Construction worker died after he was burried alive by a collapsed trench in Bexar County, Texas

MARCH 9, 2017

BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS

A man who was trapped in a trench collapse in far west Bexar County Thursday has died, according to Joe Arrington, Public Information Officer for the San Antonio Fire Department.

At least 19 units responded to the rescue in the 1500 block of Classic Drive just before 4:30 p.m., including a battalion chief and technical rescue team.

Sadly, around 5:30 p.m., Arrington said the rescue mission had turned into a recovery after firefighters determined the man did not survive.

CHOPPER 5 was above the scene where the man was first reported "buried up to his neck."

UPDATE:

The San Antonio Fire Department released a statement detailing what happened:

The San Antonio Fire Department responded to a report around 4:30 p.m. regarding a trench collapse at a private development project unrelated to the City of San Antonio in the 1500 block of Classic Drive. A worker was trapped and killed by the collapse. Three coworkers attempted to dig the victim out prior to SAFD's arrival and were promptly removed from the trench due to worsening conditions. SAFD's technical rescue teams worked to properly shore up the walls of the trench to prevent further collapse. Due to the heavy clay soil composition and potential for severe weather, recovery of the victim's body will be an extended process. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has arrived on scene to initiate the investigation.

Construction worker with Ballantry Homes crushed to death after a cement-block wall collapsed on him at a construction site in Oakville, Ontario, Canada

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO — A 23-year-old man died after a cement-block wall collapsed on him at a Bronte Road construction site Wednesday.

"We are deeply saddened," David Hill, president of Ballantry Homes, said in a prepared statement. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the worker who lost his life."

Emergency crews were called to the townhouse development at Bronte Road and Dundas Street around 12:40 p.m. after reports that a man was trapped under a collapsed wall.

The man was pronounced dead. The Ministry of Labour, the coroner's office and police are investigating the accident.

Health and safety are a "top priority" for Ballantry Homes, Hill said.

"We are co-operating fully with the regulatory agencies investigating this accident."

Asked if high winds could have caused the wall to collapse, police said it was too early to comment.

Hill said the company would comment further after the investigation is finished.



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A 23-year-old man is dead after the partial collapse of a wall at a house under construction in Oakville Wednesday afternoon.

Halton Regional Police were called to the house on Bronte Road at Khalsa Gate around 12:40 p.m. for reports that one male was suffering from serious injuries.

The worker was pinned under a collapsed cement block wall, Halton Regional Police tweeted. Firefighters and paramedics attempted a rescue, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police, the Ministry of Labour and the coroner's office are investigating.

Ministry spokesperson Janet Deline told CBC Toronto that both a ministry inspector and a structural engineer went to the scene. They will look at the site, equipment and materials that may have been involved and will speak to anyone at the scene who may have relevant information, Deline said.

David Hill, president of Ballantry Homes, the builder of the home where the incident took place, released a statement saying the company is "deeply saddened.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of the worker who lost his life," the statement said.

"The health and safety of everyone working on our sites is a top priority for our company. We are cooperating fully with the regulatory agencies investigating this accident."

No details about the victim will be released pending notification of next of kin, police said.


Fatal workplace injury at construction site on Bronte Rd, police & Min of Labor investigating. No further details pending NOK notice.^jd— @HRPSOak

Paul Boissonneault, deputy chief of operations at Oakville Fire, told CBC Toronto that he could not confirm whether high winds were a factor in the collapse.

Oakville is among several southern Ontario cities covered by a special weather statement calling for high winds Wednesday afternoon. As of 1 p.m., Environment Canada reported that winds were at 45 km/h, gusting to 77 km/h in the area.

Kelsey Gearring, 23, has been charged with one count of Filing a False Insurance Claim and one count of Attempted 1st-Degree Theft

Woman Charged in Asotin County Following State Insurance Fraud Investigation

ASOTIN, WA - A 23-year-old Lewis-Clark Valley woman has been charged with one count of Filing a False Insurance Claim and one count of Attempted 1st-Degree Theft - both felonies - following an insurance fraud investigation by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner. According to a press release, Kelsey Gearring allegedly filed a $9,600 auto claim with Allstate Insurance for a June 28, 2016 collision, saying she hit a deer with her 2008 GMC Acadia. Just five days prior to that, on June 23rd, Gearring had changed her automobile policy to include comprehensive and collision coverage. Up until the change, she had only liability insurance on the SUV.

"Investigators determined that Gearring’s accident could not have happened on June 28 because she was in Asotin County jail that day for violating a restraining order; the accident actually occurred June 22 before she added coverage to her car. Furthermore, she did not hit a deer, but ran off the road when she was distracted while driving," the Insurance Commissioner's Office says.

According to court records, Gearring is scheduled to be arraigned in Asotin County Superior Court on Monday before Judge Scott Gallina.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit investigates insurance fraud and works with the Attorney General’s Office and local prosecutors to prosecute criminal cases. Insurance fraud costs the average family $400 to $700 per year in increased premiums. Consumers can report suspected insurance fraud on the Insurance Commissioner’s website: https://www.insurance.wa.gov/complaints-and-fraud/report-fraud/report-fraud-scams/.

(Photo courtesy of the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner).

Black woman Rasheedah Dunell, 48, of Newark, NJ found guilty of fraudulently claiming to an insurance company that she was injured in a Coach USA bus crash.

 

Rasheedah Dunell. (Photo courtesy of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office) 

Rasheedah Dunell. (Photo from MySpace) 

Black N.J. woman convicted of insurance fraud in Coach bus crash
 updated March 10, 2017 at 5:34 AM




NEWARK, NJ -- 
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray announced today that Rasheedah Dunell, 48, of Newark has been convicted of 3rd degree insurance fraud, following a trial before the Honorable Peter Ryan, Judge of the Superior Court.
 
An Essex County jury has convicted a 48-year-old woman of fraudulently claiming to an insurance company that she was injured in a bus crash.

Rasheedah Dunell, of Newark, had claimed she sustained neck and back injuries when she was thrown against the rear of a Coach USA bus she was riding when it was involved in a minor accident on Aug. 12, 2011, on South Orange Avenue, acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said in a statement Thursday.

But the jury found Dunell guilty of third-degree insurance fraud after video footage from the bus showed Dunell was sitting calmly in her seat at the time of the crash, laughing with another passenger, according to Assistant Prosecutor John Russell, who tried the case.

Authorities said Dunell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3. 
The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.