August 26, 2009

MONTANA: An unnamed 19-year-old was killed after attempting an incredibly risky -- and likely illegal -- maneuver on a highway north of Wolf Point. He was driving a 1990 F-250 truck in reverse up the highway road when he attempted to make a "j-turn" -- a 180-degree turn without stopping. He also wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

He drove the truck off the road, and he was ejected from the truck as it started to roll. It rolled on top of him, killing him. The three other passengers in the truck were all wearing their seatbelts, and walked away from the crash.

NEW YORK: There are few details in this Mid-Hudson News report on the death of Richard Lodovichetti of Warwick, N.Y. They call him a teen in the headline and say he graduated from Warwick High School in 2008, so he's got to be 18 or 19, but the paper doesn't say his age.

He was driving by himself in a 2005 Dodge Neon along a road in Chester, following behind two cars driven by friends. He passed both in a legal passing zone, lost control and ran off the road. He struck fence posts and earth embankments, the paper says, before rolling over.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

UPDATE: Still few details out about Rich, but he appears to have been passionate about his car. Here's what appears to be a page showing off his 2005 Dodge Neon.

August 25, 2009

NEW JERSEY: An 18-year-old boy from Monroe was killed after he tried to pass a pickup truck on the left, as the truck was attempting to make a left-hand turn. Matthew Bowdenhodge was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened around 9:16 p.m. in Englishtown. He tried to pass a pick-up truck driven by 20-year-old Robin Smart, and as he passed his Toyota Camry clipped the truck and then went across the road and hit a pole and mail box. Two passengers in his car suffered severe injuries, and one was flown to the hospital. The other went in an ambulance.


UTAH: A recent high school graduate and soccer enthusiast died Tuesday night after he attempted to pass a car that was stopping at a red light. He collided into oncoming traffic, rolling his Ford Ranger several times, and was ejected from the car, according to The Herald Journal. 

Police said Jacob Hawkes, 19, of Hyde Park, was airlifted to an area hospital, where he died. The Herald Journal story has a lot more details about Hawkes and his family.

NORTH CAROLINA: A teen driver is listed in critical condition following a crash that killed the two passengers in his car. Demonte Cissell, 22, and 16-year-old Destinee Taylor were both killed in the one-car accident in Durham, according to a local TV station. 

Destinee had just finished her first day of tenth grade, the story says, and was a joyful, happy teenager, the family says. Her family spent Wednesday picking through debris at the accident site, hoping to find something belonging to her.

Police say excessive speed was a factor in the crash. The car left the road, crossed a ditch and flew into the trees, snapping branches more than 10 feet in the air.


OREGON: This accident defies all the norms of a teen driving accident (no speeding, no groups of teens in a car, seatbelts were in use), and yet reflects the inexperience teen drivers bring to the road.

Sixteen-year-old Heather Snyder was killed, and her father was seriously injured, when Heather collided with a fully loaded dump truck along a road in Lafayette County. Heather was stopped at an intersection, and then proceeded through in front of the dump truck, which struck the driver's side door and killed her. Her father, Frank Snyder, was in the passenger seat and was airlifted to an area hospital.

Roger Wise, the driver of the dump truck, said he tried to stop but couldn't. He was uninjured. Everyone was wearing seatbelts.

It's hard to say who's at fault here, given the details provided by the local TV station story. Was Wise running a red light? Was Heather not paying attention? Whatever the circumstances, they say young female drivers are very trusting on the road, and tend to believe that everyone is going to be OK and all the other drivers are going to do exactly what they are supposed to do. It takes a few scares, I think, to learn how to react and how to be hyper vigilant when crossing through major intersections. I'm sorry this turned so badly for this family.

This one hits home for me, because my husband's grandparents were killed in a similar accident. It's hard to survive an accident with a giant mass of dump truck, especially when it's fully loaded. The laws of physics don't bend for anyone.

MICHIGAN: A girl mourning the death of her father apparently committed suicide by driving into oncoming traffic. Michigan State Police told a local TV station that Noura Hattar, 16, of Milford, left a suicide note behind before driving her mother's SUV eastbound on westbound lanes of I-96 in Leroy Township. The note said she was tired of being depressed and wanted to to see her father. (The Detroit News story actually spells her name correctly.)

Here's a Youtube video of Noura horsing around with a friend. The date on the video is June 9.