DRIVER RUNS RED LIGHT, LOSES CONTROL, CRASHES INTO PARKED CARS, STORE. POLICE ARE LOOKING INTO WHETHER HE SUFFERED A MEDICAL CONDITION OR HE WAS DRIVING UNDER INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

ALBANY, GEORGIA

A Leesburg man is in critical condition after crashing his truck into parked vehicles and then slammed into a building. Witnesses in downtown Albany, who watched it all unfold, ran to the scene to help.

Corey Page was working at this Goodyear Tires on West Broad Avenue when something caught his attention. "I was in the building and I just happened to look up and seen a red truck collide with a little red car," said Page.

Albany Police say 51 year-old William Johnson, of Leesburg, was driving the red truck and ran the red light at the intersection of South Monroe Street and West Broad crashing into a red car.

Witnesses say after crashing through bushes, the truck driver drove a yard before looping around, crashing into the Good Life Tire building.

That's when Page sprang into action. "Me and a couple of the other guys ran over there and noticed a guy was in the building like smushed into it, so I had to jump in and turn the vehicle off, because he was still spinning," explained Page.

"I saw Corey start running that way and we just ran behind him and just made sure everything was ok. Corey cut the truck off and we're just glad he's alright," said Brian Isler, who was in Goodyear Tires when it happened.

Page says he was just trying to prevent more damage. "I knew that if I didn't turn it off then other things could happen. The tire could blow up cause a fire. I didn't know if the gas tank was leaking fuel so I knew I had to turn it off."

The crash was like a domino effect, the truck hit a dumpster and a parked vehicle in this parking lot, both of which slammed into other parked vehicles.  Johnson had to be taken to the hospital.

"I'm just glad they didn't come through here and hit the Goodyear building because there are guys back there working. I just hope everyone is ok," said Isler. 

A scary situation that could have ended much worse.

Witnesses believe some of sort of medical condition caused William Johnson to lose control of the truck, but police have not confirmed that. "He wasn't awake, he was just shaking so I knew he was having a seizure.  So I knew I had to get in there and turn that vehicle off before it caused any harm to anybody else," said Page.

Johnson is in critical condition at Phoebe Putney, he's cited for a red light violation.

Source: www.waff.com

ANOTHER UNDERRIDING FATALITY: 1 DEAD IN ON INTERSTATE 287 IN MAHWAH, NEW JERSEY WHEN THE CAR REAR-ENDED THE TRACTOR TRAILER AND WENT UNDER THE TRUCK

Thursday, February 26, 2015

MAHWAH, NEW JERSEY

We have been reporting on the underriding  risks posed to drivers when they collide with the back or sides of the semi trucks.  The feds have been very slow in mandating guards in the turcks to prevent the underriding from occurring.   Recentlly, the City of New York decided to put guards in its buses and trucks.

A crash involving at least one car and a tractor trailer near exit 65 on Interstate 287 north in Mahwah has resulted in at least one fatality Thursday afternoon.

New Jersey State Police have confirmed that there is one fatality in which a car crashed into the back of a tractor trailer at about 2:15 p.m. on the interstate. Troopers were still gathering details of the incident and did not have more information to release when reached at 2:30 p.m.

It is obvious from the picture above that the car went under the semi trailer.  Should the truck had the proper guards, then the car would have stopped at the collision point and the driver's life would have been saved.

The vehicle involved was a 2011 Subaru Outback.

FIRE RIPS THROUGH STORES AT MAIN STREET STRIP MALL IN SAYREVILLE, NEW JERSEY

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

SAYREVILLE, NEW JERSEY

Firefighters this morning were called to a large blaze at a commercial strip mall on Main Street.

The fire broke out around 5:30 a.m. and has consumed several stores, including a nail salon where the fire is believed to have started.

The fire burned through at least through three stores, according to 7online.com.

Several fire companies were on the scene. 

No injuries were reported.

A pizzeria, liquor store and dry cleaners were completely wiped out by the blaze, which broke out around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on Main Street, 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck reported.

Fire Chief Vincent Waranowicz said they had serious problems getting water on the fire.

“We did not have enough water to be able to put out this fire,” Waranowicz said. “We just kept losing pressure, we don’t know why. We don’t know if there’s ice in the line, we don’t know if there’s something with the line itself. We actually had to shut down the roadway to be able to get a hydrant on a different system.”

All of the businesses in the strip mall have been affected in some way,Waranowicz said. At least six sustained water and smoke damage.

Dana Fischer, owner of Isabella’s Hair Salon, said she is in absolute shock.

“I couldn’t even speak this morning, my sentences were unclear to everybody calling,” Fischer said. “Obviously our busy season’s coming up with proms and stuff like that so we’re anxious to get back on our feet as quickly as we can.”

“I cried,” Jacqueline Viola, owner of Furry N’ Fabulous Pet Salon, told CBS2’s Andrea Grymes. “I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe how bad it was.”

WOMAN AND 2 CHILDREN DIED IN A MASSIVE FIRE AT A 2-STORY HOME IN WINLOCK, WASHINGTON STATE. AN EXPLOSION WAS REPORTED PRIOR TO THE FIRE.

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

WINLOCK, WASHINGTON

Police confirm three bodies have been found in the wreckage of a Winlock home burned to the ground in an overnight fire. 

A woman and two children died after they were trapped in a home that was destroyed in a fast-moving fire in Winlock.

Winlock police and firefighters were called to a home in the 800 block of Northeast First Street at 2:36 a.m. Thursday after people who live nearby reported hearing an explosion and then saw the fire.

Firefighters arrived to find a large fire burning in a two-story home. 

Police said a man who lived there said he and his two boys were able to escape, but his wife and two girls, believed to be under the age of 9, were not able to get out of the house.

Though firefighters were at the scene within six minutes, the flaming house was too unstable to go inside.

“He was telling her to get down. Get low. He thought she made it out right behind him, but he couldn't find her,” said Winlock police Chief Terry Williams.

“He was yelling for his kids, his girlfriend, his dog that he lost in that fire.  I pity for him,” said witness Karrie Evans.

Brian Thornton and his son ran over to help when they saw the huge fire.  He said they could hear others trapped inside the burning house.

“You hear people crying for their lives, and trying to save them and there's nothing you can do.  It's the worst feeling in your life,” said Thornton.

Firefighters remained at the scene Thursday afternoon letting the massive fire burn out.  The house was destroyed and it is unlikely that anyone who was inside could have survived.

Fire officials say it's too early to tell what started the fire, but they'll be looking for what caused the explosion people reported.

Before that, they'll have to carefully deconstruct the house.  It may be Friday before they can get inside and look for those reported missing.

The Lewis County coroner carried three body bags into the wreckage around 2 p.m.