This blog presents Metropolitan Engineering Consulting & Forensics (MEC&F) claim management and claim investigation analyses of some of the typical claims we handle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, August 30, 2018 Former Hamtramck, Michigan, Police Officer Indicted for Excessive Use of Force, Obstruction of Justice, and Firearms Offenses
The Department of Justice today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan returned a six-count indictment charging former Hamtramck, Michigan, police officer Ryan McInerney, 42, with civil rights violations, obstruction of justice, and firearms offenses in connection with two civilian arrests on July 22, 2014. McInerney is charged with violating two civilians’ civil rights when he assaulted them with a pistol without justification during separate arrests on the same night. The indictment further charges McInerney with two counts of using a firearm during and in relation to the civil rights offenses, as well as with writing false reports to cover up his excessive uses of force. As a result of the assaults, one of the civilians suffered broken facial bones and lacerations requiring stitches, and the other civilian suffered broken teeth, among other injuries.
The civil rights charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each offense. The obstruction charges carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each offense. The firearms charges carry a mandatory minimum, consecutive sentence of five to seven years in prison for each offense.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Lee Carlson of the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Risa Berkower of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
NTSB is investigating today’s accident in Kaplan, LA involving a Piper PA-28.
Plane Crash in Vermilion Parish, the Sheriff’s Office is now able to confirm two fatalities as a result of the plane crash. The crash is involving a Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane and an old KATC tower in the Kaplan area.
Here is the information about the KATC Tower in Kaplan. It is a very tall structure at 1,793 feet.
BREAKING: Two dead after plane crashes into TV tower near Kaplan
Two dead after plane crashes into TV tower near Kaplan
By Tresia Bowles August 31, 2018
KAPLAN, LA (KPLC) -
A plane crashed into a television tower near Kaplan Friday morning, leaving two people dead, officials said.
The tower, located in Vermilion parish, was owned by KATC-TV in Lafayette but was no longer in use by the television station.
It was being leased to radio station KAJN. The accident knocked the radio station off the air. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. KPLC and FOX29 are following this story and will update as more information becomes available.
========================== Narrative: The light plane hit a transmission tower guy wire and crashed. The pilot died in the crash. The airplane was destroyed during the accident sequence. 2 plane occupants died
Fatalities: Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 Other fatalities: 0 Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair) Location: Vermillion Parish, near Kaplan, LA - United States of America Phase: En route Nature: Private Departure airport:
Barge & ship collide spilling more than 13,000 gallons of diesel fuel The Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office are investigating an oil spill after an accident involving a barge and a ship near Port Arthur, Texas, Wednesday evening. Author: Makensie Hinkle Published: 4:39 PM CDT August 30, 2018 Updated: 10:37 PM CDT August 30, 2018
A major clean up on the way at the Intracoastal Waterway, near Port Arthur, after a collision led to an oil spill on Wednesday.
The collision involved a towing vessel Savage Pathfinder and the motor vessel Endurance.
Over 13,000 gallons of diesel fueled was spilled but a representative from the Coast Guard says leak is now under control.
At this time there is no cause for the collision but it's still under investigation.
From a U.S. Coast Guard news release...
The Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office are responding to an oil spill after an accident involving the towing vessel Savage Pathfinder and the motor vessel Endurance at Dock 4 near Port Arthur, Texas, Wednesday evening.
An estimated 13,272 gallons of marine diesel fuel was discharged. The source of the leak has been secured.
Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Port Arthur and TGLO personnel were dispatched to the scene to investigate and respond to the spill. Containment boom was placed around the vessel. Crews continue recovery efforts Thursday.
An urgent marine information broadcast has been sent cautioning mariners transiting around Texaco Point and Port Arthur.
"We are working with TGLO, the responsible party and all maritime stakeholders to minimize impact as quickly as possible," said Capt. Jackie Twomey, federal on scene coordinator and commanding officer of MSU Port Arthur.
The cause of the incident is under investigation. There were no reported injuries.
SAVAGE PATHFINDER
Pictured as: the Miss Polly (Settoon Towing) Photo by: Sam Draye
Built in 1976, by Verret Shipyard Incorporated of Plaquemine, Louisiana (hull #27) as the Miss Polly for Boaz Towing Incorporated of Plaquemine, Louisiana.
In 2014, the tug was acquired by the Kirby Corporation of Channelview, Texas. Where she retained her name.
In 2016, she was acquired by Settoon Towing Incorporated of Pierre Part, Louisiana. Where the tug retained her name.
In 2017, the tug was acquired by Savage Marine Services Incorporated of Salt Lake City, Utah. Where she was renamed as the Savage Pathfinder. Re powered in 1987, she is driven by two, GM 12V-92 diesel
engines. With Twin Disc reduction gears, at a ratio of 6:1. Turning two,
stainless steel, fixed pitch propellers. She is a twin screw towboat,
rated at 1,000 horsepower.
The herbicide chemical is commonly used by ditch companies as well as farmers to control moss and algae in ditches. xylene is toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms at use rates that control aquatic plants and algae
Larry Meyer | The Argus Observer
PAYETTE COUNTY, ID —
State agencies, including the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality will be following up on a chemical spill in a ditch near the Snake River outside of Fruitland. There is no concern for public safety at this time, however, as the chemical never reached the river or any other water source.
At about 9:50 a.m. today, Payette County Sheriff’s Office received a report of the possible hazardous material spill on Whitley near Glenway.
The caller, as well as the incident commander who responded to the scene both said a large amount of fish were killed in the event, confirmed Payette County Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Creech in a phone interview.
First responders on scene located a liquid substance that was later identified as Ortho-Xylene 98, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The chemical is commonly used by ditch companies as well as farmers to control moss and algae in ditches, according to Creech.
He said he was not certain whether the chemical was applied improperly, but that will be determined by state agencies during their investigation. Creech also said that “apparently this type of chemical does kill fish depending on the level put in.”
“The incident commander, along with numerous other state agencies determined that the best course of action was to contain the chemical to the cement ditch that it was in,” according to the news release. “The property owner was contacted about the chemical and the containment efforts.”
More work will need to be done, Creech said.
Sheriff’s deputies were assisted by Payette County Paramedics and the New Plymouth Rural Fire Department.
As a preventative measure in Weiser, where drinking water is drawn from the Snake River, the water plant operator temporarily shut off the intake switch this morning until further information was known.
Acrolein and xylene are non-selective toxicants and will kill most species of algae and submersed and floating aquatic plants. Acrolein and xylene will not control emergent aquatic vegetation (Senseman 2007). Both acrolein and xylene are toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms at use rates that control aquatic plants and algae (Baker Petrolite Corporation 2008; Ross & Lembi 1985; USEPA 2005; USEPA 2008).
A truck carrying pool chemicals overturned on southbound Interstate Highway 680 in unincorporated Pacheco this morning, causing a hazardous materials response when the chemicals spilled onto the roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was reported at 8:06 a.m. on southbound Highway 680 at the junction with state Highway 4.
The truck driver was going faster than the slowing traffic ahead of him and swerved, struck two vehicles and then overturned and hit other vehicles. Six vehicles in all were involved in the crash, CHP Officer Brandon Correia said.
Chlorine and muriatic acid spilled from containers in the truck, prompting a response from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District and county hazmat crews, Correia said.
The spill was contained to the roadway and did not enter any nearby drains, he said.
"We're super lucky where we're at," Correia said. "It's at the peak of the roadway so it stayed in the lanes where it crashed."
The crash briefly blocked all southbound lanes of the highway, but the two left lanes had reopened as of shortly before 10 a.m., according to Correia.
He said all lanes are expected to reopen by later this morning.
Historic Toxic Chemical Ban Passes California Legislature
By Center for Environmental Health August 30, 2018
Sacramento, CA August 30, 2018 –
The California Legislature passed a landmark bill last night that would protect the health of consumers, workers, families, firefighters, and our natural environment by prohibiting the sale of upholstered furniture, certain children’s products, and mattress foam that contain toxic flame retardants.
For decades, flame retardants have been needlessly used in everything from furniture to children’s products. These toxic chemicals — which have been linked to cancer, thyroid disruption, memory and learning problems, delayed mental and physical development, lower IQ, advanced puberty, hormone disruption and reduced fertility — migrate into household dust that is then ingested and inhaled by humans, pets and wildlife. As a result, they are now ubiquitous in households and workplaces and have steadily built up in the environment and human bodies. Advertisement
Children are particularly vulnerable to these toxic chemicals because their brains and reproductive organs are still developing, and they come into greater contact with household dust than adults due to their frequent floor play and putting their hands to their mouths. Further, as flame retardants burn, the fire and smoke that firefighters are exposed to becomes more toxic — linked to disproportionately high levels of cancer among those whose job it is to protect us.
“Today’s vote to ban products with unnecessary flame retardants represents a landmark public health victory that will serve as a model for the nation to follow,” said Alvaro Casanova, California policy manager of Center for Environmental Health (CEH). “California is sending a clear message: Peoples’ health and science should determine public policy not chemical industry profits.”
“Flame-retardant chemicals offer little added fire safety benefit, but exposure to smoke that carries these toxins increases the already-substantial risk our firefighters face from job-related cancer,” said Brian K. Rice, president of California Professional Firefighters (CPF). “The passage of SB 2998 is a major step forward, not only for the safety of our first responders, but for the health of those we protect.”
“California is taking a big step forward to protect firefighters and kids,” said Avinash Kar, Senior Attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “This bill ends unnecessary exposure to toxic flame retardant chemicals in many household products. The chemicals do not make these products any safer—and it is time to get rid of them.”
In addition to being toxic, flame retardants are unnecessary in these products. According to studies by California’s Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation (BEARHFTI), the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Fire Protection Association, these chemicals provide no meaningful fire safety benefit in furniture or children’s products.
AB 2998 (D-Bloom) was sponsored by CEH, CPF, and NRDC. The bill passed the Senate floor with bipartisan support by a vote of 29 to 9 on Monday, and the Assembly by a vote of 52-12. It now awaits Governor Jerry Brown’s signature.
There are already many green and healthy alternatives without unnecessary flame retardant chemicals available on the market. AB 2998 represents a historic opportunity to ensure that communities across California are protected from these dangerous chemicals while helping spur a nationwide transition toward safer, more sustainable, cost-effective products.
A car crashed, overturned and caught fire after police attempted to pull the driver over in New Jersey Friday morning.
Around 2 a.m. Friday, police were called by a resident who reported that their vehicle had been burglarized. The 2016 white GMC Acadia had been parked on Henning Drive in Fairfield.
The victim told police that he put his car and house keys under the front seat and they were missing along with loose change.
The officers told the victim that they thought the suspect would return to steal the vehicle.
While waiting nearby, officers spotted the lights of the Acadia turn on around 4:30 a.m.
As the suspect drove the vehicle away, the police turned on their emergency lights. The police officer says the suspect was wearing a partial ski mask.
With police backup, a chase ensued and the vehicle crashed on Little Falls Road, rolling over and taking down power lines in the process.
The Acadia burst into flames and officers couldn't tell if the suspect was inside the vehicle.
Once PSE&G determined it was safe, police discovered that the suspect was not in the vehicle.
Just two hours later, the North Caldwell Police Department received a call about another stolen vehicle near the crash site. Police believe it is the same suspect.
Fairfield Police Department says that they actually had 15 reports of car burglaries in the Henning Drive area.
Pilot Craig Layson of Saline, Michigan and four Polish passengers died in the crash
On August 4, 2018, about 1753 Alaska daylight time, a single-engine, de Havilland DHC-2 (Beaver) airplane, N323KT, sustained substantial damage during an impact with steep, high altitude, snow-covered terrain about 50 miles northwest of Talkeetna, Alaska, in Denali National Park and Preserve. The airplane was registered to Rust Properties, LLC and operated by Rust's Flying Service Inc, doing business as K2 Aviation as a visual flight rules on-demand commercial air tour flight, under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 when the accident occurred. The commercial pilot and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight originated at the Talkeetna Airport (TKA) about 1705. According to K2 Aviation, the purpose of the flight was to provide the four passengers a onehour tour flight. This tour was to consist of an aerial tour of multiple glaciers, which included a flyover of the Denali Base Camp located on the Kahiltna Glacier, at 7,200 feet mean sea level (msl), and then return to Talkeetna. According to archived global positioning system (GPS) track data from K2 Aviation's in-flight tracking system, at 1746, as the flight passed over the Denali Base Camp, the airplane initially turns south, and travels down the Kahiltna Glacier. As the flight progressed southbound, it then turns to the left, and towards Talkeetna on a southeasterly heading. As the airplane continues on the southeasterly heading, the track terminates near a knife-edge ridge above the Kahiltna Glacier on Thunder Mountain. At 1753, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) received the first alert from the accident airplane's 406MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT). At 1756, K2 Aviation was alerted that the accident airplane's satellite tracking had stopped moving, and lost aircraft procedures were immediately initiated. About 1800, a satellite phone call from the accident pilot was received by personnel at K2 Aviation. The pilot stated that they had impacted a mountain and needed rescue. The call only lasted a couple minutes before the connection was lost. After several attempts, contact was once again made with the accident pilot, and he stated that he was trapped in the wreckage and there were possibly two fatalities. No further information was received before the connection was once again lost. At 2008, the National Park Service (NPS) high altitude rescue helicopter based in Talkeetna, was dispatched to the coordinates transmitted from the accident airplane's 406MHz ELT. However, due to continuous poor weather conditions in the area, the helicopter crew was not able to reach the accident site. Search and rescue assets from the National Park Service (NPS), the RCC, the Alaska Air National Guard, the Alaska Army National Guard and the U.S. Army joined in the search and rescue mission. On August 6, about 0717, the crew of the NPS's high altitude rescue helicopter located the airplane wreckage in an ice crevasse, at an altitude of about 10,920 ft msl, on a hanging glacier on Thunder Mountain, which is located about 14 miles southwest of the Denali Summit. The airplane was highly fragmented, and the right wing had separated and fallen several hundred feet below the main wreckage. Subsequently, an NPS mountain rescue ranger was able to access the accident site utilizing a technique known as a short-haul, which allows transport of rescue personnel to otherwise inaccessible sites while suspended beneath a helicopter using a long-line. Once on scene, and while still connected to the helicopter, the ranger was able to locate the deceased pilot and three of the passengers in the forward portion of the fuselage, but the fifth occupant was missing. The fuselage was fractured aft of the trailing edge of the wings, and the fuselage was splayed open with blown, packed snow inside. Rapidly deteriorating weather conditions limited the initial on-scene time to about five minutes. On August 10, NPS launched another short-haul site assessment mission. During this mission, the fifth occupant was located in the aft section of the fuselage and was confirmed deceased. According to NPS management personnel, given the unique challenges posed by the steepness of terrain, ice crevasses, avalanche danger, and the instability of the aircraft wreckage, it was determined that recovery of the occupants remains, and retrieval of the aircraft wreckage, exceed an acceptable level of risk and therefore a recovery will not be attempted. The airplane is equipped with a Pratt and Whitney R-985 series engine. The closest official weather observation station to the accident site was located at the Talkeetna Airport, about 50 miles to the southeast. On August 4, 2018, at 1753, the station was reporting, in part: wind 170° at 6 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; ceiling and clouds, 8,000 ft. scattered, 10,000 ft. broken; temperature 72° F; dew point 54° F; altimeter 29.87 inches of mercury. This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information Aircraft Make: De Havilland Registration: N323KT Model/Series: DHC-2 Aircraft Category: Airplane Amateur Built: No Operator: K2 Aviation Operating Certificate(s) Held: On-demand Air Taxi (135) Meteorological Information and Flight Plan Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions Condition of Light: Day Observation Facility, Elevation: TKA, 365 ft msl Observation Time: 1753 ADT Distance from Accident Site: 50 Nautical Miles Temperature/Dew Point: 22°C / 12°C Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 8000 ft agl Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 6 knots / , 170° Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 10000 ft agl Visibility: 10 Miles Altimeter Setting: 29.87 inches Hg Type of Flight Plan Filed: Company VFR Departure Point: Talkeetna, AK (TKA) Destination: Talkeetna, AK (TKA) Wreckage and Impact Information Crew Injuries: 1 Fatal Aircraft Damage: Substantial Passenger Injuries: 4 Fatal Aircraft Fire: None Ground Injuries: N/A Aircraft Explosion: None Total Injuries: 5 Fatal Latitude, Longitude: Administrative Information Investigator In Charge (IIC): David S Williams Additional Participating Persons: Greg Varner; FAA; Wasilla, AK Chris Wilson; K2 Aviation; Talkeetna, AK Matt Rigsby; FAA; Washington D.C., DE Note: The NTSB traveled to the scene of this accident. ============================ The pilot in the fatal flightseeing plane crash near Denali Saturday night has been identified.
According to National Park Service spokeswoman Katherine Belcher, Craig Layson of Saline, Michigan was the pilot of the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver plane that when down on Aug. 4 near the summit of what's known as Thunder Mountain at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet.
Monday morning, National Park Service officials said four of the five people who were on board the flightseeing plane out of Talkeetna were found dead and the fifth person was still missing and presumed dead.
"Search operations have been halted because we did make it to the site of the downed aircraft," said Belcher. "We did confirm that four passengers onboard are deceased, a fifth passenger is assumed dead."
No word on whether Layson was among the bodies found.
"We haven't confirmed what the fatalities are," Belcher said. "We don't know if one of them's the pilot, if all four are passengers. We don't have that information yet. It was a quick in and out because the weather was moving in. So for the safety of our staff, they went down, did what they needed to do."
NPS mountaineering rangers took advantage of a brief window of clearing weather and reached the wreckage for the first time since the plane went down on Saturday night.
"An NPS ranger was short-hauled to the crash site (suspended beneath the helicopter) where he dug through the snow that had filled the aircraft and found the bodies of four of the five passengers," NPS wrote in a statement Monday morning. "There were no footprints or disturbances leading away from the site and there were no other signs to indicate any of the passengers made it out of the plane."
Chris Erikson, NPS mountaineering ranger who searched the scene said he believes the window of time they were able to search the wreckage was less than five minutes.
"As best I could, I worked my way through the aircraft just counting people, and checking people to see if there were any signs of life," he said. "I was able to find four, but not the fifth, given the area that I was working, there's still a pretty good chance that person's still in there. I couldn't get to everywhere. I did not comprehensively search the aircraft."
Erickson said there was some snow drifted around the wreckage and did not go inside of the aircraft due to safety concerns.
"I was just able to see the inside of part of the plane, not all of it, I was able to see some of the occupants, but had to dig around to find any of the equipment that might have been on board otherwise, it looked mostly like an airplane crash, there was items scattered throughout."
A member of the Polish Consulate in Anchorage says the four passengers onboard that flightseeing plane were all Polish tourists who traveled to Alaska in a group of nine people. Five people in the group were in Talkeetna waiting for the other four to return. Stanislaw Borucki, Honorary Consul of Poland, says it's tough notifying families back in Poland of the tragic deaths.
"One of the elderly mothers she was calling, she did not speak English. And try to tell that your son is dead. And then she has to call the girlfriend. One of the young men that was in the flight, he was getting married. To tell the young lady that your boyfriend, your future husband, is dead, it's very difficult," said Borucki.
We're told the other five polish residents who were visiting ended up cutting their trip short. They had planned to travel to Seward, Whittier, Homer and other places.
Belcher said the last time a crash like this has happened in Denali was back in 2003.
"Flightseeing operators have a very good record in Denali," she said. "The last time that we had a plane crash in the park, was in May 2003."
Crews are still waiting for the weather to cooperate so that they can make it back out to investigate the crash site.
"We're waiting for the weather to clear and during that time we're going to best decide how to proceed with recovery operations," Belcher said.
A temporary flight restriction has been put in place in the area of Denali National Park & Preserve to minimize traffic in the area of the crash site.
All four of the passengers aboard the K2 aviation de Havilland Beaver (DHC-2) are from Poland, according to the NPS. Their names are being withheld pending notification of family members.
Weather in the area is expected to be cloudy, but relatively dry with light winds. Crews can expect rain showers beginning this afternoon, with the chance for some snow/rain mix. Showers will likely continue on and off into Tuesday. (Credit: Denali National Park and Preserve)
"The pilot was able to make a satellite phone call to K2 Aviation,” National Park Service spokeswoman Katherine Belcher said Sunday. “He did report some injuries, he made another phone call about an hour later at 7 p.m., and the is the last known communication anyone has had with the pilot."
The Park Service is conducting the search along with the Alaska Air National Guard, the U.S. Army and Alaska State Troopers.
Monday's temporary flight restrictions include the following areas:
North to Mount Hunter East to the Big Y of the Tokositna Glacier South to Avalanche Spire West to the center of the Kahiltna Glacier Surface to 18,000'
Search organizers say the plane had likely been on its way back to the airport when the crash took place. Because of the altitude, any rescue will have to come by air.
“It's a very tricky terrain up there,” Belcher said. “It's basically a sheer vertical cliff: lots of ice, lots of snow, lots of rock."
Each de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, like the one that crash, is equipped with survival gear including food, sleeping bags, a pot and a stove. But, what the pilot and his four passengers really need right now is, better weather.
"Unfortunately it's zero visibility and very low cloud cover, so, our search crews have been visually unable to locate the crash site,” Belcher said. “We know approximately where it is, but, we just haven't been able to put eyes on it."
Temperatures overnight Sunday near the crash site were expected to range from roughly 20 degrees to freezing, with a nearly 90 percent chance of snow.
The flight was arranged through a Polish tour company, according to Belcher.
K2 Aviation released a statement Monday morning saying they send their thoughts and prayers to the families of their guests and the pilot involved in the incident.
"We will be suspending flightseeing tours until further notice as we give our staff time to grieve this loss," K2 wrote.
Chris Clint, Dave Leval, Zach Rover, Mary Simton, Liz Raines and Jason Sear contributed to this report.
Four family members died when a twin-engine civilian propeller plane crashed Thursday morning on Eglin Air Force Base property, two miles short of the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport runway to which it had apparently diverted.
Limited information was available Thursday on the people who were killed in the crash. Authorities identified the pilot as Henry Nowakowski; his wife, Patsy; his sister, Carolyn, and Tom Saine. The four victims reportedly have connections to Ohio, but no detailed information on their residences or their ages was immediately available Thursday from local authorities.
Other family members were awaiting the arrival of the four people aboard the airplane at Destin Executive Airport, and the next of kin were notified there of the deaths in the crash, according to call records from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
The plane, a Beechcraft B-60 registered to Henry Leasing Company in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, left Ohio’s Toledo Express Airport at 7:46 a.m.. It was scheduled to arrive at Destin Executive Airport at 10:14 a.m., according to the FlightRadar24 aircraft tracking website.
It was initially thought the pilot was the only person aboard. But witnesses at Toledo Express Airport told authorities they had seen four people, including the pilot, boarding the plane, according to Eglin spokesman Andy Bourland.
There also were early indications from the crash site that more than one person had been aboard the plane. As emergency personnel arrived and searched the scene, they found two passports, according to the Sheriff’s Office call records. By shortly after 2:30 p.m., call records indicated that there were “possibly 4 souls on board.”
Emergency personnel were working Thursday afternoon at the crash scene to recover the bodies, Bourland said.
FlightRadar24 shows that at some point, the Beechcraft diverted to nearby Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport from its intended landing at Destin Executive Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane crashed during what initially had been its approach to Runway 14 at Destin Executive Airport.
The plane went down under cloudy skies in a heavily wooded area on the Eglin reservation west of General Bond Boulevard. A narrow plume of smoke could be seen rising from the crash site as Air Force and civilian emergency crews scrambled across the area, sometimes in heavy rain, to get to the crash scene.
According to Sheriff’s Office call records, emergency personnel initially responded to an area on Ranger Camp Road off Lewis Turner Boulevard, but subsequently went to an area near the interchange at State Roads 85 and 123 near Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport. A helicopter located the crash site shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to call records.
By 11 a.m., emergency personnel, mostly from Eglin, had set up a staging area on the muddy, rain-soaked ground inside a fenced area near the interchange. According to call records, an Eglin firefighting crew was able to walk to the crash site and arrived shortly before 11:45 a.m. The plane was still burning when the firefighters arrived, according to Eglin spokeswoman Jasmine Porterfield.
By early Thursday afternoon, an investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to the crash site from Dallas, according to NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson. The investigator was expected to be on the scene late Thursday or early Friday morning, Knudson said.
A preliminary NTSB report on the crash, including information on air traffic control communications and other aspects of the ill-fated flight, could be released within the next couple weeks, Knudson said. It could take anywhere from 12 to 24 months for a more detailed report fully explaining the circumstances of the crash to be released, Knudson said.
===================================
Plane Crash Under Investigation at Eglin Air Force Base
By: Brady Calhoun
Updated: Aug 30, 2018 02:48 PM EDT
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. -
Eglin Air Force officials say one person is dead after a plane crash in a heavily wooded area on the base.
A Beachcraft BE 60 was on its way to the Destin Executive Airport from Toledo, Ohio when it crashed this morning.
Eglin officials say they are still investigating the incident and at this time there is only one victim.
This is a developing story and we will have more information as it becomes available.
===============================
Four people killed after civilian plane crashes at Eglin Air Force Base from staff reports
August 30, 2018
(Photo: Nick Tomecek, AP)
Military officials have confirmed four people are dead after a small civilian aircraft crashed Thursday morning in a remote area of the Eglin Air Force Base.
Jasmine Porterfield, spokeswoman for the base, said emergency crews had to enter the densely wooded crash site on foot shortly after the incident was reported at about 10:35 a.m. The crash site was about two miles northwest of the base's main runway.
Porterfield said the aircraft involved in the crash was a Beechcraft B60 that was based in Toledo, Ohio. Flight records show the plane departed from the Toledo Express Airport in Ohio, according to The Associated Press.
Eglin officials confirmed that multiple people died after a plane crashed on the Eglin reservation Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (Photo: Nick Tomecek, AP)
Earlier in the day, authorities reported one fatality based on the flight plan filed in Toledo and physical evidence. An evening update provided by Eglin confirmed there were four fatalities.
Officials did not have information Thursday evening on the identities of those killed.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office notified the next of kin at about 3:15 p.m., and the remains of the four people killed will be turned over to the District One Medical Examiner for Okaloosa County, according to Eglin's evening update.
Eglin officials confirmed that multiple people died after a plane crashed on the Eglin reservation Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018. (Photo: Nick Tomecek, AP)
Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board, said Thursday that investigators were headed to the crash site and should be on scene Friday morning.
Knudson said the aircraft crashed while approaching the Destin Executive Airport.
AP reported the plane is registered to Henry Leasing Company in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.
=======================
DRIP, DRIP, DRIP: SMALL PLANE CRASHES CONTINUE TO SUCK AWAY THE LIFE OF MANY PILOTS AND PASSENGERS Narrative: The
aircraft impacted woodland while on approach to land at Eglin Air Force
Base/Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (KVPS) in Valparaiso/Destin-Fort
Walton Beach, Florida. The airplane sustained substantial damage. All
four occupants, the pilot and three passengers, died in the crash.
UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 40,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.
Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.
Approximately 40,000 people are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of dead.
However, the number of injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
It is worse than a war zone out there. So, please be safe and be on the lookout for weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.
Eight people dead, dozens injured on I-40 in New Mexico after a blowout tire caused a semi ruck driver, Elisara Taito, to swerve across I-40 and hit a Greyhound bus head on. The tractor-trailer belonged to Jag Transportation Inc. based out of Fresno California
The front of the Greyhound bus was severely damaged during the crash. NTSB is launching a go-team to investigate today's crash involving a
Greyhound bus and a truck-tractor semitrailer on Interstate 40 in
Gonzales, New Mexico.
New Mexico go-team includes specialists in human performance, motor
carrier operations, vehicle factors, highway factors and survival
factors. ==============================
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) --
The
death toll has climbed to eight after a Greyhound bus and
tractor-trailer collided in a devastating crash in New Mexico, hospital
officials told ABC News Friday.
The tractor-trailer belonged to Jag Transportation Inc. based out of Fresno California state police told KOAT in Albuquerque. On
Friday afternoon, two of the passengers on the bus filed a lawsuit
against Jag Transportation and driver Elisara Taito alleging negligence
lead to the deadly accident.
On Thursday, the tractor-trailer
veered into oncoming traffic when one of its tires blew, hitting the bus
head-on, according to New Mexico State Police.
Forty-nine passengers were on board the bus and most were taken to local hospitals with injuries.
One person died after arriving at a hospital, bringing the death toll to eight.
Officials have not released the identities of any victims.
Two six-page lawsuits are both alleging negligence against Jag Transportation and its driver.
The company is based in Fowler.
Several attempts tonight to reach out to them but the texts, emails, and calls have not been returned.
The
overhead video shows the devastating images of Thursday afternoon's
Greyhound bus crash in New Mexico that killed at least eight people and
injured more than a dozen others.
Friday we have learned that
tire failure involved a semi-truck belonging to this Fowler trucking
company named Jag transportation.
We went to the company's
seemingly abandoned building with boarded windows and a sign suggesting
it is looking for new drivers, but no one was there to answer our
questions.
A nearby business owner telling us the owner recently purchased the property but has not moved in.
"I got out of my truck grabbed and started helping people," said witness Christoper Jones.
Meantime,
an eyewitness who was there when the big rig sheered the Greyhound,
describes what the California truck driver told him.
"Talking to
the driver of the truck trailer I guess his front semi left tire popped
on him so it took him through the median to oncoming traffic right into
the Greyhound bus."
Family members of the truck driver have identified him to Action News as 35-year-old Elisara Taito.
They say Taito is a man who works hard to provide for his family.
They
also told us Taito and his brother are both truck drivers for the
company - a company they say told them not to talk to the media.
Likely
because Friday the two passengers filed separate lawsuits against Taito
and Jag Transportation -- claiming negligence in the deadly accident.
===========================
(CNN)
At least seven people were killed in northwestern New Mexico when a tractor-trailer crashed head-on with a nearly packed Greyhound bus, officials said. "We do expect that number to rise," New Mexico State Police spokesman Officer Ray Wilson said on Thursday. Dozens of passengers were seen trying to climb out of the windows of the bus while some bystanders walked among piles of debris carrying ladders. Most of the 49 people on the bus, including adults and children, were taken to area hospitals with different degrees of injuries. The driver of the truck sustained injuries that were not life-threatening, the state police said. Wilson had initially said six people suffered minor injuries. As of Thursday night, seven deaths had been confirmed. In a statement, the New Mexico State police said their identities would not be released until their next of kin were notified. The horrific scene began around 12:30 p.m. when a semi truck was traveling eastbound along Interstate 40 in McKinley County and it blew a tire. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which crossed the median and struck the westbound bus, Wilson told reporters.
Bus crash near Thoreau Aerial footage by CNN affiliate KRQE showed the bus damaged on the front edge, but upright, in the grass median. Nearby was an overturned vehicle and the truck trailer on its side, with what appeared to be produce boxes spilled on the median. One witness, Chris Jones, was driving along the highway when he came upon the crash site. He quickly jumped out of his car to help the injured when he didn't see any ambulances around. "Just trying to help them, comfort them, calm them down, get them taken care of until EMS got there," Jones told CNN affiliate KCAL. Jones, who has medical training as Navy veteran and volunteer firefighters, said he first tried to get an idea of who was hurt.
Another witness, Marc Gonzales, said the scene was a "complete catastrophe," with skid marks on the side of the road. Passengers tried to climb out the bus windows and bystanders grabbed ladders from their vehicles to try to rescue them, he said.
"It's by far one of the worst accidents I've encountered. ... It was horrible," Gonzales told KRQE.
"You could tell that people were distressed, screams were coming from the bus," he said. Twenty patients were initially taken to the Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup, acting chief medical officer Dr. Kevin Gaines told reporters. Some families were among the patients, as well as four children, he said.
Ten patients were being treated for injuries ranging from broken bones to bruises, he said. One was in critical condition and two were in serious condition, Gaines said.
Six patients were released and four others were transferred to other medical facilities in New Mexico and in neighboring Arizona, Gaines said.
The Los Angeles Greyhound bus had originally departed from St. Louis and had just made a stop in Albuquerque prior to the crash, the company said.
"Our first priority is taking care of our passengers and their families as this incident has deeply impacted all involved," the company said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone as we continue to give our support to all affected.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending 10 investigators to the site. This is not the first deadly crash involving a passenger bus in the state in recent months. In July, the driver of a passenger bus tried to avoid a crash along I-25 near Bernalillo, but lost control and rolled crossing the highway. The it bus was then plowed by a semi truck traveling in the opposite direction. Three people were killed in that crash, CNN affiliate KRQE reported.
==================================
7 killed in bus crash involving semi on I-40 near Thoreau
By: KRQE Media
Allison Martinez
August 30, 2018
GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) -
A deadly Greyhound bus crash shut down I-40 Thursday, leaving families wondering what happened to their loved ones.
Police say it was a blowout tire that caused a truck driver to swerve across I-40 and hit a Greyhound bus head on.
Just after 10 p.m., State Police confirmed seven people are dead. Dozens of people were injured, while the truck driver is expected to recover.
The crash happened around 12:30 Thursday afternoon between Grants and Gallup, near Thoreau.
I-40 was shut down for nearly eight hours and it just now reopened, although westbound traffic is still limited to one lane.
"It was horrible there was people trying to climb out of the windows of the bus... bystanders trying to help people getting ladders out of their truck to get to windows of Greyhound bus to assist," witness Marc Gonzales said. "When we went by the overturned semi, everything in the trailer was out on the road. It was a disaster...you could tell people were in distress, screams were coming from bus."
The witness says people were screaming as rescuers tried to get them out.
They say they saw bystanders shading children with blankets after they were finally rescued.
Only six of the 48 on board were not transported to a hospital.
The Greyhound bus was headed from St. Louis to Los Angeles. It was running a couple of hours late Thursday morning when it left Albuquerque at 10:30 a.m.
The accident threw debris all over the road, causing I-40 westbound to completely shut down for hours.
McKinley County Emergency Management has established the following number for family members of passengers looking for information on their relatives: 505-722-2002
This is not the first deadly bus vs semi crash in New Mexico. In July, the driver of a passenger bus tried to avoid a crash along I-25 near Bernalillo, but lost control and rolled. It then was plowed by a semi. Three passengers were killed in that crash.
“By far one of the worse accidents I’ve encountered. There was people trying to climb out of the windows of the bus. “ —witness #breakingnews State police say multiple people have died in a bus crash in I-40 near Thoreau. @KRQEAllison@MarissaKRQE will have the latest on @krqepic.twitter.com/SrDCaNzDCe— Jessica Garate (@krqegarate) August 30, 2018
Officers have confirmed multiple casualties in this crash. Officers and EMS are still working this scene actively. More information will be released when available.— NMSP (@NMStatePolice) August 30, 2018
McKinley County Emergency Management has established the following number for family members of passengers looking for information on their relatives: 505-722-2002— NMSP (@NMStatePolice) August 30, 2018
#TrafficAlert McKinley County: I-40 westbound is closed at mile marker 50 near Thoreau due to a crash involving a passenger bus. Traffic is being diverted onto the frontage road in Thoreau. Expect delays. More info will follow when available.— NMSP (@NMStatePolice) August 30, 2018
UNITED
STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE
WORLD: AT LEAST 40,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in
road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person
dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher
death rate.
Some states, such as Texas
and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic
safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates
of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the
national death rate.
Approximately 40,000 people
are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people
used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of
dead.
However, the number of
injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it
correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the
population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
It is worse than a war zone
out there. So, please be safe and be on the lookout for weaving-through-the-traffic
drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition
drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers,
drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers,
talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers,
tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers,
putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.
