Tuesday was a fatal day in northern Indiana, with vehicular accidents killing eight people.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100224/News01/100229672/1130&Template;=printpicart
In one of the crashes in South Bend, a Cadillac traveling east in on Indiana 2, turning left on Quince Road, was hit by a semi-truck. There was a family in the car. A male passenger in the front seat died at the scene. The driver, with severe injuries, and three children were sent to Memorial Hospital.
The truck driver was taken to the hospital for testing.
In a second accident Tuesday, three people lost their lives when a Chevy Cobalt driving on U.S. 36 crossed a median and flew into the air, hitting a GMC Envoy in LaPorte County.
The driver of the Cobalt, 72-year-old Billy Gene Hamblin of Kingsford Heights, Ind., and a passenger in the Envoy, 38-year-old Amy Klein of Columbia City, Ind., died instantly. The driver of the Envoy, 63-year-old Lloyd Klein of Columbia City, died at Memorial Hospital. Another passenger from the Envoy, Kathy Klein, was in critical condition.
In the third fatal crash, two students from West Noble High School died in unrelated accidents on U.S. 33 in Noble County, Ind. Amanda Musser, 18, was driving on U.S. 33 when she went off the highway and hit a pole. Musser, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt, was dead at the scene.
Then 18-year-old Brandon Replogle was driving on U.S. 33 when he was hit by a truck. He was killed in the crash.
Finally, two people died in an accident on Interstate 65 when a SUV struck a semi-truck between Lowell and Roselawn. The SUV’s passengers were killed instantly. The semi’s driver, 54-year-old John Taylor of Greenwood, Ind., wasn’t injured.
Texting Driver Crashes Into Tractor Trailer
A Pennsylvania teenager was texting when she hit a tractor trailer on Route 158 in Wilmington Township, according to police.
http://www.sharonherald.com/local/local_story_055225711.html
The woman, 18-yar-old Clarice Edinger, was driving northbound, and while she was texting on her cellphone her car drifted in the southbound lane. She struck a truck, driven by 58-year-old Eugene Bennick of Clymer, N.Y., that was carrying milk.
Bennick couldn’t avoid hitting Edinger’s car. After the collision, the truck went up an embankment and stopped 150 feet from the highway. Edinger was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center for treatment.
http://www.sharonherald.com/local/local_story_055225711.html
The woman, 18-yar-old Clarice Edinger, was driving northbound, and while she was texting on her cellphone her car drifted in the southbound lane. She struck a truck, driven by 58-year-old Eugene Bennick of Clymer, N.Y., that was carrying milk.
Bennick couldn’t avoid hitting Edinger’s car. After the collision, the truck went up an embankment and stopped 150 feet from the highway. Edinger was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center for treatment.
Three Teens Struck and Killed By Train in Florida
Three teens were killed in a Florida train on Saturday. http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/train-kills-3-teen-girls-crossing-florida-bridge/19366904?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Ftrain-kills-3-teen-girls-crossing-florida-bridge%2F19366904
The teen girls and a male teen were in downtown Melbourne, Fla., when they left and crossed a train trestle bridge at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The male crossed the tracks, saw a train coming and told the girls to jump off the bridge to safely. But they did not have enough time
One of the victims was Jennifer Reichert, 15, of Palm Bay.
The track where the fatal accident took place is owned by Florida East Coast Railway.
The teen girls and a male teen were in downtown Melbourne, Fla., when they left and crossed a train trestle bridge at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The male crossed the tracks, saw a train coming and told the girls to jump off the bridge to safely. But they did not have enough time
One of the victims was Jennifer Reichert, 15, of Palm Bay.
The track where the fatal accident took place is owned by Florida East Coast Railway.
Man Irate At IRS Makes Kamikaze Run At Agency’s Austin Offices
When news broke Thursday that a small plane had crashed into an Austin, Texas, office building, some immediately feared that it was a terrorist attack, as in the 9/11 tragedies at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As it turns out, the Texas crash was a purposeful act on the part of a man who had a beef with the U.S. government, namely, the Internal Revenue Service, over a tax dispute.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19crash.html?hpw
Andrew Joseph Stack’s kamikaze run into a 7-story building, the e workplace of almost 200 IRS workers, took not only his life but that of an innocent victim in the building. And 13 people were injured.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315004575073401102945506.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories
The 53-year-old software engineer set his own Austin home on fire and posted a six-page letter on the Internet where he vented his anger and rage against the IRS, complaining that its rules were putting him in financial ruin. “Take my pound of flesh and sleep well,” he wrote.
Like many Americans these days, Stack was unemployed and couldn’t find work, even after relocating from Los Angeles to Austin.
He felt that the IRS was accelerating his financial demise, in terms of his retirement savings and other issues. Stack hadn’t filed a tax return, since he said he had no income. Not a smart move, as any sane person knows. He was promptly audited by the IRS, that wound up costing him $10,000.
Stack took off from Georgetown Memorial Airport in Texas, flying a single engine, fixed wing Piper PA-28-236 at 9:40 a.m. Thursday. He slammed into the Austin office building at 9:56 a.m.
While authorities labeled Stack’s actions those of a criminal rather than a terrorist, the North American Aerospace Defense Command still deployed two F-16 fighters to patrol the area, as a precaution, according to The Wall Street Journal.
So how does the Tea Party spin this? Terrorism or freedom fighter? The right wing talk show hosts may have a nervous breakdown trying to decide which.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19crash.html?hpw
Andrew Joseph Stack’s kamikaze run into a 7-story building, the e workplace of almost 200 IRS workers, took not only his life but that of an innocent victim in the building. And 13 people were injured.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703315004575073401102945506.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStories
The 53-year-old software engineer set his own Austin home on fire and posted a six-page letter on the Internet where he vented his anger and rage against the IRS, complaining that its rules were putting him in financial ruin. “Take my pound of flesh and sleep well,” he wrote.
Like many Americans these days, Stack was unemployed and couldn’t find work, even after relocating from Los Angeles to Austin.
He felt that the IRS was accelerating his financial demise, in terms of his retirement savings and other issues. Stack hadn’t filed a tax return, since he said he had no income. Not a smart move, as any sane person knows. He was promptly audited by the IRS, that wound up costing him $10,000.
Stack took off from Georgetown Memorial Airport in Texas, flying a single engine, fixed wing Piper PA-28-236 at 9:40 a.m. Thursday. He slammed into the Austin office building at 9:56 a.m.
While authorities labeled Stack’s actions those of a criminal rather than a terrorist, the North American Aerospace Defense Command still deployed two F-16 fighters to patrol the area, as a precaution, according to The Wall Street Journal.
So how does the Tea Party spin this? Terrorism or freedom fighter? The right wing talk show hosts may have a nervous breakdown trying to decide which.
Three Tesla Employee Die in Silicon Valley Plane Crash
Three employees of Tesla, the electric car maker, were killed Wednesday when their plane crashed into a residential area in Silicon Valley, Calif., causing a 10-hour power outage in Palo Alto.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-18/tesla-says-three-employees-killed-in-silicon-valley-plane-crash.html
The twin-engine Cessna 310R came down at 8 a.m. in East Palo Alto, which is about 30 miles from San Francisco, sending residents of the area into a panic amidst the wreckage and bodies. No one on the ground was injured.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_14422231?nclick_check=1
Shortly after taking off in foggy conditions at Palo Alto Airport, the plane hit a power tower and sheared off one of its wings. The wing landed on a day-care center, while the rest of the aircraft hit the street and traveled, hitting three cars, before it came to a start.
Tesla issued a statement Wednesday confirming that the crash’s three victims were company employees, but it would not identify them.
The power outage caused by the crash cut off electric power to companies including Hewlett-Packard and Facebook.
The accident took place not far from Tesla’s headquarters in San Carlos, Calif.
The crash is under investigation by federal transportation safety officials.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-18/tesla-says-three-employees-killed-in-silicon-valley-plane-crash.html
The twin-engine Cessna 310R came down at 8 a.m. in East Palo Alto, which is about 30 miles from San Francisco, sending residents of the area into a panic amidst the wreckage and bodies. No one on the ground was injured.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_14422231?nclick_check=1
Shortly after taking off in foggy conditions at Palo Alto Airport, the plane hit a power tower and sheared off one of its wings. The wing landed on a day-care center, while the rest of the aircraft hit the street and traveled, hitting three cars, before it came to a start.
Tesla issued a statement Wednesday confirming that the crash’s three victims were company employees, but it would not identify them.
The power outage caused by the crash cut off electric power to companies including Hewlett-Packard and Facebook.
The accident took place not far from Tesla’s headquarters in San Carlos, Calif.
The crash is under investigation by federal transportation safety officials.
Driver Dies in Five-Truck Crash in Iowa
One often wonders why pile up of semi’s discussed below doesn’t happen more often. Tractor-trailers love to run in convoy, as if safe stopping distance doesn’t count when they are in formation. These are not fighter jets, nor bicycle racers. They are 80,000 pounds of mass hurdling down a highway at or above 70 m.p.h., driven by individuals who may have been driving all night.
A pileup involving five semi-trailers in western Iowa resulted in the fatality of a truck driver Tuesday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-iowa-truckscollid,0,3809387.story
The collision took place before noon on Interstate 29 near Missouri Valley, when southbound traffic for an unknown reason was at a standstill and lead to the multi-truck crash.
The driver of one of the trucks involved in the crash was killed, and another truck driver was injured. We wonder how many other injuries might have gotten lost in the shuffle of all of this debris.
A pileup involving five semi-trailers in western Iowa resulted in the fatality of a truck driver Tuesday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-iowa-truckscollid,0,3809387.story
The collision took place before noon on Interstate 29 near Missouri Valley, when southbound traffic for an unknown reason was at a standstill and lead to the multi-truck crash.
The driver of one of the trucks involved in the crash was killed, and another truck driver was injured. We wonder how many other injuries might have gotten lost in the shuffle of all of this debris.
Five Killed In N.J. Plane Crash, A Day After Helicopter Crash Takes Five Lives in Arizona Desert
The past few days have been marked by several aircraft-crash tragedies – with five losing their lives at each of them — accidents made all the more sad because they involved the deaths of children.
Five people, including two juveniles, were killed in Wall Township, in the shore area of New Jersey, Monday afternoon when their Cessna 337 Skymaster broke apart and crashed in a field during an attempted landing, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nj_airport_crash_kills_five_pe.html
Witnesses said they saw the twin-engine plane, on its approach to Monmouth Executive Airport, break apart before it hit the ground. One part of the plane was found on one of the airport’s runways, while the remainder of the debris was off the runway.
The plane had taken off from the Monmouth airport about 15 minutes before returning and attempting to land, witnesses said.
The crash was even more potentially disturbing because authorities said that family members of the victims were in the airport when the plane crash, although it wasn’t known if they had seen the fatal accident.
Three of the crash victims were related, with a father and son among them. The younger victims, a teenager and a boy, were thrown from the plane.
This weekend a helicopter crash in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix, Ariz., killed five people out in the desert. Originally, only three were believed killed in the crash.
Three of the five victims were related. They were Paradise Valley businessman Thomas Stewart, 64, his wife Madina and their young daughter Sydney, according to the Arizona Republic.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/02/15/20100215helicopter-crash-kills-five.html
As is typical in these cases, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes. It could take from nine months to a year to pin down a cause of the crash, authorities told The Republic.
Five people, including two juveniles, were killed in Wall Township, in the shore area of New Jersey, Monday afternoon when their Cessna 337 Skymaster broke apart and crashed in a field during an attempted landing, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/nj_airport_crash_kills_five_pe.html
Witnesses said they saw the twin-engine plane, on its approach to Monmouth Executive Airport, break apart before it hit the ground. One part of the plane was found on one of the airport’s runways, while the remainder of the debris was off the runway.
The plane had taken off from the Monmouth airport about 15 minutes before returning and attempting to land, witnesses said.
The crash was even more potentially disturbing because authorities said that family members of the victims were in the airport when the plane crash, although it wasn’t known if they had seen the fatal accident.
Three of the crash victims were related, with a father and son among them. The younger victims, a teenager and a boy, were thrown from the plane.
This weekend a helicopter crash in Cave Creek, north of Phoenix, Ariz., killed five people out in the desert. Originally, only three were believed killed in the crash.
Three of the five victims were related. They were Paradise Valley businessman Thomas Stewart, 64, his wife Madina and their young daughter Sydney, according to the Arizona Republic.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2010/02/15/20100215helicopter-crash-kills-five.html
As is typical in these cases, the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating both crashes. It could take from nine months to a year to pin down a cause of the crash, authorities told The Republic.
Belgium’s Head-On Collision Of Two Trains Kills 18
A head-on collision of two trains in Belgium killed at least 18 people and injured 55, and those figures may not be the final counts.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/15/belgium.train.crash/?hpt=Sbin
The accident is being called the worst rail crash in Belgium in 25 years.
The crash took place in Halle, during the morning rush hour at 8:30 a.m. local time and 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Railway operators Infrabel and SNBC said they didn’t know yet what caused the accident.
It took 30 minutes for rescue crew to get to the scene.
The number of those killed or hurt seemed tentative at best. At one point the mayor of Halle said that 20 passengers had died.
As the full extent of this tragedy is assessed, we hope that the issue of brain injury will get the attention it deserves. As we commented at length in our blogs after the Jamaica Air Crash, brain injury is virtually assured in accidents of this severity, even with those who walk away from the crash.
See:
http://www.tbilaw.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-miracle-in-jamaica.html
http://www.tbilaw.com/blog/2009/12/followup-to-injuries-in-jamaica-air.html
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/15/belgium.train.crash/?hpt=Sbin
The accident is being called the worst rail crash in Belgium in 25 years.
The crash took place in Halle, during the morning rush hour at 8:30 a.m. local time and 2:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Railway operators Infrabel and SNBC said they didn’t know yet what caused the accident.
It took 30 minutes for rescue crew to get to the scene.
The number of those killed or hurt seemed tentative at best. At one point the mayor of Halle said that 20 passengers had died.
As the full extent of this tragedy is assessed, we hope that the issue of brain injury will get the attention it deserves. As we commented at length in our blogs after the Jamaica Air Crash, brain injury is virtually assured in accidents of this severity, even with those who walk away from the crash.
See:
http://www.tbilaw.com/blog/2009/12/christmas-miracle-in-jamaica.html
http://www.tbilaw.com/blog/2009/12/followup-to-injuries-in-jamaica-air.html
One Year and 34 Lawsuits Later, Controversy Over the Fatal Continental 3407 Crash in Buffalo Continues
On the first anniversary of what may be one of the most senseless accidents in air history, 34 lawsuits have been filed stemming from the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, which killed 50 people. http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100212/UPDATES01/302120012
Survivors of some of the victims killed in the Feb. 12, 2009 crash, which killed 49 on board the plane and a man in the house it crashed into near Buffalo, N.Y., planned to take four-hour walk today to commemorate the tragedy. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/families_to_walk_in_honor_of_v.html
Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot of the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight, was take part in the walk, which will go from the crash site in Clarence, N.Y., to Buffalo Niagra International Airport. The flight originated in Newark International Airport.
The goal is to “complete the flight” on behalf of the loved ones killed in the accident.
Since the crash, spouses and children of the crash victims have filed suit against Continental Airlines and Colgan Air, the regional airline that was operating the flight on behalf of Continental. The other defendants include Colgan parent Pinnacle Airlines, plane manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace and FlightSafety International, which helped train the pilots.
The victims’ families are seeking compensation for negligence, wrongful death and punitive damages.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Feb. 2 that the pilot’s faulty response, over-correcting, to a low-speed warning resulting in the plane crashing into a home and creating a fireball five miles from the Buffalo airport.
The pilot of Flight 3407 was distracted, seemingly more interested in flirting and chatting with his young female first officer. He was also making fast-food wages, $16,000; had failed three flight exams and had no sleep the night before the fatal flight.
The NTSB made 25 safety recommendations after its probe into the crash to the Federal Aviation Administration, which will evaluate them.
The Associated Press did a critical story Friday questioning whether enough has been to done to prevent future accidents involving regional carriers, which is says now make up half of domestic departures. http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-faa-airline-safety,0,7865987.story
FAA chief Randy Babbitt has said he is “very pleased with the progress” and safety measures his agency has taken since the crash, but many are critical and don’t think enough has been done. Those include members of Congress and the NTSB, according to the AP story.
For example, some legislators and survivors of the crash victims want flight experience for co-pilots increased to 1,500 from 250 hours. Airlines and flight schools have balked at that suggestion.
The FAA has requested public input on whether commercial pilot certification should be changed. http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/11/Federal_Regulations.htm
Survivors of some of the victims killed in the Feb. 12, 2009 crash, which killed 49 on board the plane and a man in the house it crashed into near Buffalo, N.Y., planned to take four-hour walk today to commemorate the tragedy. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/families_to_walk_in_honor_of_v.html
Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot of the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight, was take part in the walk, which will go from the crash site in Clarence, N.Y., to Buffalo Niagra International Airport. The flight originated in Newark International Airport.
The goal is to “complete the flight” on behalf of the loved ones killed in the accident.
Since the crash, spouses and children of the crash victims have filed suit against Continental Airlines and Colgan Air, the regional airline that was operating the flight on behalf of Continental. The other defendants include Colgan parent Pinnacle Airlines, plane manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace and FlightSafety International, which helped train the pilots.
The victims’ families are seeking compensation for negligence, wrongful death and punitive damages.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Feb. 2 that the pilot’s faulty response, over-correcting, to a low-speed warning resulting in the plane crashing into a home and creating a fireball five miles from the Buffalo airport.
The pilot of Flight 3407 was distracted, seemingly more interested in flirting and chatting with his young female first officer. He was also making fast-food wages, $16,000; had failed three flight exams and had no sleep the night before the fatal flight.
The NTSB made 25 safety recommendations after its probe into the crash to the Federal Aviation Administration, which will evaluate them.
The Associated Press did a critical story Friday questioning whether enough has been to done to prevent future accidents involving regional carriers, which is says now make up half of domestic departures. http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-faa-airline-safety,0,7865987.story
FAA chief Randy Babbitt has said he is “very pleased with the progress” and safety measures his agency has taken since the crash, but many are critical and don’t think enough has been done. Those include members of Congress and the NTSB, according to the AP story.
For example, some legislators and survivors of the crash victims want flight experience for co-pilots increased to 1,500 from 250 hours. Airlines and flight schools have balked at that suggestion.
The FAA has requested public input on whether commercial pilot certification should be changed. http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/11/Federal_Regulations.htm
Bus Collides With Metro Train In Houston
There is a cause of action in many accident cases called negligent entrustment. With respect to the kind of accident described here, the claim is that the owner of the vehicle should not have allowed the person who caused the accident, to drive the vehicle at all. This Houston bus accident will likely raise that issue.
A Houston bus driver who allegedly ran a red light and hit a Metro train Monday was suspended without pay, according to the Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6859080.html
Reginald Rideout, who was treated and released from a hospital after Monday’s accident, will be under suspension while a probe o the crash is conducted.
According to Metro officials, 50-year-o1d Rideout has had three accidents.
The crash earlier this week injured nine people, and Metro service was temporarily suspended.
A Houston bus driver who allegedly ran a red light and hit a Metro train Monday was suspended without pay, according to the Houston Chronicle. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6859080.html
Reginald Rideout, who was treated and released from a hospital after Monday’s accident, will be under suspension while a probe o the crash is conducted.
According to Metro officials, 50-year-o1d Rideout has had three accidents.
The crash earlier this week injured nine people, and Metro service was temporarily suspended.