DRUNKS/DRUGGIES DIE HARD: A wrong-way female driver killed and two other people were critically injured in a wrong-way crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway

SCARSDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — A woman was killed and two other people were badly hurt in a wrong-way crash on the Hutchinson River Parkway early Sunday.

As CBS2’s Brian Conybeare reported, police said as of last Sunday, it was too early to confirm whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

Following the crash, a mangled, twisted husk was all that was left of the gray sport-utility vehicle that Westchester County police confirmed was headed south in the northbound lanes of the Hutchinson Parkway early Sunday morning.

Police said the woman was driving a Kia Sorrento with a female passenger going the wrong way on the highway near the Weaver Street exit in Scarsdale around 4:30 a.m. when she collided head-on with a Land Rover heading northbound.

Responding units pronounced the driver dead at the scene. The passenger in the Sorrento was undergoing surgery late Sunday and remained in critical condition.

The driver of the Land Rover — a man in his 30’s — is in serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

A third vehicle – a black sedan – apparently swerved into the woods to avoid the smashed vehicles. The driver of the sedan was not hurt.

“I heard a horrible crash,” said one Scarsdale resident named Evan. “Within a minute or so after that, I heard a second really loud crash, and then I called 911.”

Evan said he was letting his dog out when he heard the impact. Investigators spent hours scouring the scene for evidence – taking measurements and trying to determine exactly how it happened.

Late Sunday, investigators did not know where the woman got on the parkway going the wrong direction.

There have been multiple wrong-way crashes on Westchester County roads in recent years, leading for some to call for increased signage and other safety improvements.

“Anything they can do to make the roads safer would be a great thing,” Evan said. “It’s a real tragedy what happened here last night.”

The northbound lanes of the Hutchinson River Parkway near Weaver Street in Scarsdale were back open early Sunday evening, after being closed for 11 hours. 

Most of the drunk-related crashes occur in the early a.m. hours, like this one.  Two females driving the wrong way at 4:00 am during the weekend provide plenty of support for the opinion that these two women were completely drunk.

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A driver heading in the wrong direction on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway was killed in a head-on crash this morning, police said. Two others were injured.

A woman driving a 2014 Kia Sorento with Connecticut plates was driving southbound on the northbound side of the Hutch around 4:30 a.m. when her car crashed into a 2008 Land Rover, county police spokesman Kieran O'Leary said.




The scene from a crash on the Hutchinson Parkway northbound that occurred at 5 a.m. Sunday morning. As of 2 p.m., the road was still closed. (Photo: Carrie Yale/The Journal News)

The driver, who was found dead at the scene, hasn't been identified. A passenger in that vehicle, a woman in her late 30s, was in surgery at Westchester Medical Center as of 9 a.m., O'Leary said. She was listed in critical condition.

The driver of the Land Rover has "serious" injuries but they weren't expected to be life threatening, police said.

A 2012 Mercedes was also involved in the accident and had been driven off the road. It wasn't clear if the car had contact with the other vehicles or had swerved to avoid collision. The driver of the Mercedes, a 57-year-old man, declined medical treatment at the scene, police said.

At 8 a.m., the Kia faced traffic on the right side of the roadway and the Land Rover lay partially on the median in the middle of the parkway. The Mercedes was off the road to the right of the roadway.

Both lanes of the parkway were closed until almost 3 p.m. as Westchester County police investigated. All traffic was being sent off Exit 21.

DRUNKS/DRUGGIES DIE HARD: Wrong-way driver Michael Jones, of Port Richey killed when he crashed his Jeep SUV head-on into another SUV on the New Jersey Turnpike

MT. LAUREL, N.J. -- Authorities say a Florida man driving the wrong way on the New Jersey Turnpike was killed when his SUV crashed head-on into another vehicle.

State police say the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the Mount Laurel area. They say 21-year-old Michael Jones, of Port Richey, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes when the accident occurred.

It's not yet known why Jones was traveling in the wrong direction or how far he had traveled that way before the crash.

Authorities say a 42-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, both Jersey City residents, were in the other SUV. They were being treated for injuries that are not considered life-threatening, but further details haven't been released.

A stretch of the northbound lanes were closed for about an hour.

Most likely this dude was drunk or druggie.  So many of them come to NYC and NJ to sell drugs from Florida.  The jails are loaded with druggie Floridians.  It is also likely that he was drunk, as is often the case during the late pm and early am hours during the weekends. 



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Wrong-way driver killed in head-on wreck on NJ Turnpike, cops say

Updated on August 20, 2017 at 11:17 AM
By Bill Duhart



CHERRY HILL -- A 21-year-old Florida man died Saturday in a violent head-on collision on the New Jersey Turnpike when his Jeep SUV, traveling south in a northbound lane, smashed into another SUV, a state trooper said.

Michael Jones of Port Richey, Fla. was declared dead at the scene of the accident at mile post 33.2 here, Trooper Alejandro Goez said Sunday. The accident was reported at 11:30 p.m.

Jones allegedly smashed into a 2012 Hyundai Tucson driven by a 42-year-old man from Jersey City. He and his 32-year-old passenger, also of Jersey City, were taken by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital in Camden with non-life-threatening injuries, Goez said.

It was not immediately reported how Jones ended up traveling the wrong way on the turnpike, a toll road in which vehicles must travel through toll booths to enter.

The weather conditions were dry and clear. The northbound lanes were closed for an hour after the incident, Goez said. The accident remains under investigation.

YET ANOTHER NAVAL COLLISION INVOLVING US SHIPS: The USS John S McCain sustained damage to her port side aft after it collided with the Alnic MC, an oil and chemical tanker from Liberia, in waters near Singapore

SINGAPORE (WABC) -- A US Navy guided-missile destroyer and a merchant ship have collided in waters near Singapore, prompting a search-and-rescue operation and leaving the warship damaged, Pentagon officials said Sunday.

The number of possible injuries was unclear.

At the time of the incident, reported at 6:24 a.m. Saturday local time, the USS John S McCain was underway in the Strait of Malacca. The body of water separates the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

"Initial reports indicate John S. McCain sustained damage to her port side aft," the Navy's Seventh Fleet said in a statement. "Search and rescue efforts are underway in coordination with local authorities." 


Vessel ALNIC MC (IMO: 9396725, MMSI: 636017930) is a chemical/oil products tanker built in 2008 and currently sailing under the flag of Liberia. ALNIC MC has 183m length overall and beam of 32m. Her gross tonnage is 30040 tons.

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Search-and-rescue efforts are underway in the Pacific after a U.S. Navy destroyer collided with a merchant ship in the second such incident in two months, the service said.

The USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) collided with the Alnic MC, an oil and chemical tanker from Liberia, around 6:24 a.m. Monday in the South China Sea east of Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, according to a statement from 7th Fleet.

The incident, which occurred while the ship was headed for a port visit in Singapore, caused damage to the port side aft, or left back part, of the destroyer, the Navy said.

The extent of the search-and-rescue efforts wasn't immediately clear. The press release didn't indicate any casualties.

The accident comes just days after the Navy fired the top three officials from the USS Fitzgerald for their role in a deadly collision with a cargo ship on June 17 off the coast of Japan.

Cmdr. Bryce Benson, commander of the Fitzgerald, and Cmdr. Sean Babbitt, the executive officer, were "detached for cause," meaning the Navy "has lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead," the service announced Thursday.

In addition, the top enlisted sailor aboard the Fitzgerald, Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin, and several other sailors on the watch crew will face nonjudicial punishment for their role in the accident in which seven sailors drowned and others were injured.

The latest incident marks the fourth mishap involving U.S. ships in the Pacific this year, Fox News reported.

The USS Antietam, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, ran aground and dumped oil in Tokyo Bay in January and the USS Lake Champlain hit a fishing boat in May, according to the network.


Overall, all these incidents show some very dismal competence level of the U.S. Navy.

Source: military.com

Christen Ebert, 26, Richard Chum, 30, Gary Sindhu, 29, and Kouang Saefong, 30, were killed after wrong-way driver Carlos Quinones, 19, collides his Jeep head-on with their Nissan on I-17 in Arizona

"Mudrun with my boys — with Richard Chum, Gary Sidhu and Danny Saetern."  Posting of Christen Ebert, 26, killed by wrong-way driver in Arizona

Christen Ebert, 26, Richard Chum, 30, Gary Sindhu, 29, and Kouang Saefong, 30, were killed after wrong-way driver Carlos Quinones, 19, collides his Jeep head-on with their Nissan on I-17 in Arizona

Victims of fatal I-17 wrong-way crash near Flagstaff identified
Christopher Mccrory, The Republic | azcentral.com
Updated 5:01 p.m. MT Aug. 19, 2017





The four victims of a fatal wrong-way collision early Friday on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff have been identified.

Christen Ebert, 26, Richard Chum, 30, Gary Sindhu, 29, and Kouang Saefong, 30, were traveling north along I-17 south of Munds Park at approximately 4 a.m. when their Nissan collided with a Jeep that was driving the wrong way, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

All four were declared dead at the scene.

Ebert and Chum were from Stockton, California. Sindhu was from Lodi, California, and Saefong was from San Francisco.

The driver of the Jeep, Carlos Quinones, 19, of Casa Grande, was injured and taken to Flagstaff Medical Center for treatment. The extent of his injuries has not been disclosed.

DPS officials said the investigation into the crash was ongoing.

The crash shut down I-17 for several hours, and backups lingered in the northbound lanes until late morning.



================


Four people were killed in a wrong-way crash early Friday on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.

The accident happened about 4 a.m., two miles south of Munds Park, DPS said.

A vehicle that was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-17 crashed head-on with a second vehicle that was heading north, DPS said.

Four people in the second vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene, DPS said.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was injured and transported to a hospital. The extent of the driver's injuries was not available Friday evening.

DPS said late Friday the investigation was continuing.

The accident shut I-17 in the area for several hours, and backups lingered in the northbound lanes until late morning.

The Arizona Department of Transportation this week began installing a wrong-way detection system in the Phoenix area along I-17.

LIFE ECLIPSED: PILOT KILLED AFTER AN EXPERIMENTAL WHEELER EXPRESS PLANE CRASHED AND BURNED IN MADRAS, OREGON AS IT WAS ARRIVING TO WITNESS THE SOLAR ECLIPSE

The pilot of a small plane died Saturday afternoon when the plane crashed about a mile south of Madras Municipal Airport.(Jefferson County Sheriff's Office) 

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MADRAS, Ore. - (Update:Sheriff says only one person on plane, not two; comments from airport neighbor, young witness)

A pilot was killed in the crash of a small plane Saturday afternoon in the Willow Creek Canyon as it approached Madras Airport from the south, authorities said.

The plane, a single-engine, home-built Wheeler Express, was arriving at the Madras Airport when it crashed "under unknown circumstances" in Willow Creek Canyon around 1:50 p.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Dispatchers with 911 notified Jefferson County sheriff's deputies of the crash shortly before 2 p.m., said Deputy Ron Larson.

Oregon State Police troopers and Jefferson County Fire and EMS also responded to the scene, about a mile south of the airport, Larson said.

They reached the plane from the south side of the canyon and found the plane engulfed in flames near the top of the canyon.

Officials at the Joint Information Coordination Center in Redmond said an area farmer was on scene fighting a fire on the plane when first responders arrived at the scene.




Officials initially had confirmed there were two people aboard the plane who did not survive the crash. But Sheriff Jim Adkins said late Saturday night that was in error, and only person, the pilot, was on it.

While the name of the victim has not been released, San Francisco TV station KPIX reports the plane was registered to a Menlo Park, California man and took off from the San Carlos airport around 11 a.m. NBC Bay Area said an employee at that airport confirmed the plane left the San Francisco peninsula city earlier in the day.

Officials said the plane was one of about 400 due to fly into Madras for the eclipse, so many that the airport, which usually operates without a tower, brought in a mobile one.

The sheriff's office confirmed the pilot was in contact with air traffic control and was on final approach.

The small brushfire sparked by the crash was being mopped up and is no longer a threat to the area, Larson said, adding that no other property was damaged.

Jim Spencer lives just south of the airport and is used to the sounds. He was in his backyard, entertaining family in town for the eclipse.

As another plane soared overhead later, on its way to a landing, Spencer said the approach "pretty much lines up with my driveway. So they're nice and quiet. But when you hear one go, 'brrp, brrp, broop,' you know, and it (the engine) cuts out - it just caught my attention. Five, six minutes later, we heard all these emergency sirens."



And Spencer also saw "a huge column of black smoke. And I knew -- that guy crashed his plane. And it was just - I figured it was somebody coming for the eclipse, you know -- likes flying. And then -- tragedy, you know. I felt sick."

The plane hit the south side of the canyon, sparking a brushfire.

"It kind of nosed in and it got lower," said Diego Lopez, a young witness. "I thought it was going to land right there," he said, pointing to a grassy field.

"I yelled, 'A plane just crashed! A plane just crashed.," he said. "It was crazy."

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board was advised and are investigating, the deputy said.

Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins, who is a pilot, said he didn't expect such a tragedy, even with the increase in traffic related to the eclipse.

"I've flown out of this airport myself for the last 25 years, and it's a very safe airport," Adkins told NewsChannel 21. "And the way that they have security and air traffic control today for this big event, the big eclipse event, I am a bit surprised that that this happened."




================
Updated on August 19, 2017 at 10:06 PM
By Carli Brosseau

The Oregonian/OregonLive

This post has been updated.

The pilot of a small airplane died in a crash near Madras Municipal Airport early Saturday afternoon, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said.

The plane crashed just before 2 p.m. in a steep and remote area about one mile south of the airport's runway, said Lisa Goodman, a spokeswoman for the Central Oregon Joint Information Center.

When first-responders arrived at the scene of the crash, near the top of Willow Creek Canyon, the plane was engulfed in flames, with a local farmer trying to put out the fire, Goodman said.

The Bend Bulletin has obtained aerial video footage of the scene, shown below.

The plane was approaching the airport when it crashed, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The plane was a single-engine, homebuilt Wheeler Express, he said.

Both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. An NTSB investigator is expected to arrive tomorrow.

No information was yet available about the cause of the crash. Officials also were not releasing any information about the pilot.

KPIX, a CBS affiliate in San Francisco, reported that the plane was registered to a man from Menlo Park, in the Bay Area, and took off from the airport in San Carlos.

The fire has been extinguished and did not affect the crowd gathered at the airport to view Monday's solar eclipse, officials said. Several people saw the crash, and investigators were interviewing them Saturday afternoon.

NTSB records show that there have been five fatal crashes at the Madras airport since 1964.

The most recent fatal crash was last year. A pilot from Alaska, Marcus Bruce Paine, 61, crashed while performing at an air show.

Three people died in two separate crashes in the summer of 2005. The two earlier fatal crashes were in 1977 and 1964.


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MADRAS, Ore. (KOIN) — An airplane with 2 people on board crashed AND BURNED near the Madras airport just before 2 p.m. Saturday.

The small airplane did not make it to the airport and crashed about a mile away, down in the Willow Creek Canyon Area. The impact sparked a small brush fire, which Jefferson County Fire crews extinguished quickly.

The pilot died in the crash, according to the Central Oregon emergency information network.

“I heard the plane coming in and I heard it sputtering some — which is not uncommon, we hear it quite often, so I didn’t really think much about it — and then a few seconds later I heard the impact,” Madras resident Michele Quinn told KOIN 6 News.



Visitors who were golfing nearby saw the plane take sharp turn before it crashed into the canyon.

A farmer was the first person on the scene and volunteer firefighters were called upon to help fight the fire that started when the plane crashed.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was a single-engine, homebuilt Wheeler Express that was on its way to the Madras airport when it crashed.

Investigators are working to determine why the plane crashed.

More than 200,000 people are expected in Madras for the solar eclipse on August 21. CBS News reports the Madras Municipal Airport normally gets three flights an hour, but as thousands flood to the small town, planes have been arriving every three minutes.




==============




Pilot after small plane crashes near Madras airport


by KATU Staff

Saturday, August 19th 2017



An emergency vehicle rushes to the site of a fire just south west of the Madras airport. Photo by Dan Morrison, Oregon News Lab

MADRAS, Ore. — A small plane crashed near the Madras airport in the Willow Creek Canyon area, killing two people Saturday afternoon.


Officials confirm the pilot did not survive the crash, and that they were the only two aboard the plane. Willow Creek Canyon is a very steep and remote area.

Emergency responders reached the plane from the south side of the canyon and found it fully engulfed in flames.

Officials say a small fire resulting from the crash is no longer a threat to the area.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Fire, Jefferson County EMS, Oregon State Police and Madras Police responded to the scene.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel to Madras this weekend to view Monday's solar eclipse, and a large viewing area has been set up at the Madras airport near where the crash occurred



Date: 19-AUG-2017
Time: -14:11
Type: Wheeler Express
Owner/operator:

Registration:

C/n / msn:

Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Willow Creek Canyon, Madras, OR - United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature: Unknown
Departure airport:

Destination airport: Madras Muni (S33)
Narrative:
The aircraft, an experimental Wheeler Express, impacted steep canyon terrain south of Madras Municipal Airport (S33), Madras, Oregon, and a post-impact fire ensued. The airplane was destroyed and the two occupants onboard received fatal injuries.

Sources:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/08/1_dead_in_plane_crash_near_air_1.html
http://katu.com/news/local/small-plane-reportedly-crashes-near-madras-airport-where-thousands-set-to-view-eclipse
http://koin.com/2017/08/19/small-airplane-crashes-near-madras-airport/
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2017/08/19/officials-investigating-plane-crash-madras/583578001/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Willow+Creek+Canyon+Trail,+Madras,+OR+97741/@44.6571015,-121.1572625,15z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x54bee96486f71375:0x1eaead6c2cd35484?hl=en-us

A demolition worker with CARO Construction Company. was killed when part of a concrete roof fell on top of him in Wichita, Kansas

One killed in industrial accident on Friday


By Katherine Burgess

August 18, 2017 4:08 PM


A construction demolition worker was killed Friday afternoon when part of a concrete roof fell on top of him.

The large warehouse at 29th and Mead was being demolished in sections, said Wichita fire battalion Chief Scott Brown. Brown said he did not know if the portion of the building the man was in was meant to have come down at that time.

The man, who was about 50 years old, was discovered by co-workers. The Wichita Fire Department was able to remove the body from the rubble using heavy lifting equipment.

“A whole roof came down, and it came down in pieces,” Brown said.

OSHA and the Wichita Police Department are investigating.

Multiple construction companies were working on the warehouse, Brown said. A person answering the phone at Pearson Construction, which had several excavators on scene, said the company had “no comment.”



Founded in 1978, Caro Construction is a Class B licensed general contractor. It undertakes projects of all sizes in the commercial, educational, medical and civic areas. Caro Construction also offers cabinet making, finish carpentry and hardware installation services. The company works with suppliers and subcontractors and provides customized services according to clients specific requirements.




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WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – One man was killed in a north Wichita industrial accident. It happened near 29th and Mead around 1:40 p.m.

Authorities said workers were demolishing a building on Friday, and debris fell on the man, killing him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to Wichita Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Brown, construction crews were bringing the ceiling down a section at a time. Brown said it was unclear if that portion of the ceiling that came down was meant to come down at the time or if the man wasn’t where he was supposed to be.

Brown said the coroner’s office, OSHA, and WPD investigators are conducting an investigation and they will be on the scene for some time. The fire department will also remain on the scene to assist if necessary.



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WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) -

A man has died following an industrial accident Friday afternoon in north Wichita.

The incident happened at around 1:40 p.m. at a building being demolished near 29th Street North and Mead. The fire department was called to the report of a "person trapped and deceased."

Battalion Chief Scott Brown said the man was off by himself when the roof collapsed on him. Dispatchers earlier reported it was about 300 pounds of debris.

According to a spokesperson with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the man worked for CARO Construction Company. He was approximately 50 years old.

"Crews were bringing the building down a section at a time," Brown said. "I don't know if they had planned on that part being down or if the individual was where he wasn't supposed to be."

The man's name was not released. OSHA is investigating the incident.

Construction worker Jonathan Lupinski, 22, died by smashing his head after falling 20 feet down an elevator shaft while working at a 52-story tower under construction at 281 Fifth Avenue in NYC

A 22-year-old construction worker from Yonkers died after falling 20 feet down an elevator shaft while working on a high-profile luxury building, police said.

Jonathan Lupinski fell two stories to the basement at 281 Fifth Ave. at E. 30th St. about 9:40 a.m. He suffered grave head injuries.

“While stripping the elevator shaft, the worker fell to the cellar level,” a Department of Buildings report said.

Medics rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he died, officials said.

“I've known the kid all my life,” said a Yonkers friend, breaking into tears, before going into his home. “I had to watch his mother fall to the ground this morning. Give us a day, man.”

One of Lupinski’s relatives said they had not been fully briefed on what happened. She said he had been a construction worker for five or six years and grew up in Yonkers.

Damodar Dahal, 40, was working at a nearby bodega when he heard the police arrive.


“I heard the sirens and I saw the fire trucks. It was a big scene. At first I thought there was a fire or something,” Dahal said. “Then I found out later that the guy fell down.”

The city Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

The construction site has been the subject of several injury complaints since 2015, records show.

In May, a worker hurt an arm and a shoulder while adjusting a concrete bucket. In August 2016, a worker cut his arm on a wire. A pedestrian was hit in the head by a piece of wood blown off the building by wind in July 2016.

The 51-story, 130-apartment luxury condo building was designed by famed architect Rafael Vinoly’s company and is being built by construction giant Lend Lease.

About 20 stories have been created but only the concrete structures and some of the piping.

Exterior decorative glass is stated to be laid at the base.



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A 22-year-old worker died after falling down an elevator shaft at an under-construction Manhattan condominium tower Friday, authorities say.

Fire officials were called to the 52-story tower under construction at 281 Fifth Avenue, near 30th Street, after getting a call about the accident around 9:40 a.m.

The worker, Jonathan Lupinsky of Yonkers, was pronounced dead at a hospital. The circumstances surrounding the accident weren't immediately clear.

The finished building, due to be completed in 2019, is expected to house more than 100 condo units and thousands of square feet of retail space.




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MIDTOWN, NYC — A 22-year-old worker died after falling about two stories down an elevator shaft at a construction site for a luxury Fifth Avenue condo building Friday morning, officials said.

Jonathan Lupinsky, of Yonkers, fell down the shaft at the 281 Fifth Ave. site about 9:40 a.m., an NYPD spokesman said. He suffered trauma to his head and was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital, the spokesman added.

Tony Ortiz, 39, was working as a doorman across Fifth Avenue when he noticed several fire trucks and ambulances in front of the building.

“I was hoping they're OK," Ortiz said. "Construction workers are getting hurt left and right."

It was not immediately clear what the worker was doing when he fell or if he was wearing any safety gear.

Workers are constructing a 55-story residential building at the site designed by architect Rafael Viñoly that is touted as the "intersection of uptown sophistication and downtown style," according to the development's website.

The Department of Buildings is also investigating, a spokesman said.

The building owner of 281 Fifth Ave. is listed as the Victor Group, and calls to the company were not immediately returned.

There were several signs posted around the work site concerning worker safety, including one posted at an entrance showing how to put on a safety harness.

DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg

The death marks the latest in a string of incidents involving construction workers.

Three workers were injured in June when 1,000 pounds of construction material fell from an Astoria roof.

Earlier that month, another worker died after falling 10 stories at a Hudson Yards construction site.

A few weeks prior to that, a worker was injured when a steel beam plunged 12 stories at a NoHo site.

Speeding livery cab driver Leonel Paulino died after he crashed his cab into the rear of a flatbed truck that was parked in the left lane of the Cross Bronx Expressway

Saturday, August 19, 2017 10:23AM
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Authorities say a livery cab driver was killed early Saturday when his vehicle slammed into a flatbed truck in the Bronx.

Just before 2 a.m., the Toyota Camry TLC livery vehicle travelling west on the Cross Bronx Expressway near Castle Hill Avenue smashed into the rear of a flatbed truck that was parked in the left lane of the roadway.

The operator of the flatbed was in the process of removing a broken down vehicle there when struck.

The 45-year-old driver of the TLC vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified as Leonel Paulino.

A 27-year-old female passenger in the vehicle was seriously injured and taken to St Barnabas Hospital where she is said to be in stable condition.

Speed is believed to have been a factor in the accident, police said.




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A livery cabbie died early Saturday after he slammed his car into a stopped tow truck on a Bronx highway, cops said.

His 27-year-old backseat passenger miraculously escaped with only minor injuries.

Leonel Paulino, 45, was speeding west on the Cross Bronx Expressway when he plowed into the back of the idling flatbed tow truck near Castle Hill Ave. about 1:50 a.m., police sources said.

The tow truck driver was helping a stranded motorist with a broken-down car, cops said.

Paulino suffered a massive head wound and died at the scene. Medics rushed his fare — a Yonkers woman identified as Amber Normington — to St. Barnabas Hospital.

“No major injuries, nothing broken, which is a major thing,” her sister Kirstie Normington said.

Amber Normington’s police officer fiancé Rudolph Rosado added that “she’s doing fine and should be okay.”

Normington told her sisters she somehow ended up on the ground outside of the vehicle.

“She doesn’t know how she got out of the car,” Jacquie Normington said. “We’re just piecing it together based on what we’re seeing online.”

The driver of the tow truck and the person he was helping were unharmed, police said.

Cops put up portable NYPD barricades around the mangled livery car as they conducted their investigation.

Police sources said that, based on the force of the impact, speed played a factor in the smashup. The Toyota Camry’s front end was obliterated.


A spokesman for the Taxi & Limousine Commission confirmed that Paulino drove for the ride-hail app Uber, but it wasn’t clear if he was working for the company at the time of the crash. Uber was investigating the incident Saturday.