The driver of a pickup truck completely burned to death after crashing into a construction grader causing the vehicle to catch fire in Ottawa County, Michigan

Driver dies in fiery crash with construction equipment
September 22, 2018

by FOX 17 News



GEORGETOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — 

The driver of a pickup truck is dead after crashing into a large piece of construction equipment causing the vehicle to catch fire.

The incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. Friday night on Cottonwood Dr. near Allen Springs Ln.

The area is currently closed to traffic due to construction.

Ottawa County deputies tell us there were no witnesses to what happened at the crash, but people who live nearby noticed the truck on fire.

The driver’s body was burned beyond recognition and investigators were not able to immediately determine if the driver was a man or a woman.

They also say the truck involved did not have a license plate.

The crash remains under investigation. 

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

GEORGETOWN TWP., Michigan — 

The driver of a pickup truck was killed after crashing into a large piece of construction equipment causing the vehicle to catch fire late Friday night.

The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 11:30 p.m. Sept. 21 to a vehicle fire. The driver, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of family, was driving on Cottonwood Drive near Allen Springs Lane, which is closed to traffic due to construction. The vehicle then struck a large grater and caught fire.



Ottawa County sheriff’s officials say they found no witnesses to the crash, according to WOOD TV-8.

The victim’s body was burned to the extent that investigators weren’t able to immediately ascertain whether the victim was a male or female.

The truck involved did not have a license plate so police were struggling to determine who was involved as of 1 a.m. Saturday.

The pickup truck had extensive damage to its front end from an apparent high speed collision on a part of the road where the pavement had been torn up leaving an uneven dirt surface.

The crash remains under investigation.

Natural gas pipeline pressure was 12 times normal level before the massive and deadly Massachusetts natural gas explosions

(Photo: WCVB via AP)


Senators: Natural gas pressure was 12 times normal level before Massachusetts explosions
Gregory Korte, USA TODAY Published 1:30 p.m. ET Sept. 18, 2018 | Updated 3:46 p.m. ET Sept. 19, 2018


As investigators worked to pinpoint the cause of a series of dramatic natural gas explosions in three towns north of Boston, Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker toured the neighborhood where an 18-year-old was killed by a falling chimney. (Sept. 14) AP


The pressure in the natural gas pipelines under three Massachusetts communities spiked to 12 times their normal level last week, just before the explosions and fires that destroyed dozens of homes and killed an 18-year-old man, according to Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.

The Massachusetts Democrats were briefed on the explosions in and around Lawrence by the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating.

Markey and Warren are demanding answers from Columbia Gas and its parent company about the utility's response to the pressure readings.

The NTSB says a Columbia Gas control room in Columbus, Ohio, registered pressures of 6 pounds per square inch last Thursday in pipelines that are intended to carry just 0.5 PSI, the senators wrote in a letter to Columbia Gas President Stephen Bryant.

But it's unclear what Columbia Gas did with that information. Markey and Warren want to know whether the company reported it to state and local authorities. They also want to know why the utility waited until 9 p.m. – more than four hours after the first blasts – to publicly acknowledge the catastrophe.

The cascading series of fires and explosions in the Northeastern Massachusetts towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover destroyed as many as 80 homes and buildings, injured dozens and killed 18-year-old Leonel Rondon. Rondon was sitting in a car when the chimney of an exploding home fell on its roof.

More than 8,600 gas customers were evacuated from their homes for days while utility crews worked to restore service.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, angered by what he saw as a slow response from Columbia Gas, declared a state of emergency last Friday and put another utility company in charge of the effort.

A spokesman for Columbia Gas parent company NiSource called the explosions "an unprecedented situation."

"We were working as quickly as we could to take care of the customers and stabilize the situation," spokesman Ken Stammen said.


He said the company was cooperating with state and local investigators and was crafting a response to the senators' letter.

"We're as anxious as anybody else to learn what went wrong last Thursday."

The senators are seeking hearings in the Senate Commerce Committee. The NTSB hopes to have a preliminary report on the cause within a few weeks, spokesman Keith Holloway said.

"It is imperative that the people of the commonwealth ... understand what caused this disaster and how you responded to it, in order to ensure that we never again face a similar tragedy," the senators wrote in their letter.

Residents whose homes still have no gas service in the aftermath of natural gas explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover to get hot plates and heaters

In Merrimack Valley Gas Explosion Aftermath, Hot Plates And A Job Fair
September 22, 2018

Quincy Walters

National Guardsmen walk through the streets of Lawrence on Saturday, distributing hot plates to residents who were left without gas. (Quincy Walters)

National guardsmen rolled through the streets of Merrimack Valley towns on Saturday to help distribute hot plates to residents whose homes still have no gas service in the aftermath of natural gas explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover.

One resident who came to get a hot plate, Deb Putnam, says it was getting really hard cooking without her gas stove. “The first night we were home, I was going to put some pasta on and stir-fry zucchini. And I went, ‘uh no! I can’t do that.’ So, I’m looking up, ‘Can I cook pasta in a microwave?’ Supposedly, you can. I didn’t try it. We came up with plan B.”

Putnam says before today, she was getting worried, since the restaurants in the area still aren’t open and there’s no guaranteed date that the area will get gas.

As it begins its restoration effort, Columbia Gas is also looking for temporary workers. The company held a job fair at the Greater Lawrence Technical School in Andover on Saturday to try to recruit.

The utility says that going forward, it will be doing repairs in neighborhoods where the primary language isn’t English.

Gloria Espada came to interview for an interpreter job. She says her adult children don’t have gas. “So what better than to have the opportunity to improve the process?” she says. “The holidays are coming, I was working part-time currently, taking care of my elderly mother. So, it’ll work very well.”

Columbia Gas say they’re looking for bilingual plumbers, electricians, IT workers and customer service representatives.

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



Hotplates for cooking and space heaters for warmth will be distributed to thousands of Massachusetts residents left without natural gas following a series of explosions and fires.

Utility officials, meanwhile, pledged Friday to restore natural gas service by Nov. 19 as they replace 48 miles of natural gas pipeline. The Sept. 13 disaster killed one person, injured some 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says he's activated the National Guard to help distribute hotplates to residents of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover starting Saturday.

Space heaters will be available starting Wednesday, with electricians sent to homes to assure the devices are installed safely.

Baker also announced that retired U.S. Navy Capt. Joe Albanese would serve as chief recovery officer for the restoration project.

Natural gas explosion completely destroys a home in Harper Woods, Michigan, injures 3 people

Car alarms blazed, glass shattered and debris hung from trees after an explosion leveled a home in Harper Woods on Friday, leaving three people injured and rattling homes at least a mile away.

Police said the blast happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. at 20839 Lennon after the two mostly seriously injured victims were about to enter the home — said to be empty for over a year — to do an appraisal for an impending sale.

The blast threw both victims back onto the lawn, leaving the woman, 33, bleeding from a gash on the head and the man, 66, sprawled on the debris from the explosion. Both were in critical condition at St. John Hospital Friday evening.

Late in the day police disclosed that the next-door neighbor to the home, a 36-year-old man, was also injured, left on foot seeking help, and was treated at a hospital for his injuries and released.


Police theorized that the blast was caused by natural gas, but the utility, DTE Energy, said they were investigating but refused to speculate on the cause.

In a dramatic video shot by neighbor Darnell Evans, Evans rushes to the scene moments after the burst. The video shows the woman with her shoes blown off, bricks scattered on the street and the man appeared to be laying on his side with a head injury.

Eliza Hardy, who lives directly across the street, was jolted.

"I felt this shake, saw the house collapsed,” she said. “Two of my windows blew out.”

Hardy said she was concerned for her neighbor's children, who live right next door to the home.

"I am just thankful those kids were at school," she said.

Dozens of homes and businesses experienced the same from the blast: a big boom and broken glass.

Tamila Davis, who also lives four blocks away, said her whole house was shaking. "It sounded like a big old boom and I jumped to my feet," she said.

The explosion could even be heard and felt miles away.

Ellen Creager, a former reporter for the Free Press who lives in Grosse Pointe Woods about a mile from the scene, said in an email, "We felt a huge jolt, heard a huge cracking boom, and our house actually shook at about 10:31 a.m. We thought it was an earthquake or another meteorite hitting Michigan."

"I bet people felt it for a few miles in every direction," she said.

All homes and business within a half mile of the home were evacuated as a precaution, police said, but most were later cleared for occupants to return.

Red Cross was on scene and provided aid to displaced residents.


DTE Energy told the Free Press that the house is in their service area. A utility spokesperson said they didn't yet know what had caused the explosion but that a team had been dispatched.

Later on Twitter, DTE Energy wrote: "Our heartfelt concern goes out to those who were injured today at the Harper Woods home. We are supporting the investigation into the incident and until the investigation is complete we will not speculate on the cause."

The house is listed on Zillow, the popular realty website, as being up for sale for $108,900. The house's Realtor was not immediately available for comment.

Chief of Police Jim Burke said the incident remains under investigation. Police were still at the scene as of 4 p.m. Friday.

Harper Woods is known as quiet, with an older population. Evans said this event is unlikely to fade from residents’ memories.

“I have never been to war,” he said. “But it felt like we were at war.”

Lexi Cook, 21, lives two blocks down the road. She said, "I was at home when it happened and it literally felt like someone was trying to bulldoze my house."

OSHA cited Cedar Fair LP- which operates as Cedar Point- after an employee suffered serious injuries in a fall at the Sandusky amusement park

Sandusky, Ohio

Cedar Point has been cited by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration for failing to protect workers from fall hazards, according to a news release.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Cedar Fair LP- which operates as Cedar Point- after an employee suffered serious injuries in a fall at the Sandusky amusement park.

The company faces proposed penalties of $142,270 for one willful and one serious safety violation, the maximum penalties under the law.

OSHA inspectors determined the injured employee fell through a skylight while working as part of a three-person crew to remove insulating blankets and covers from a roof, the release said.


OSHA also cited the company for failing to train employees to recognize fall hazards.

"Falls like this are preventable if employers provide required fall protection systems when employees work at elevated heights, or near floor and wall openings," said OSHA Toledo Area Office Director Kimberly Nelson.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Health and Safety Review Commission, according to the release. 

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








SANDUSKY, Ohio (WDTN) – 

Cedar Point amusement park was cited for failing to protect its workers after an employee fell through a skylight while working on a roof.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined that the employee was working as part of a three-man crew to remove insulating blankets and covers from a roof when they fell.

OSHA cited the amusement park for failing to protect workers from fall hazards, as well as failing to train employees to recognize fall hazards.

“Falls like this are preventable if employers provide required fall protection systems when employees work at elevated heights, or near floor and wall openings,” says OSHA Toledo Area Office Director Kimberly Nelson.

The employee suffered serious injuries from the fall, and the company now faces $142,270 in penalties for the violations.

Rene Hernandez, 68, and Natalia Landin, 67, were killed and several others were injured in a multi-vehicle crash involving a Tropic Oil company oil tanker truck on the Florida Turnpike in Kendall

 Their backseat passenger Mirta Estupinan, 67, was badly injured

 Their backseat passenger Mirta Estupinan, 67, was badly injured

 Rene Hernandez, 68, and Natalia Landin, 67, was traveling in a Chevy Impala when they were killed near Southwest 88th Street.

 Rene Hernandez, 68, and Natalia Landin, 67, was traveling in a Chevy Impala when they were killed near Southwest 88th Street.

 Rene Hernandez, 68, and Natalia Landin, 67, was traveling in a Chevy Impala when they were killed near Southwest 88th Street.

Kritzia Lopez, 27, was driving a Honda Civic when she failed to negotiate the curve on the northbound entrance ramp. Her car collided with a Tropic Oil Co. truck, which then slammed into the Impala and a Ford van.


Authorities identify victims of fatal crash involving fuel truck
Crash shut down part of Florida's Turnpike for several hours
By Tim Swift - Local10.com Digital Editor 

September 23, 2018


KENDALL, Fla. - 

Authorities have released the names of the victims of a fatal multi-car crash involving a fuel truck along Florida's Turnpike late Friday.

Lt. Alejandro Camacho, a spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, said Rene Hernandez, 68, and Natalia Landin, 67, was traveling in a Chevy Impala when they were killed near Southwest 88th Street. Their backseat passenger Mirta Estupinan, 67, was badly injured, Camacho said.
Camacho said Kritzia Lopez, 27, was driving a Honda Civic when she failed to negotiate the curve on the northbound entrance ramp. Her car collided with a Tropic Oil Co. truck, which then slammed into the Impala and a Ford van.

Lopez was seriously hurt, as were the driver of the van, 32-year-old Roel Castro, and his 41-year-old passenger, Eduardo Castellanos. The driver of the fuel truck, 48-year-old Farian Abraham, and his passenger, 56-year-old Jesus Crespo, were also injured.

Two other people suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

A hazardous materials team was dispatched to the scene to contain the fuel leaking from the truck. The crash shut down a portion of the turnpike in both directions for several hours, causing traffic delays.
===================================


SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - 

At least two people were killed and several others were injured in a multi-vehicle crash involving a Tropic Oil Company oil tanker truck on the Florida Turnpike in Kendall, causing all lanes to shut down.

Rescue crews responded to the scene involving a four-vehicle collision near the Southwest 88th Street exit, around 8:30 p.m., Friday.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, three of the four vehicles involved, including the tractor-trailer, were heading northbound. One of the vehicles attempted to merge when it caused a chain-reaction crash.

Officials said the impact was so severe that it sent all of the vehicles through the median. Three vehicles went through the guardrail and ended up on the southbound lanes.

Officials said at least two people have died and several others were transported to a nearby hospital as a result of the crash. At least one victim is listed in critical condition.

Crews were treating the collision as a hazmat situation after oil from the tanker truck began spilling onto the highway.

“Obviously, fuel being spilled on the highway is extremely dangerous, and just because of that we would have to shut down the road,” said FHP Lt. Alejandro Camacho. “Combining the two, obviously we need to take every precaution as possible.”



New: Police activity in Miami-Dade on Floridas Turnpike north at Exit 20 Kendall Dr, off-ramp closed, all lanes…https://t.co/bVsVmqbHmN

— Florida's Turnpike (@fl511_turnpike) September 22, 2018

All lanes were previously blocked as crews worked the scene. The on-ramp was also closed off.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area and seek an alternate route.

The turnpike has since reopened with all lanes having been cleared, Saturday morning.

Authorities are still working to determine what caused the collision.

An acid spill from leaking truck containers of organic peroxide at the Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant near Canton, GA shut down Univeter Road, Interstate 575 and forced evacuations

Updated at 7:22 p.m.

Univeter Road has been re-opened.

CANTON, GA– 

An acid spill at the Pilgrim's Pride chicken processing plant near Canton shut down Univeter Road, Interstate 575 and forced evacuations earlier this afternoon. Four people were taken to Northside Hospital Cherokee with breathing difficulty.

The situation was contained and Univeter Road reopened about 7:15 p.m.

Hazardous materials personnel are evaluating how to clean up the leaking chemical, sheriff's office spokesman Jay Baker said just after 5:30 p.m. The spill occurred at approximately 2 p.m. as FedEx delivered a shipment of organic peroxide type F to the Pilgrim's Pride chicken plant at 654 Univeter Road.

The truck contains six, 300-gallon containers of the liquid, which when highly diluted is used for cleaning in the plant. Hazmat workers are concerned other containers may begin to leak as well and are evaluating how to attack the problem and effect the cleanup.

Two people from the plant experience breathing difficulty shortly after the spill and were taken to the hospital. Also two construction workers along Ga. Highway 5 that the truck passed before arriving at the plant also experienced breathing difficulties and were taken to the hospital, Baker said.

"They had some type of chemical they were delivering – it's called Organic Peroxide Type F – and it appears it began to leak as they were delivering, right as they got to the location," Baker said. "It requires a certain amount of feet around the area for people and things to be evacuated."

A HazMat team, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, sheriff's deputies and Canton Police are on-scene of the acid spill near Pilgrim's Pride chicken plant. Staff / Thomas Hartwell

Baker said 252 employees working at Pilgrim's Pride, as well as surrounding businesses and homes have been evacuated. A HazMat team, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services, sheriff's deputies and Canton Police are on-scene.

Interstate 575 was shut down at exit 14 northbound and exit 16 southbound for more than an hour, and Univeter Road remains closed.

Motorists are being asked to avoid the areas shut down to traffic. It is not yet known how long cleanup will take, and no injuries have been reported.

According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association's website, ingestion of Organic Peroxide Type F may be toxic and contact with it "may cause irritation to skin, eyes, and mucous membranes." The NOAA data also says the chemical's exposure to "organic compounds, heat or shock may result in an intense fire or explosion."

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



CANTON, Ga. - 

Roadways around a Canton chicken processing plant after back open after an acid spill.

NewsChopper 2 flew over the scene at the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plant Friday and showed images of a FedEx truck leaking what was identified as organic peroxide type F.  

The truck was making a delivery of six 300-gallon containers of the bleaching agent to the plant on Univeter Road.

Baker told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that as soon the rig pulled into the front gate, employees realized just how serious that leak was.

“They knew immediately they had to evacuate almost 300 employees that were here. That was done quickly. They shut down Univeter Road. They decided we needed to shut down 575, which was done for about an hour. We have since opened up 575,” said Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office.


Please share! Univeter Rd is shut down at Chattin Dr in Canton due to an acid spill at a nearby industrial park. Avoid the area if possible. — Cherokee County (@Cherokee_GA) September 21, 2018

The spill put a dent in the Friday afternoon commute, backing up traffic for miles in the area.

“It’s pretty bad. Pretty bad timing,” Baker said.

Elliot learned that two employees at Pilgrim’s Pride complained of breathing issues and were transported to an area hospital.

About 300 Pilgrim's Pride employees were evacuated. Two employees were transported with breathing issues. Two construction workers at a site along Highway 5 were transported with breathing issues, too. pic.twitter.com/GeQbt6AtjO — Richard Elliot (@RElliotWSB) September 21, 2018
But then, deputies learned that FedEx truck also leaked that organic peroxide up Highway 5, past a construction site and two workers there were also transported to an area hospital with breathing issues.

Hazmat crews continue to work the scene, but the Sheriff’s Office says it could be hours before they get into the tractor-trailer, contain the leak and see if any of the other containers are leaking, too.

“Apparently this is a bad substance and it will take quite a bit to get it removed and cleaned from that truck,” Baker said. Univeter Road reopened just before 7:30 p.m

Chelsea Standberry, 36, and her kids — 10-year-old Anthony, 8-year-old Anaiyah and 6-year-old Chase — were killed in a fiery accident on I-10 near Beaumont, Texas

WELCOME TO TEXAS, NOW YOU ARE DEAD.  TEXAS HAS ONE OF THE WORST ROAD FATALITY RECORDS.  SO, IF YOUR BAD LUCK SENDS YOU TO TEXAS, MAKE SURE YOU MAKE YOUR FINAL WILL AND TESTAMENT FIRST


Marietta mother, 3 kids killed in fiery crash with tractor-trailer in Texas



By Zachary Hansen, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
 

A Marietta mother and three of her young children died in an eight-vehicle accident in Texas on Thursday morning, police confirmed to AJC.com.

Chelsea Standberry, 36, and her kids — 10-year-old Anthony, 8-year-old Anaiyah and 6-year-old Chase — were killed in an accident on I-10 near Beaumont, Texas, according to Houston-based news station KHOU.

A fiery wreck on I-10 in Texas killed four people from metro Atlanta. (Photo: KHOU-TV)

The wreck involved a car, pickup truck, five other passenger vehicles and a tractor-trailer, and it shut down all westbound lanes at Major Drive around 6:30 a.m., Beaumont police told the news station. It’s unknown what caused the wreck.

The car and pickup truck both caught on fire after the wreck, KHOU reported. There were three others in Standberry’s car — her husband, mother-in-law and stepdaughter, who were injured and are recovering in a Texas hospital, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Beaumont police said several people in other vehicles were treated for minor injuries, Channel 2 reported.

A Marietta mother and three kids were killed during an eight-vehicle accident in Texas on Thursday morning. (Photo: KHOU-TV)

Beaumont police told AJC.com on Friday the incident report for the wreck isn’t finished and won’t be available for several days.

Channel 2 reported that Standberry’s children attended Mountain View Elementary. The school put out a Facebook post telling parents what happened and offering help with grief counseling.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for funeral and medical expenses. It had raised more than $12,500 of its $50,000 fundraising goal as of Friday evening.

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






Actress ChelseyRai S. Standberry, who appeared in several films and was a local TV show host in Cleveland and Atlanta, was killed early Thursday in an eight-vehicle accident in southeast Texas. She was 36.


Beaumont police are trying to determine what caused the wreck, which involved a tractor-trailer and seven other passenger vehicles. Standberry died in the crash along with her three children, 10-year-old Anthony Standberry Jr, 8-year-old Anaiyah Standberry and 6-year-old Chase Standberry.

The family was traveling from Georgia in the same vehicle along with Standberry’s husband, Anthony Standberry Sr.; stepdaughter Jada Standberry; and her mother-in-law, Renee Ford. The accident happened at 6:30 AM. Several other people in other vehicles had minor injuries, and the driver of the 18-wheeler was not harmed.


ChelseyRai Standberry began her entertainment career as the first host and co-producer of Witness yhe Realist (WTR-TV), based out of Cleveland. The show promoted underground music and talent on four television stations throughout Ohio for more than five years. She later founded Word of Mouth TV, which aired on local metro Atlanta television.

A relative of the family has launched a GoFundMe campaign, writing in the description that the three injured family members are expected to recover.

Her husband is also an actor, and they appeared together in several smaller film and TV projects.

No memorial plans have been announced.

Oregon crash deaths jump 13 percent from year ago while the number of Oregon State Police troopers patrolling the highways remains lower than in 1980

  Eight people were killed in August 2018 collision of two SUVs on state Hwy. 78 in Harney County (Photo: Oregon State Police)


Oregon crash deaths jump 13 percent from year ago
One Harney County crash killed eight people

By: AP

September 21, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The number of people killed in fatal crashes in Oregon has gone up by 13 percent from last year.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Thursday that the total number of deaths on city streets, freeways and county highways was driven up this summer by one of the deadliest crashes in recent state history.

Eight people died this August in a head-on crash in Harney County. Several other multiple-vehicle crashes also took place this summer.

Troy Costales with the Oregon Department of Transportation's Safety Division says there were 12 more fatal crashes than last year by this time, and the number of people killed has increased by 37.

The fatality increase comes as more people are moving to Oregon, while the number of Oregon State Police troopers patrolling the highways remains lower than in 1980.

Arizona residents Rodney and Kathleen Palimo and 6 Guatemalan immigrants in the U.S. illegally were among eight people killed earlier this week in a head-on collision involving an SUV and a Buick sedan on SR 79 near the historic prison town of Florence

Guatemalan migrants, Arizona residents among 8 dead in crash

By anita snow, associated press

September 21, 2018

PHOENIX, AZ —




Arizona residents and Guatemalan immigrants in the U.S. illegally were among eight people killed earlier this week in a head-on crash on a highway near the historic prison town of Florence, authorities said Friday.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety released the names of some of the people killed in the collision late Wednesday on State Route 79 involving an SUV and a Buick sedan about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of the Mexico border.

Officials have not said whether the SUV was being used for a smuggling operation. But court records show the driver and passenger of the vehicle were previously convicted of immigrant smuggling charges.

Federal court records show 45-year-old Rodney Palimo pleaded guilty in March 2008 to a misdemeanor count of aiding and abetting an alien. He was initially charged with a felony count of transporting an immigrant in the U.S. without permission.

His passenger, 43-year-old Kathleen Palimo, in 2004 pleaded guilty to a felony count of transporting aliens in the county illegally.

The Palimos, from Sells, both died in the crash along with four of another seven men in the vehicle identified by state troopers as Guatemalans.

Guatemala's Foreign Ministry said in a statement from Guatemala City that the country's Tucson consulate was investigating the nationalities and identities of those killed. It said two of the dead men carried Guatemalan identity documents and a third had no papers. It made no mention of a fourth possible Guatemalan fatality.

The ministry said it was in contact with the relatives of the Guatemalan victims identified thus far.

Reports by both U.S. and Guatemalan officials agreed that another three men believed to be Guatemalans were hospitalized with injures. The ministry said its consulate in Phoenix was checking on the injured, one of whom had been identified as a Guatemalan citizen and released from the hospital.

It did not provide information on the conditions of the other two.

Also killed in the accident were the driver of the Buick, 41-year-old Angel Meza and his passenger, 33-year-old Nicole Vidal. Both were from the city of Eloy.

Authorities have said the Buick veered into the opposite lane of traffic, striking the SUV.

Arizona has been the scene of a number of fatal crashes involving immigrants while they were being smuggled, including one near the border nearly a decade ago in which 10 people died after an SUV rolled over on a highway.

Large numbers of Central American migrants, the majority of them Guatemalans, in recent months have been regularly turning up in remote desert areas of Arizona near the border with Mexico.

U.S. Border Patrol agents on Sept. 16 found two groups of Central American migrants in the desert within hours of each other west of the U.S. port of entry in Lukeville. Together, those two groups comprised 193 people, including 11 unaccompanied children.

Other large groups of Central Americans were found in the same general area on Sept. 1 and Aug. 17.

———

Associated Press writers Astrid Galvan in Phoenix and Sonia Perez D. in Guatemala City contributed to this report.

A worker is in critical but stable condition after three marble slabs, each weighing 1,000 pounds, shifted and fell on him at Mid-Missouri Surfaces in Jefferson City, Missouri

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -



UPDATED 2:04 P.M.: An OSHA representative said the agency is investigating the incident.

ORIGINAL: A worker is in critical but stable condition at a Columbia hospital after an accident in Jefferson City Tuesday.

A Jefferson City Fire Department spokesman said it happened in the 5800 block of Algoa Road, the location of Mid-Missouri Surfaces.

The department's report said three marble slabs, each weighing 1,000 pounds, shifted and fell on the man as they were being moved.

The man was flown to a Columbia hospital.

It's not known what caused the slabs to fall, the spokesman said.

Mid Missouri Surfaces is a locally owned and operated Solid Surface, Granite and Quartz Surfacing business headquartered in Jefferson City since 1993.

18-year old employee of Aardvark Clay and Supplies died after he became entangled in clay-mixing heavy equipment in Santa Ana, California

Man Entangled, Killed In Industrial Accident 

Four coworkers found the man entangled in clay-mixing heavy equipment a few minutes after the accident occurred, officials said. 

By Ashley Ludwig, Patch Staff 

September 20, 2018

SANTA ANA, CA — 

A workplace accident in Santa Ana turned deadly Thursday morning, after a young employee of Aardvark Clay and Supplies became entangled in equipment. Employees called for help at approximately 11:15 a.m. and Orange County Fire Authority Technical Rescue teams responded to the business, however they discovered the 18-year-old had already perished upon their arrival.

"It was a tragic industrial accident," OCFA Capt. Tony Bommarito told Patch. Four coworkers found him entangled in clay-mixing heavy equipment a few minutes after the accident occurred, he said.

Technical Rescue has been on hand for the majority of the day in an effort to remove the body from the machines, as has the OCFA Chaplain. The identity of the victim has not yet been released pending notification of his family.