MEC&F Expert Engineers : 09/15/18

Saturday, September 15, 2018

A construction worker, Kadri Elmaze, 68, died in Tampa, Florida on Saturday after being crushed under a road roller that had toppled from a dirt embankment at the Selmon West Extension construction site near Gandy Boulevard













Tampa construction worker killed when machine topples over on him
The accident happened where the Selmon West Extension is being built.

Author: Tim Chong

Updated: 7:59 PM EDT September 15, 2018

A heavy equipment operator was killed Saturday when his machine overturned, Tampa police said.

The accident happened about 11:26 a.m. at the Selmon West Extension construction site near Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway.

Kadri Elmaze, 68, of Land O' Lakes was driving a "roller" machine on a dirt embankment when the machine fell over, trapping him underneath. Other workers used a cable and an excavator to pull the machine off him, but he was declared dead 20 minutes after the accident.

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A Land O’Lakes man died Saturday in Tampa at the site of the Selmon Extension project after the "roller" machine he was operating toppled on a dirt embankment and trapped him underneath.

Kadri Elmazi, 68, was rescued by fellow workers who used a cable and excavator to lift the machine off of him. Elmazi was declared dead about 20 minutes after the accident happened near Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway, police said.

The accident, which occurred just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, is under investigation. Police said "all evidence indicates that it was a tragic industrial accident."

The Selmon Extension is a project of the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority to create an elevated road that will connect the Selmon Expressway to the Gandy Bridge.

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Construction worker dies after being trapped under road roller

By: WFLA Staff

September 15, 2018

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -

A construction worker died in Tampa on Saturday after being trapped under a road roller that had toppled, officials said.

The incident occurred near Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway at about 11:30 a.m.

Tampa police spokesman Stephen Hegarty said Kadri Elmazi was operating a road roller on a dirt embankment when the machine became unsteady and fell on top of him.


Hegarty said other construction workers used a cable and an excavator to lift the roller off the 68-year-old, but he died 20 minutes after the accident.

Investigators do not suspect foul play was involved. "At this time all evidence indicates that it was a tragic industrial accident," Hegarty said.

Further information was not immediately available.

A city worker in Hooper, Utah has died after he fell headfirst into a pipe in the city's sewer system and drowned.








September 15, 2018, by Taylor Hartman,


HOOPER, Utah —

A Hooper City employee was killed Saturday after drowning in a sewage pipe that was being worked on.

According to a press release made by Sgt. Cortney Ryan with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, at around 3:43 p.m., sheriff’s officials and medical personnel were dispatched to the report of a drowning in Hooper City.

A Hooper City employee was working on part of the sewer system, when he fell head-first into a pipe, Ryan said.

A fellow employee was unable to remove the man from the pipe, and called 911 for assistance.

“Upon arrival at the scene the employee was found to be deceased,” Ryan said. “The situation is still under investigation and the name of the employee is not being released at this time, pending notification of family.”

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Utah Worker Dies After Falling Headfirst in Sewer Pipe

September 15, 2018


HOOPER, Utah (AP) — A northern Utah city worker has died after he fell headfirst into a pipe in the city's sewer system and drowned.

The Weber County Sheriff's Office said Saturday that the worker with the city of Hooper was stuck after he fell in the pipe. A co-worker who was nearby was unable to remove him and called 911.

The sheriff's office and other first-responders found when they arrived that the man had died.

The man's name was not released.

Woodlake Police officer Oscar Robles, 26, has been arrested for sexually assaulting women in California while on duty



Friday, September 14, 2018
WOODLAKE, Calif. (KFSN) -- 



Earlier this week, deputies patrolling in the Visalia area checked on a man and woman walking and asked them if they were ok.

While talking with them, the woman said she wanted to file a complaint against a Woodlake Police Officer.

She said the officer sexually assaulted her.

The sheriff's office started an investigation, and soon, investigators met another woman who said she too had been assaulted by the same officer.

The women, according to Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, did not know each other.

The assaults happened in the Woodlake area, and in both cases, the officer was on duty.

"They described the officer, they identified him by name and other categories that will be submitted to the district attorney, very similar set of circumstances," said Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux.

His name is Oscar Robles, 26. He started with Woodlake Police in May of 2014.

March 2016 Sun Gazette newspaper article mentions Robles receiving an award from a local Knights of Columbus chapter.

Woodlake Police Chief Mike Marquez then said Robles quote "works with the highest level of honesty and dignity and treats all people with respect."

But during Friday's announcement, law enforcement officials emphasized they were all shocked.

And they believe there are more victims out there.

"We're here for those victims, and we would encourage and the purpose of this particular press conference is that we would encourage any potential additional victims of this suspect that we have arrested to please come and tell your story. We're here for you, we will protect you, and we will not stand for this type of activity within the law enforcement field."



"We want the victims to come forward. We want people to come forward and feel that there is trust in the law enforcement community, that you can report a crime if you need to," said Woodlake Police Chief.

For his protection, Robles is being held at the Kings County Jail.

The Tulare County District Attorney's Office says they have not filed charges against him yet, but say they are reviewing reports and will have more information next week.

Matthew Burchett, a 42-year-old battalion chief from Utah battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a Boeing 747 mistakenly flying only 100 feet above the trees











Firefighter's death in Mendocino Complex Fire caused by retardant drop from 747, report says


A firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a Boeing 747 mistakenly flying only 100 feet above the trees, according to an official report.


Friday, September 14, 2018


MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. -- 


A firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a Boeing 747 mistakenly flying only 100 feet (30 meters) above the treetops, according to an official report Friday.

The pilot and a supervisor flying ahead in a small guide plane led the giant modified jetliner nearly into the trees on Aug. 13 because the pilots failed to recognize that there was a hill in the flight path, according to the Green Sheet report by the state's firefighting agency.

Because of the near ground-level release, the retardant struck with such force it uprooted an 87-foot (27-meter) tree that fell on Matthew Burchett, a 42-year-old battalion chief from Utah helping with the Mendocino Complex Fire north of San Francisco.

Another large tree was snapped by the force of nearly 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of liquid and three firefighters were injured, one seriously.

The guide pilot "made a 'show me' run" for the 747 pilot over the intended path for the retardant drop, and marked the path for the jet with a smoke trail, according to the report.

"Obscured by heavy vegetation and unknown to the (747) pilot, a rise in elevation occurred along the flight path." The ground sloped up about 170 feet (50 meters) so quickly that the 747 cleared the hilltop in just two seconds, according to the report.

The guide planes have two people aboard, a pilot and an "air tactical supervisor." California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Mike Mohler could not immediately say if either would face investigation or discipline for not identifying the hill.

The retardant drops were intended to help secure a fire break cut through the trees by a bulldozer to stop advancing flames. Burchett and the other three firefighters were working on the hill next to the firebreak when the drop was announced over a radio and firefighters were told to "Clear the area out."

The four did not respond to the warning, though the report says that "when personnel are working under a tree canopy, supervisors must ensure the drop path is cleared."

It is not uncommon to have firefighters under retardant drops, Mohler said, though he could not say if the four firefighters knew they were in the flight path or why they didn't acknowledge or act on the radioed warning.

"We have ground troops under aircraft, it's not unusual at all. It's part of what we teach," he said.

A firefighter who can't move out of the way is trained to lie spread-eagled, face down, toward the oncoming aircraft, one hand holding the top of the helmet as it takes the brunt of the impact from the falling slurry and air turbulence that can threaten to lift a firefighter off the ground.

Burchett, a suburban Salt Lake City firefighter, was crushed by the uprooted tree, while the others were struck by falling tree debris. Two had deep muscle contusions and ligament damage. One also suffered broken ribs, while the fourth firefighter had scratches and abrasions.

The report warns that some firefighters have used their cellphones to record retardant drops, which can be distracting and harm their ability to recognize the danger and take evasive action. But it does not say if any of the four injured firefighters was taking video at the time.

At least 11 dead as drenching rains of anywhere from 1 to 3 feet as Florence crawls westward across North and South Carolina could trigger epic and life-threatening flooding well inland over the next few days.














RALEIGH, N.C. (WPVI) -- 


The death toll attributed to Florence stands at 11, including 10 in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. Authorities say some other fatalities were unrelated.

  • A husband and wife died in a Fayetteville, North Carolina house fire on Friday, the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says.
  • A mother and her 8-month-old child were killed when a massive tree crushed their brick house Friday, according to a tweet from Wilmington, North Carolina police.
  • An 81-year-old man died while trying to evacuate Wayne County, North Carolina, on Friday, the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says.
  • A 78-year-old man was electrocuted in the rain while trying to connect extension cords for a generator, Lenoir County, North Carolina spokesman Bryan Hanks says.
  • A 77-year old man died after he went outside to check on his hunting dogs and was blown down, Hanks says..
  • Three people died in Duplin County, North Carolina because of "flash flooding and swift water on roadways," the Duplin County Sheriff's Office said on its Facebook page.
  • A 61-year-old woman was killed late Friday when the vehicle she was driving struck a tree near the town of Union, South Carolina, Capt. Kelley Hughes of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said.

Authorities say the storm did not cause some other deaths that occurred during Florence in North Carolina: a woman who died of undetermined causes in a shelter, a woman who suffered a heart attack at home during the storm, and a couple whose apparent murder-suicide was investigated during hurricane conditions in Otway.

The National Hurricane Center downgraded Florence to a tropical storm late Friday afternoon as winds fell to 70 mph.



Forecasters warned that drenching rains of anywhere from 1 to 3 feet as the storm crawls westward across North and South Carolina could trigger epic flooding well inland over the next few days.

As 400-mile-wide Florence pounded away at the coast with torrential downpours and surging seas, rescue crews used boats to reach scores of people besieged by rising waters along a river. More than 60 others had to be rescued as a cinderblock motel collapsed.


Florence flattened trees, crumbled roads and knocked out power to more than 700,000 homes and businesses, and the assault wasn't anywhere near an end.

"It's an uninvited brute who doesn't want to leave," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

The hurricane was "wreaking havoc" and could wipe out entire communities as it makes its "violent grind across our state for days," the governor said. He said parts of North Carolina had seen storm surges - the bulge of seawater pushed ashore by the hurricane - as high as 10 feet.

A mother and baby were killed when a tree fell on a house, according to a tweet from Wilmington police. The deaths also included that of a person killed while plugging in a generator, the governor's office said.


Shaken after seeing waves crashing in the Neuse River just outside his house in the town of New Bern, hurricane veteran Tom Ballance wished he had evacuated.

"I feel like the dumbest human being who ever walked the face of the earth," said Ballance, owner of a seafood restaurant that was flooded.

By early afternoon, Florence's winds had weakened to 75 mph, just barely a hurricane and well below the storm's terrifying Category 4 peak of 140 mph earlier in the week. But the hurricane had slowed to a crawl, drenching coastal communities for hours on end.

The town of Oriental, North Carolina, had gotten more than 18 inches of rain just a few hours into the deluge, while Surf City had 14 inches and it was still coming down.

The river has risen dramatically due to Florence, causing it to reach homes.

Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 7:15 a.m. at Wrightsville Beach, a few miles east of Wilmington and not far from the South Carolina line, coming ashore along a mostly boarded-up, emptied-out stretch of coastline. It started pushing its way westward across South Carolina later in the day, in a watery siege that could go on all weekend.

For people living inland in the Carolinas, the moment of maximum peril from flash flooding could arrive days later, because it takes time for rainwater to drain into rivers and for those streams to crest.

Preparing for the worst, about 9,700 National Guard troops and civilians were deployed with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats that could be used to pluck people from the floodwaters.

Authorities warned, too, of the threat of mudslides and the risk of an environmental disaster from floodwaters washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms.


Florence was seen as a major test for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which was heavily criticized as slow and unprepared last year for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, where the storm was blamed for nearly 3,000 deaths in the desperate aftermath.

As Florence raged, a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico brought heavy rain to already saturated areas along the Texas coast, resulting in street flooding and prompting some schools to cancel or cut short classes.

The National Hurricane Center said Florence will eventually make a right hook to the northeast over the southern Appalachians, moving into the mid-Atlantic states and New England as a tropical depression by the middle of next week.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com said Florence could dump a staggering 18 trillion gallons of rain over a week on North Carolina, South Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. That's enough to fill the Chesapeake Bay or cover the entire state of Texas with nearly 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water, he calculated.

North Carolina alone is forecast to get 9.6 trillion gallons, enough to cover the Tar Heel state to a depth of about 10 inches (25 centimeters).

On Friday, coastal streets in the Carolinas flowed with frothy ocean water, and pieces of torn-apart buildings flew through the air. The few cars out on a main street in Wilmington had to swerve to avoid fallen trees, metal debris and power lines. Traffic lights out of order because of power failures swayed in the gusty wind. Roof shingles were peeled off a hotel.

The Wilmington airport had a wind gust clocked at 105 mph (169 kph), the highest since Hurricane Helene in 1958.









Firefighters in Wilmington kneel in prayer while working to rescue a family after a tree fell on their home. They had just learned that the mother and baby had died.

In Jacksonville, North Carolina, next to Camp Lejeune, firefighters and police fought wind and rain as they went door-to-door to pull people out of the Triangle Motor Inn after the structure began to crumble and the roof started to collapse.

In New Bern, population 29,000, flooding on the Neuse River trapped people, and Mayor Dana Outlaw told The Charlotte Observer that about 200 had been rescued by 5 a.m. Residents reached out for help through the night by phone and social media.

"WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU," the city of New Bern tweeted around 2 a.m. "You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU."

Sheets of rain splattered against windows of a hotel before daybreak in Wilmington, where Sandie Orsa of Wilmington sat in a lobby lit by emergency lights after the electricity went out.

"Very eerie, the wind howling, the rain blowing sideways, debris flying," said Orsa, who lives nearby and feared splintering trees would pummel her house.

More than 12,000 people were in shelters in North Carolina and 400 in Virginia, where the forecast was less dire. Officials said some 1.7 million people in the Carolinas and Virginia were warned to evacuate, but it was unclear how many did.

Airlines canceled more than 2,100 flights through Sunday.

As the Carolinas continue to experience with heavy rains, high winds and flash floods from Tropical Storm Florence, FEMA urges residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia to stay in place, keep out of the water, let first responders do their job and keep phone lines open, send text messages to check in with friends and loved ones.

The top three behaviors that caused 16 fatal crashes in Idaho are: Distracted drivers. Angry drivers. Impaired drivers.







TWIN FALLS, IDAHO — 


Distracted drivers. Angry drivers. Impaired drivers.

These are the top three behaviors that cause fatal crashes in Idaho during the “100 Deadliest Days” — the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day when more traffic deaths happen than any other time of year.

Statewide, Idaho had an estimated 102 fatal crashes during that time frame — 15 of those were in in south-central Idaho, resulting in 16 deaths and 15 injuries, according to preliminary numbers.

Many of the victims’ families are still waiting for closure as agencies hold off on pressing charges until toxicology reports come back for some of the drivers involved. Most charges won’t be filed until prosecutors have all the information, said Lt. Robert Rausch, patrol commander for Idaho State Police District 4.

Such is the case with the first of the region’s fatal crashes, which took place June 3 on Interstate 84. ISP’s report said a wrong-way driver caused the deaths of two people, while three others were injured, and it appears that alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Police are fielding lots of calls from the public about the crash, but don’t yet have all the answers.

“We do not still have all of the information back to make an appropriate charge,” Rausch said.

In a typical year, impaired driving is a factor in about 40 percent of fatal crashes throughout the state. This year, it’s been a factor in about a quarter of fatal crashes.
A 20-mile-long construction zone on I-84 was the scene of 32 of the 144 crashes ISP responded to in May, June and July. But only one of these construction-zone crashes was fatal.

“The most important thing for people to remember when they’re going through a construction zone is that traffic patterns change,” said Jessica Williams, spokeswoman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Drivers should give themselves plenty of reaction time, she said. Rausch said this year there were a lot of sudden stops, merges or slowing down that resulted in rear-end collisions.

“The first driver would be kind of caught by surprise, and the other drivers would be caught by surprise,” he said.

The speed limit was initially 70 mph throughout the construction zone. It’s generally recommended to slow traffic no more than 10 mph, Rausch said, but this zone was an exception due to crashes. So in July, ITD lowered the speed limit to 65 mph — or less, in some areas.

The length of the work area was not unheard of, but it was also something that frustrated a lot of people, he said. This can lead to aggressive behaviors such as speeding, tailgating or sudden merges.

ITD took all the right steps to get speeds down and finish portions of the construction faster, he said.

Local law enforcement agencies have released the preliminary collision reports for most of the crashes that happened in ISP District 4. These reports are subject to change as police get more information. In cases where charges are pending, Rausch says it’s not uncommon to wait a year before charges are filed.

1. June 3 — Interstate 84 near Jerome

It was shortly after 7 p.m. on a Sunday when Brian Trappen, 36, of Twin Falls drove his Ford F-250 pickup the wrong way on I-84 east of Jerome.

Trappen was driving east in the westbound lanes when a Dodge Caravan driven by a teenager swerved to avoid the truck. The Dodge rolled into the median and landed in the eastbound lanes, setting off a chain reaction, according to the Idaho State Police crash report.

The six-vehicle crash resulted in the deaths of the teenage driver and his mother, Maricruz Lenhart, 51, of Middleton. Injured were Trappen; Sharon Taki-Bishop, 61, of New Castle, Wash.; and Francisco Delatorre, 48, of Middleton.

According to the report, Trappen had a blood alcohol content of .073. Charges are pending.

2. June 9 — 300 North near Acequia

Dionicio Verdugo Ibarra, whose age and address are unknown, was driving east on a Saturday evening on 300 North in Minidoka County. Near 500 East, his GMC Sierra ran off the right side of the road. The driver pulled the vehicle back, running it off the left side of the road, then lost control. The GMC Sierra rolled and the driver was thrown from the vehicle onto the road.

According to the crash report taken by Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office, drugs and alcohol were involved but blood test results were not known.

3. June 18 — 1010 South 1700 East in Jerome County

This fatal crash occurred south of I-84 on a Monday morning. Tony Dryden, 57, of Rupert was driving west on 1010 South in a Chevrolet Malibu. According to the ISP crash report, Dryden didn’t stop for a semi that was waiting to turn left into a gravel lot, east of Eden Road. The vehicle rear-ended one of the semi’s trailers.

Dryden, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene.

4. June 23 — Idaho 24 east of Shoshone

Frankie Bennett Jr., 56, of Burley was driving his black Kawasaki motorcycle on a Saturday night on Idaho 24 east of Shoshone. While coming around a curve, Bennett drove onto the shoulder and lost control of the motorcycle. When the bike toppled, he was thrown from the seat and hit a street sign.

Bennett died of his injuries at the scene. His blood alcohol content tested at .171, according to ISP’s collision report.

5. July 3 — Interstate 84 construction zone

Westbound lanes were being diverted into an eastbound lane on I-84 that Tuesday morning due to construction. A westbound semi hauling potatoes suddenly swerved into oncoming traffic. David John Wetmore, 57, of Irrigon, Ore., was driving the semi, which struck another semi driven by Corey McCaslin, 39, of Port Washington, Ohio.

Both trailers caught fire after the head-on crash, and McCaslin died at the scene. Wetmore was injured. The ISP trooper’s crash reported said alcohol and drugs were involved, but test results are unknown. Charges are pending.

6. July 3 — 3300 East, east of Twin Falls

Larae W. Crane, 85, of Burley was driving a Ford Focus south on 3300 East, about 2 miles east of Twin Falls, when she didn’t stop for a stop sign. Two other vehicles were involved in the resulting crash, investigated by the Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office.

An ambulance took Crane and a passenger in her vehicle, Danford L. Crane, 88, of Burley, to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical Center with injuries. Larae Crane later died at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.

Rick T. Heath, 52, of Kimberly, was in a Honda Accord headed west on 4000 North. He was also taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Hospital. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.

7. July 4 — Interstate 84 near Burley

It was early morning on the Fourth of July when Laura L. Smith, 53, of Kempner, Texas, was driving east in a Dodge pickup pulling a Cadillac Seville on a U-Haul trailer. She drove off the right shoulder. When the vehicle came back onto the roadway, she lost control, driving through the median and colliding with a westbound FedEx tractor-trailer.
Richard D. Johnson, 81, of Deer Park, Wash., was a passenger in Smith’s front seat and was flown to Portneuf Medical Center, where he later died. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Also injured were Smith and another passenger, 59-year-old Robert P. Smith of Kempner. A Jeep Liberty was struck by the Cadillac when it fell off the trailer, and driver Cody Cartisser, 18, of Jerome was also injured.

According to the crash report, charges are pending for Laura Smith.

8. July 14 — Second Avenue East and Ketchum Street East in Twin Falls

Karen D. Guymon, 46, of Twin Falls was driving late on the evening of July 14. She was westbound on Second Avenue East when she didn’t see two pedestrians in the roadway.
Aikoma Nensy, 38, of Twin Falls was sitting in the middle of the far right lane on Second Avenue East. JonJon Anakeneto, 38, of Twin Falls was standing beside her. Both were struck by Guymon’s vehicle.

Nensy died at the scene. According to the report, she had drugs and alcohol in her system. Anakeneto had alcohol in his system and was taken to the hospital with injuries. Guymon did not have drugs or alcohol in her system and was not cited.

9. July 15 — 3325 North 2300 East

David J. Cowger, 64, of Filer crashed his ATV and was found in the middle of the road with significant skull fractures. The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office believed he struck an antelope and later died from the resulting injuries from the rollover.

10. July 27 — Interstate 84 at milepost 217

Troy L. Degraff, 42, of Folsom, Calif., was eastbound on I-84 that Friday evening when he rear-ended a Jeep that was stopped due to congestion. That vehicle was pushed into a semi, and both overturned onto the roadway. The Jeep in the middle caught fire, and its driver, Woody D. Clifford, 54, of Idaho Falls, died at the scene.

Degraff was also injured and taken to Cassia Regional Medical Center in Burley. The initial crash report filed by ISP says he was distracted but was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He was not cited.

11. Aug. 1 — U.S. 93 north of Jackpot

William E. Selelyo, 72, of Twin Falls was northbound that Wednesday afternoon on U.S. 93, north of Jackpot, Nev. His car crossed into the southbound lanes and struck a tractor-trailer head-on. Selelyo died at the scene. According to the report by ISP, it’s unknown whether drugs or alcohol were involved.

The driver of the semitrailer, Michael E. Wilkens, 54, of Bismarck, N.D., was taken by ambulance to St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical Center.

12. Aug. 17 — East 200 North and U.S. 93

Debbie Turrentine, 52, of Jerome was eastbound on East 200 North on a Friday afternoon when she failed to yield at a stop sign. As her Dodge Caliber crossed U.S. 93, it was struck by a GMC Acadia driven by Cristina Villa-Guzman, 25, of Shoshone.

Turrentine died at the scene. Villa-Guzman was not wearing a seat belt and was flown to Portneuf Medical Center with injuries.

13. Aug. 19 — 900 South, east of Hazelton

On a Sunday evening, Vincent D. Gauthier, 43, of Twin Falls was driving his motorcycle on 900 South, east of Hazelton. He went off the roadway on a curve and was flung from the motorcycle into a lateral ditch. Gauthier was taken to the Twin Falls hospital, then flown to St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, where he died from his injuries. Drugs and alcohol were not involved, according to the crash report from ISP.

14. Aug. 20 — Idaho 75 south of Timmerman Rest Area

The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office would not release the collision report but issued a statement shortly after the crash. According to the statement, Kaitlyn Graefe, 20, of Shoshone was driving south near the Timmerman Rest Area when her car crossed the centerline and hit another car head-on.

Georgina Ubence, 37, of Bellevue was in the other vehicle and died from injuries at the scene. Javier Ubence, 45, also of Bellevue, was taken to St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center.

Graefe was flown to Portneuf Medical Center. The crash is still being investigated.

15. Sept. 2 — Second Avenue South and Blue Lakes Boulevard

ISP did not have a crash report available but issued a press release after the incident. Brandon Worring, 26, of Twin Falls was driving a Subaru Impreza on a Sunday afternoon before Labor Day. He ran a red light at the intersection of Second Avenue South and Blue Lakes Boulevard, striking a pickup driven by Ricky Muse, 44, of Twin Falls.

Worring lost control of the Subaru and went into a spin, hitting the Shake Out restaurant on Kimberly Road. In a police report, witnesses said Worring was speeding. He died from his injuries.