Date: 4/10/2009
BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jim Adenhart walked to the empty pitcher’s mound in Angels Stadium where his son spent the last night of his life. He spent several quiet moments there, briefly covering his eyes with one hand.
The shock of Nick Adenhart’s death early Thursday in a car wreck caused by a suspected drunk driver was beginning to sink in for family, teammates and fans of the Los Angeles Angels rookie. Adenhart’s death came hours after his best showing yet in the major leagues.
Fans placed flowers, baseballs, posters and Rally Monkeys at a makeshift memorial on the pitcher’s mound of the replica brick infield near the stadium gates.
“He was here pitching yesterday, six amazing innings, had a really good game,” 17-year-old fan Rachel Watson said Thursday. “Today, he’s gone.”
The Angels planned to pay tribute to the 22-year-old pitcher before Friday night’s opener of a three-game series against Boston in Anaheim. They will wear a patch or emblem on their jerseys the rest of the season to honor him.
The team postponed Thursday night’s series finale against Oakland to mourn Adenhart, who was killed along with two other passengers in a car crash early Thursday in neighboring Fullerton.
The car they were riding in was broadsided in an intersection by a minivan that apparently ran a red light, police said.
Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside, was driving on a suspended license because of a previous drunk driving conviction. Preliminary results indicated Gallo’s blood-alcohol level was “substantially over the legal limit” of .08 percent, police Lt. Kevin Hamilton said.
Gallo was booked into jail on three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol. No bail was set.
Outside Angels Stadium, a pile of flowers and tributes grew steadily.
“No. 34, You are one more Angel in heaven,” a poster read. Scribbled on a baseball was, “Now you play for another Angels team.”
Inside the clubhouse, the team met privately Thursday to remember Adenhart, who made the major league opening day roster for the first time in his career after overcoming a devastating elbow injury and subsequent surgery in 2004.
“A lot of these guys in here have never lost anybody in their family that’s close to them. I hate that this happened, but this is part of life. This is the real deal,” outfielder Torii Hunter said. “That’s why you’ve got to kiss your kids, kiss your family every day when you get up in the morning and before you leave for work.”
Adenhart was killed hours after making his season debut with his father in the stands, throwing six scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics. The Angels ultimately lost the game, 6-4.
“It is a tragedy that will never be forgotten,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The rookie pitcher’s father spoke to the team during its meeting Thursday.
“He just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity, thank you for raising his kid in minor league ball on up through the system in the Angels’ organization,” Hunter said.
Adenhart died in surgery following the accident. Henry Pearson of Manhattan Beach, a 25-year-old passenger in the car, and the driver, 20-year-old Courtney Stewart of Diamond Bar, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Stewart was a student at nearby Cal State Fullerton, where she was a former cheerleader.
Another passenger, 24-year-old Jon Wilhite of Manhattan Beach, remained in critical but stable condition Friday and doctors believe he will survive, said John Murray, a spokesman for UC Irvine Medical Center. He was being medically sedated, Murray said. Wilhite played baseball from 2004-08 at Cal State Fullerton.
Stewart’s mother said Adenhart and the others had gone dancing at a club about a block away from the crash site.
At the ballpark Wednesday night, Adenhart made just his fourth major league start and left with a 4-0 lead, before the bullpen gave away what would have been his second big league win.
During Thursday’s closed-door session, “we were just kind of reminiscing about what Nick brought to the team, to the clubhouse,” Hunter said.
“He was a very funny kid and he’s going to be missed,” he said. “Every time you come to the stadium and you go in that clubhouse, you’re looking at Nick Adenhart’s locker.”
Adenhart had made a slow climb to reach the majors.
He hurt his pitching elbow two weeks before the June 2004 major league draft, when he was projected as a top-five pick out of Williamsport High in Maryland.
The setback dropped him to the 14th round, where the Angels selected him anyway. He had Tommy John surgery — a reconstructive operation on an elbow ligament — later that month and spent most of next four seasons in the minors.
Adenhart had a 9.00 ERA in three starts for the Angels last season, but Scioscia said last month the right-hander had worked hard over the winter and arrived at spring training with a purpose.
He was made the No. 3 starter as the season began this week because of injuries to John Lackey, Ervin Santana and Kelvim Escobar, all of whom are on the disabled list.
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AP Sports Writer Ken Peters in Anaheim, Calif., contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Pa. driver charged in deaths of charity walkers, both 72, from Puerto Rico
Date: 12/6/2008
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania man was charged with careless driving in the deaths of a couple who were struck as they walked to a fundraiser.
David K. Shiery, 47, of Enola, was speeding when his pickup struck Able Seda and his wife, Carmen Sanchez-Seda, both 72, on Oct. 6, authorities said. The speed was not high enough to warrant vehicular homicide charges, city spokesman Matthew Coulter said. The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph.
The victims were on their way to a diabetes fundraising walk, which began on City Island. They had recently moved to Harrisburg from Puerto Rico, officials said.
Shiery was charged with two counts of careless driving causing death. Court records show he has three previous traffic convictions since 2002 for disregarding traffic devices in the area.
The impact threw the couple 70 to 80 feet and caused significant damage to the truck, denting the bumper and crushing the hood, Harrisburg Police Chief Charles Kellar said.
Carmen Sanchez-Seda died at the scene while Able Seda died the next morning at a hospital, police said.
Shiery has been sent a summons to appear in court, records show.
A man who answered an Associated Press call to Shiery’s home Saturday hung up.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania man was charged with careless driving in the deaths of a couple who were struck as they walked to a fundraiser.
David K. Shiery, 47, of Enola, was speeding when his pickup struck Able Seda and his wife, Carmen Sanchez-Seda, both 72, on Oct. 6, authorities said. The speed was not high enough to warrant vehicular homicide charges, city spokesman Matthew Coulter said. The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph.
The victims were on their way to a diabetes fundraising walk, which began on City Island. They had recently moved to Harrisburg from Puerto Rico, officials said.
Shiery was charged with two counts of careless driving causing death. Court records show he has three previous traffic convictions since 2002 for disregarding traffic devices in the area.
The impact threw the couple 70 to 80 feet and caused significant damage to the truck, denting the bumper and crushing the hood, Harrisburg Police Chief Charles Kellar said.
Carmen Sanchez-Seda died at the scene while Able Seda died the next morning at a hospital, police said.
Shiery has been sent a summons to appear in court, records show.
A man who answered an Associated Press call to Shiery’s home Saturday hung up.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
NC teen who studied crash deaths dies in wreck
Date: 11/10/2008
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ A North Carolina teenager who studied teen highway deaths as a senior high school project is dead after a crash.
Eighteen-year-old Shannon Nicole Adkins graduated last spring after turning in a report about the risks facing young drivers on the mainly rural roads of Johnston County.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Monday that Adkins was the 27th Johnston County teen to die in a wreck since the start of 2006 and the second in just over a week.
The highway patrol said Adkins was driving a pickup truck when another pickup crossed into her lane Saturday night and struck her head-on.
The other driver was a 29-year-old woman who was hospitalized in fair condition and charged with driving while impaired.
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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ A North Carolina teenager who studied teen highway deaths as a senior high school project is dead after a crash.
Eighteen-year-old Shannon Nicole Adkins graduated last spring after turning in a report about the risks facing young drivers on the mainly rural roads of Johnston County.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Monday that Adkins was the 27th Johnston County teen to die in a wreck since the start of 2006 and the second in just over a week.
The highway patrol said Adkins was driving a pickup truck when another pickup crossed into her lane Saturday night and struck her head-on.
The other driver was a 29-year-old woman who was hospitalized in fair condition and charged with driving while impaired.
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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
NY police: Teen driver on drugs runs down joggers
Date: 11/7/2008
By FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press Writer
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) _ A teenager on drugs and driving a sport utility vehicle slammed into two runners out for an evening jog, killing one of them — a beloved schoolteacher — and seriously injuring her friend, police said Friday.
Shea Rosen, a 19-year-old from the exclusive village of Brookville on Long Island, was being held in lieu of $1 million bond after pleading not guilty to driving under the influence.
Rosen’s attorney, former federal prosecutor Joseph Conway, declined to comment on the high bond amount but said his client’s family was unlikely to post it Friday.
Rosen, who works as a busboy and waiter at a Huntington restaurant, had no prior criminal record, his lawyer and police said.
Amanda Malloy, a 29-year-old who competed in triathlons and taught fourth grade at John F. Kennedy Intermediate School in Deer Park, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being run down about 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Her running companion, Vincent Saunders, 32, of Huntington, was hospitalized and not expected to survive, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Avemaria Thompson said at Rosen’s arraignment.
The prosecutor said police smelled marijuana on Rosen’s breath after the accident on a busy stretch of a Huntington highway.
More than 12 hours after the accident, Rosen’s 2000 Dodge Durango remained at the accident scene, and a lone woman’s jogging sneaker lay on the pavement nearby.
Three unidentified pills were found in Rosen’s sock, Thompson said. She said Rosen told police he didn’t see the joggers in the road.
Rosen, whose Facebook page features a photo of him flipping his middle finger to the camera, was initially charged with driving under the influence of drugs, but the prosecutor said upgraded charges were likely.
Conway said his office was still trying to ascertain what happened. “Our hearts, of course, go out to the victims’ families,” he said.
Malloy’s sister-in-law described her as a physical fitness enthusiast who often competed in triathlons and was an expert in the martial arts.
“Her life was exercising,” said Christine MacQuarrie, who also taught at Kennedy. “It is ironic that she died doing what she loved.”
Saunders and Malloy were friends who attended the same karate school and shared the same interests in exercise, MacQuarrie said.
Deer Park School Superintendent Elizabeth Marino said in a statement that grief counselors were at the school for staff and students.
“As an expert in the martial arts, she took pride in sharing her knowledge with students through well-received assemblies,” Marino said. “Amanda was loved and admired by her colleagues and students alike and highly respected by administration.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By FRANK ELTMAN
Associated Press Writer
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. (AP) _ A teenager on drugs and driving a sport utility vehicle slammed into two runners out for an evening jog, killing one of them — a beloved schoolteacher — and seriously injuring her friend, police said Friday.
Shea Rosen, a 19-year-old from the exclusive village of Brookville on Long Island, was being held in lieu of $1 million bond after pleading not guilty to driving under the influence.
Rosen’s attorney, former federal prosecutor Joseph Conway, declined to comment on the high bond amount but said his client’s family was unlikely to post it Friday.
Rosen, who works as a busboy and waiter at a Huntington restaurant, had no prior criminal record, his lawyer and police said.
Amanda Malloy, a 29-year-old who competed in triathlons and taught fourth grade at John F. Kennedy Intermediate School in Deer Park, was pronounced dead at a hospital after being run down about 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Her running companion, Vincent Saunders, 32, of Huntington, was hospitalized and not expected to survive, Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Avemaria Thompson said at Rosen’s arraignment.
The prosecutor said police smelled marijuana on Rosen’s breath after the accident on a busy stretch of a Huntington highway.
More than 12 hours after the accident, Rosen’s 2000 Dodge Durango remained at the accident scene, and a lone woman’s jogging sneaker lay on the pavement nearby.
Three unidentified pills were found in Rosen’s sock, Thompson said. She said Rosen told police he didn’t see the joggers in the road.
Rosen, whose Facebook page features a photo of him flipping his middle finger to the camera, was initially charged with driving under the influence of drugs, but the prosecutor said upgraded charges were likely.
Conway said his office was still trying to ascertain what happened. “Our hearts, of course, go out to the victims’ families,” he said.
Malloy’s sister-in-law described her as a physical fitness enthusiast who often competed in triathlons and was an expert in the martial arts.
“Her life was exercising,” said Christine MacQuarrie, who also taught at Kennedy. “It is ironic that she died doing what she loved.”
Saunders and Malloy were friends who attended the same karate school and shared the same interests in exercise, MacQuarrie said.
Deer Park School Superintendent Elizabeth Marino said in a statement that grief counselors were at the school for staff and students.
“As an expert in the martial arts, she took pride in sharing her knowledge with students through well-received assemblies,” Marino said. “Amanda was loved and admired by her colleagues and students alike and highly respected by administration.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Evansville Woman Dies in Crash with County Coroner Vehicle
Date: 10/31/2008
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Marguerite Stewart, 89, was fatally injured when the car she was riding in struck a pickup truck belonging to the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s office. Coroner Don Erk said the cause of death appeared to be head trauma, but that the Warrick County coroner would handle the investigation and follow-up with family because one of Erk’s staff vehicles was involved.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Marguerite Stewart, 89, was fatally injured when the car she was riding in struck a pickup truck belonging to the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s office. Coroner Don Erk said the cause of death appeared to be head trauma, but that the Warrick County coroner would handle the investigation and follow-up with family because one of Erk’s staff vehicles was involved.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Santa Fe Opera settles suit over wrong-way crash
Date: 10/23/2008 7:14 PM
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) _ The Santa Fe Opera and the estate of an employee have reached a settlement with relatives of a family killed in a drunken, wrong-way interstate crash triggered by the worker, who was returning from a business trip.
The attorney for the opera, Michael W. Brennan, characterized the settlements reached this year as “substantial” but said the exact amount is confidential.
Opera employee Dana Papst drove the wrong way on Interstate 25 south of Santa Fe in November 2006 and crashed into a minivan. He died the next morning.
The crash also killed the van’s driver, Paul Gonzales of Las Vegas, N.M.; his wife, Renee Collins-Gonzales and three of their children. Arissa Garcia, then 15, survived.
Tests showed Papst’s blood-alcohol content was four times the legal limit for driving.
Papst had been seen drinking on a US Airways flight to Albuquerque that day, and other passengers said he appeared to be drunk.
Police have said that after the flight landed, Papst bought a six-pack of beer in Bernalillo and drove north, eventually turning off the northbound lanes and driving the wrong way for five miles before striking the van.
The opera’s insurance company chose to settle the case rather than go to trial.
Court records show that Ever Ready Oil Co., Chevron Redi-Mart in Bernalillo and US Airways remain defendants in the lawsuit.
The state Department of Public Safety cited the Chevron Redi-Mart after the crash. The store, which later closed, was owned by Ever Ready Oil.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Austrian rightist was speeding at twice limit
Date: 10/12/2008 10:45 AM
By WILLIAM J. KOLE
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ Far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash that killed him, investigators said Sunday as his grief-stricken party appointed a successor.
Flowers, notes and other tributes piled up at the scene of the crash that killed the former leader of the Freedom Party, whose anti-immigration stance and provocative praise of the Nazi era once led the European Union to slap Austria with diplomatic sanctions.
Police reconstructing Saturday’s accident in the southern province of Carinthia, where Haider was governor, said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider’s high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton limousine was stuck at 142 kph (88 mph).
The speed limit at the crash site is just 70 kph (43 mph), and it drops to 50 kph (31 mph) just 100 meters (yards) further down the road in the direction Haider was heading.
Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the high speed appeared to be the main factor in the crash that killed the 58-year-old politician.
“Any speculation about other causes of the accident is weak,” Kranz said, adding that the car was technically sound and police had no reason to suspect foul play.
Police said the car veered off the road after Haider overtook another vehicle, then struck a concrete pillar and rolled over. Haider, who was alone in the car, suffered multiple injuries and died while being rushed to a hospital.
Haider left the Freedom Party a few years ago to found the rightist Alliance for the Future of Austria, which captured about 11 percent of the vote in last month’s national elections.
Visibly shaken party leaders gathered in Vienna on Sunday to name the Alliance’s secretary-general, Stefan Petzner, as Haider’s successor.
Haider had expressed a wish that the party carry on should anything ever happen to him, “and we owe it to him to fulfill that obligation,” another Haider deputy, Herbert Scheibner, told reporters.
It remained unclear what impact Haider’s death would have on talks to form a new coalition government.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By WILLIAM J. KOLE
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) _ Far-right politician Joerg Haider was speeding at more than twice the posted limit before the car crash that killed him, investigators said Sunday as his grief-stricken party appointed a successor.
Flowers, notes and other tributes piled up at the scene of the crash that killed the former leader of the Freedom Party, whose anti-immigration stance and provocative praise of the Nazi era once led the European Union to slap Austria with diplomatic sanctions.
Police reconstructing Saturday’s accident in the southern province of Carinthia, where Haider was governor, said the speedometer in the wreckage of Haider’s high-powered Volkswagen Phaeton limousine was stuck at 142 kph (88 mph).
The speed limit at the crash site is just 70 kph (43 mph), and it drops to 50 kph (31 mph) just 100 meters (yards) further down the road in the direction Haider was heading.
Prosecutor Gottfried Kranz said the high speed appeared to be the main factor in the crash that killed the 58-year-old politician.
“Any speculation about other causes of the accident is weak,” Kranz said, adding that the car was technically sound and police had no reason to suspect foul play.
Police said the car veered off the road after Haider overtook another vehicle, then struck a concrete pillar and rolled over. Haider, who was alone in the car, suffered multiple injuries and died while being rushed to a hospital.
Haider left the Freedom Party a few years ago to found the rightist Alliance for the Future of Austria, which captured about 11 percent of the vote in last month’s national elections.
Visibly shaken party leaders gathered in Vienna on Sunday to name the Alliance’s secretary-general, Stefan Petzner, as Haider’s successor.
Haider had expressed a wish that the party carry on should anything ever happen to him, “and we owe it to him to fulfill that obligation,” another Haider deputy, Herbert Scheibner, told reporters.
It remained unclear what impact Haider’s death would have on talks to form a new coalition government.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Police: Fla. driver kills cyclist, hits crowd
Date: 10/9/2008 1:58 PM
Police: Fla. driver kills cyclist, hits crowd
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ Florida authorities say an erratic driver who refused to stop for police hit and killed a cyclist, then plowed into a crowded parking lot, injuring nine.
St. Petersburg police say they attempted to pull over an unlicensed driver shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday when she took off speeding.
Police say the driver hit a man on a bike, killing him instantly.
Her 2008 Dodge pickup landed in a crowded parking lot outside a liquor store. Five of those injured were treated and released and four remain hospitalized.
The driver was arrested at a hospital where she was being treated for her injuries. Police say 18-year-old Denise Battles is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash and vehicular homicide. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Police: Fla. driver kills cyclist, hits crowd
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) _ Florida authorities say an erratic driver who refused to stop for police hit and killed a cyclist, then plowed into a crowded parking lot, injuring nine.
St. Petersburg police say they attempted to pull over an unlicensed driver shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday when she took off speeding.
Police say the driver hit a man on a bike, killing him instantly.
Her 2008 Dodge pickup landed in a crowded parking lot outside a liquor store. Five of those injured were treated and released and four remain hospitalized.
The driver was arrested at a hospital where she was being treated for her injuries. Police say 18-year-old Denise Battles is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash and vehicular homicide. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Mets pitcher Burgos sought in fatal DR crash
Date: 10/1/2008 7:22 PM
By DIONISIO SOLDEVILA
Associated Press Writer
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) _ Police were searching for New York Mets pitcher Ambiorix Burgos in his native Dominican Republic on Wednesday after a crash involving his SUV that killed two women.
The Hummer truck registered to the 24-year-old reliever struck pedestrians Josefina Minaya Martinez, 38, and Angely Fana, 29, Tuesday evening in the town of Nagua north of the Dominican capital, Police Col. Eulogio Taveras said. They later died of their injuries at a hospital.
Based on witness reports, “the investigation indicates that Burgos was the driver of the (vehicle) that hit the women,” Taveras said in a statement.
But Taveras added that a relative of the right-hander, Edwin Silvestre Sanchez, claimed to be behind the wheel. He said police were trying to locate Burgos, who could not immediately be reached by The Associated Press.
Burgos was arrested last month in New York on assault and harassment charges after allegedly throwing his girlfriend to the ground. Police in the borough of Queens said the woman was treated at a hospital and released.
Burgos has appeared in court on those charges but did not enter a plea, according to prosecutors. He’s due in U.S. court again Oct. 23 and faces up to a year in jail if convicted of the more serious misdemeanor assault charge.
Burgos, who has not thrown in the major leagues since last year, spent the past season on the disabled list following elbow ligament replacement surgery. He pitched in the minors last month while on a rehabilitation assignment.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By DIONISIO SOLDEVILA
Associated Press Writer
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) _ Police were searching for New York Mets pitcher Ambiorix Burgos in his native Dominican Republic on Wednesday after a crash involving his SUV that killed two women.
The Hummer truck registered to the 24-year-old reliever struck pedestrians Josefina Minaya Martinez, 38, and Angely Fana, 29, Tuesday evening in the town of Nagua north of the Dominican capital, Police Col. Eulogio Taveras said. They later died of their injuries at a hospital.
Based on witness reports, “the investigation indicates that Burgos was the driver of the (vehicle) that hit the women,” Taveras said in a statement.
But Taveras added that a relative of the right-hander, Edwin Silvestre Sanchez, claimed to be behind the wheel. He said police were trying to locate Burgos, who could not immediately be reached by The Associated Press.
Burgos was arrested last month in New York on assault and harassment charges after allegedly throwing his girlfriend to the ground. Police in the borough of Queens said the woman was treated at a hospital and released.
Burgos has appeared in court on those charges but did not enter a plea, according to prosecutors. He’s due in U.S. court again Oct. 23 and faces up to a year in jail if convicted of the more serious misdemeanor assault charge.
Burgos, who has not thrown in the major leagues since last year, spent the past season on the disabled list following elbow ligament replacement surgery. He pitched in the minors last month while on a rehabilitation assignment.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.