the animals are being cared for by the Department of Environmental Management and animal control. The eight residents of the home are being aided by the Red Cross.
KY BATTALION CHIEF & DEPARTMENT SUED AFTER 2015 FATAL RESPONDING CRASH
July 1, 2016
A battalion chief for the Danville Fire Department and the city of Danville are being sued over a fatal crash in May 2015.
Amy Tieman Thelen, the administrator and personal representative of the Estate of Edward Arthur Weiss, is suing Michael J. Mulholland and the city regarding the crash that killed Weiss, on behalf of his daughter, Katherine Wilmhoff, according to the lawsuit.
There are two counts being alleged:
• that “Mulholland, negligently, recklessly, carelessly, willfully, and wantonly failed to operate his vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner,” causing the death of Weiss; and
• that the city of Danville is “negligent in causing and permitting Mulholland to operate said vehicle.”
The lawsuit stems from a crash that occurred on May 8, 2015.
At about 10:45 a.m. that day, Mulholland was responding to a car fire near Cheddar’s restaurant, according to news archives. He was heading south through the intersection with sirens and lights activated.
“The vehicle had nearly cleared the intersection when it collided with the northbound three-wheeled motorcycle that was turning left onto the bypass and then head-on into a Nissan SUV that was in the northbound turning lane,” an archived news article reads.
According to Gary King, a witness quoted in a May 12, 2015 article, “the fire vehicle entered the intersection against a red light and was ‘creeping through’ when the motorcycle, which was traveling was in the southernmost lane on the bypass under a green light, crashed into the passenger side.”
At the time, King estimated the motorcycle to be traveling between 35-45 mph and said it did not appear to try to slow down before crashing into the slowly moving fire vehicle.
“It was sudden impact,” he said.
King said a tractor-trailer had moved through the light just before the motorcycle in the inside lane and “may have served as a moving screen that prevented Weiss from seeing or hearing the fire vehicle, and/or obscuring Mulholland’s view of the motorcycle.
“‘I’m not saying it was anyone’s fault,’ he said. ‘I think it was just one of those freak accidents that happen when different factors come together.’”
King also stated that he and his girlfriend had attempted to attend Weiss and his wife, as did Mulholland, who “broke down after he checked for a pulse and realized what happened.”
Weiss, 67, had been driving the motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force injuries to the head by Boyle County Coroner Donald Hamner.
The occupants of the Nissan were uninjured and Mulholland was treated and released from Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center.
Weiss’ wife was the passenger on the motorcycle, but her name was not released at the time. The lawsuit names her as Joan C. Weiss. She was transported to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, where she was initially listed in critical condition, but recovered from her injuries.
Kentucky State Police investigated the accident.
