Showing posts with label oncoming traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oncoming traffic. Show all posts

Monday

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

ARIZONA: Two brothers died after the one of them drove into the side of a schoolbus near Phoenix. The car was going more than 90 mph before 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. 17-year-old Elmin Morina died at the scene. His brother, 16-year-old Eldin Morina, was pronounced dead later at the hospital. The bus driver, who was the only person on the school bus at the time of the crash, appears to be fine. A picture here shows the car jammed under the side of the bus.

IDAHO: Another school bus accident: 17-year-old Shawn Heckathorn was driving along Indiana Avenue in Caldwell, when he crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a bus, filled with children, head on. He was pronounced dead at the scene. More details are here.

MINNESOTA: A 14-year-old died after the car he was riding in crashed into another car at an intersection. The car, driven by a 17-year-old, rolled and caught fire, according to this story in the Waseca County News.  Jacob Gleason, 14, died, and the driver, 17-year-old CJ Shakal, was airlifted to the hospital and was listed in serious condition following the crash. The driver of the other car was also taken to the hospital.
Monday, September 14, 2009

NORTH CAROLINA: A teen driver crossed the center line on the road Monday and crashed into an oncoming car, killing the two people in the other vehicle. Candice Jenkins, 18, was driving with her friend Philip Spicer, and they were talking and listening to music when her Ford Ranger veered into oncoming traffic. The truck struck a sedan driven by Jack Kightlinger. He and his wife, Adele, both 77, died in the crash.

A local newspaper has the story of two men who helped rescue Candice.

UPDATE: A story about the Kightlingers reveals that Jack was a photographer at the White House, serving under several presidents from President Johnson to President Reagan. Adele was a registered nurse, who, even after hearing her husband had died from the crash, asked for people in the hospital to pray for teen driver Candice Jenkins.

Sunday

Sunday, September 13, 2009

WEST VIRGINIA: Three people died following a car crash Sunday evening. A local TV station says four teens were driving in a sedan when the driver lost control, colliding with a minivan. The sedan caught fire while all four teens were still inside. Two teens -- Kylee Braham, 16, and Riley Puckett, 19, died at the scene. Brittany Waters, 16, died a few days later, police said. A fourth teen, Zach Simon, 16, is in critical condition. All six passengers in the minivan were taken to the hospital.

MICHIGAN: A teenager was thrown from a vehicle near Detroit after a high-speed pursuit with police, and later died. Police have not identified the 15-year-old Detroit resident, who was a passenger in the car. Two other teens, including the driver, were arrested after the car crashed into a stop sign, fire hydrant and tool supply store in Redmond. See the story for more details here.


SOUTH CAROLINA: A 17-year-old Myrtle Beach teen died around 3:30 a.m. after the car he was in failed to stop at a stop sign, crossed over the highway, struck a ditch, struck a tree, and then overturned several times. Patrick McNeese, 17, died at the scene of the crash. This report says another person in the car was taken to the hospital, and police are unsure who was driving the car at the time of the crash.

UPDATE: I'm sure there's a chance there could be another Patrick McNeese in the South Carolina area that surfs, but I'll take the chance that this photo is him There are more photos of Patrick surfing here.

Another update: There is a memorial story here and video of some of Patrick's surfing friends.

INDIANA: A local TV station is reporting that 18-year-old Tommy Allen died in a motorcycle/car accident after he failed to stop his bike at a stop light and ran into the side of a Volkswagen Jetta. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.


PENNSYLVANIA: This is the second driving-related teen death for this part of Pennsylvania in the past couple weeks. The Leader-Vindicator reports that 18-year-old Shane Edward Horner of Brockway died around 3:15 p.m. at the scene of the crash, and two people from Canada were seriously injured. Shane veered into the shoulder and up onto someone's lawn before overcorrecting and driving across the road into oncoming traffic. He struck a minivan driven by an older Canadian man, who was taken to the hospital along with his passenger.

Friends have set up a Facebook memorial page for Shane, who seemed to love to dance.
Saturday, September 12, 2009

IDAHO: The Idaho Statesman reports that 18-year-old Drew Meader died at the scene of a crash in Boise early Saturday. Police say they believe the accident happened around 12:30 a.m., but it wasn't discovered until 8:30 by someone passing by. Police say Drew's pickup truck drifted off the right shoulder. He then over-corrected and slid back across the road and rolled multiple times. Drew was not wearing his seat belt, and was ejected from the truck. He landed hundreds of feet away, police say. The crash scene extended 900 to 1,000 feet from the road.

Police believe Drew was speeding, and say alcohol may have been a factor in the accident, although they won't know for sure until toxicology results are back.

INDIANA: The South Bend Tribune reports that 16-year-old Cody Reid died in a one-car accident Saturday. Cody was driving too fast over a blind hill, and didn't see two cars ahead that were going slower than he was. He had to swerve to avoid them, and ran off the road into a tree. Police say he didn't have his license for very long, and wasn't wearing his seatbelt.

WASHINGTON: An 18-year-old girl died in a one-car accident when she slammed into a utility pole in rural Thurston County. Police say they found Kayla M. Rearden of Rainier dead at the accident scene around 3 a.m. Saturday. She apparently veered off the road and slammed into the pole.

UPDATE: Comments following this story indicate Kayla was heading home from her own going-away party and may have been drinking. We'll update more on this when details become available.

OHIO: A teen was killed in an accident in Waverly when the car she was driving in as a passenger was struck by a truck as it attempted to cross a highway. The Chillicothe Gazette reports that Amber Risner, 17, died when a semi truck struck the car, driven by 17-year-old Ashley Royster. Amber was ejected from the car and declared dead at the scene of the accident. The driver and another passenger were taken to the hospital, as was the driver of the semi truck.

Here's Amber's MySpace page. She seems like a trip. There are some sad messages on her page, especially the one from her sister, who is due soon with her first baby.

Saturday

Friday, September 11, 2009

OKLAHOMA: A 19-year-old motorcycle driver was killed when he rear-ended a car that was trying to avoid a crash on the highway. Police say Thomas Forgione ran into the vehicle from behind when both vehicles changed lanes to avoid the crash. Forgione flew off the motorcycle and was trapped in the car for over an hour, according to this story. He was declared dead at the scene.

INDIANA: Police are considering charging a teen driver who was under the influence, even though he wasn't drunk, when he crashed a car into a tree, killing a passenger in the car. The IndyChannel.com says 19-year-old John Brown III died when the car struck a tree Friday night. Jonathon Freeze, 18, of Ohio, was listed in critical condition after the crash. He had a blood alcohol content of .026 -- less than half the .08 that results in arrest for drunk driving. But police are considering other charges, like reckless homicide.


CONNECTICUT: The New Britain Herald reports that Alexandra M. Rogers died after she lost control of her car, spun across the grassy median on the highway, and collided with an oncoming car. She was pronounced dead at the hospital later; the driver of the other car suffered minor injuries.

KANSAS: Two teens died in a one-vehicle crash late Friday, and the driver was taken to the hospital. The Hays Daily News reports that 16-year-old Jordyn Claiborn and 16-year-old Cody Younger died after the driver lost control of the truck he was driving, and it rolled. Jordyn and Cody were thrown from the truck. Neither were wearing seatbelts. Driver Clayton Hoffman was taken to the hospital.

Friends of Jordyn and Cody have posted memorial videos to their friends. Jordyn's is here and Cody's is here.



MARYLAND: Leslie Ann Hook, 16, was pronounced dead shortly after an accident that happened around 3 p.m. Friday. Police say Leslie lost control of her car on a wet road, crossed the centerline and drove into a tree on the other side of the road. Two other teens in the car were taken to the hospital.


INDIANA: Caitlin Lee McMasters, 17, of Jamestown, was killed Friday afternoon after she drove off the road and struck a tree. Police say she was speeding. There were no other passengers in her car. "This is another one of those sad cases where speed is a factor," Boone County Sheriff Ken Campbell told a local television station. "A young, inexperienced driver is traveling too fast and unfortunately, speed leads to tragedy."

Thursday

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

ILLINOIS: The Daily Herald reports that 19-year-old James Kaylor died Wednesday after he lost control of his vehicle, crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a truck head-on. The accident happened just after 1 a.m. Wednesday on Joliet Road in Woodridge. The truck driver tried to avoid the crash, but couldn't. He was uninjured. Police say there were no drugs or alcohol involved in the accident.

NEVADA: The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that 18-year-old Lucio Sanchez Jr. died Wednesday night in a crash that appears to have been caused by drunk driving. Four other teenagers also in the car were seriously injured. Lucio had just turned eastbound on Tropical Parkway in Las Vegas when he lost control of the vehicle, striking a brick wall.

Sanchez was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Police say there were three 14-year-old boys and a 17-year-old girl also in the car.

NEW YORK: Police have not yet named a 16-year-old boy who died in Ellenburg Center Wednesday night. Few details were available in this story in the Press-Republican, other than the accident was a one-car rollover.

UPDATE: The story has more details now. Christian Garceau died in the one-car crash around 10:40 p.m. He ran off the road and slammed into a group of boulders. His car flipped onto the side, where it burst into flames. Police believe speeding was a factor in the crash.

Follow the above link to learn more about Christian.

ILLINOIS: The Chicago Breaking News Center reports that 16-year-old Dematrice Wallace died on Thursday, a day after he sustained serious injuries in a head-on accident in Chicago. Dematrice was a rear-seat passenger in an Oldsmobile sedan that crashed head-on with a Saturn driven by a 37-year-old woman. Police have not yet released the cause of the crash.

Wednesday

Sunday, September 6, 2009


TEXAS: Swanging? Swangin? However you spell it, a 12-year-old boy died around 2 a.m. after he fell off the hood of a car that was swanging/swangin down the road. Roderick Brigance, age 12, died after he was run over by the car he was sitting on. The 17-year-old driver first fled the scene, and then came back and turned himself in.

Swangin is a dangerous-looking cruising method, in which the drivers veer from one side of the road to the other side of the road back and forth, crossing into oncoming traffic if necessary.

UPDATE: A later story claims Roderick was just sitting on the hood of the car, and the driver came out and sped away, running him over. So it's unclear whether swangin was the real cause of the crash.


NORTH CAROLINA: The Charlotte Observer reports that a 16-year-old girl died Sunday in a single-car accident. Brittany Johnson was driving on Mauney Road when she ran off the road and into a ditch around 6:30 p.m., police said. The car then struck a utility pole.

More details came out later about the accident. Brittany was texting her mother when the crash occurred, according to this TV news story. Police say she ran off the road, struck an embankment, went airborne and struck a pole. It appeared the top of the car near Brittany's head struck the pole before the car spun around. Witnesses said it was wrapped around the pole like a horseshoe.

Read the TV story to hear more details about the help that came from neighbors.


Kylee Acre

PENNSYLVANIA: A local TV station reported that 16-year-old Kylee Acre was killed in an accident Sunday after the driver of the car she was in crossed the center line and hit an oncoming vehicle. Kylee, who was an active volunteer with organizations like Locks of Love, the Salvation Army, a rehabilitation center and a nursing home, was beginning her junior year at Burrell high school. The driver of the car, 18-year-old Jonathan O'Sullivan, was taken the hospital with serious injuries. Three other people were also hurt in the crash.

Here's Kylee's MySpace page. She lists her mommy as her hero, and posts this quote from Bob Marley: "One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."

LOUISIANA: Not much detail on this accident: Police say 17-year-old Allison Miller was killed when her vehicle flipped and struck a tree. She was found dead at the site of the accident around 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The car appears to have left the roadway, flipped, and hit the tree.

Her obituary is here.
Sunday, August 30, 2009


UTAH: A motorcross racer died when the RV he was driving rolled off a mountain road after losing its brakes. Tanner Krahenbuhl, 16, was leaving or coming to (unclear from various reports) a motorcross event near Powder Mountain towing a 24-foot trailer. The Nevada teen had two other people in the RV with him, who survived the crash. There are videos of Tanner here at his personal Web site. And here is a memorial site. 


KANSAS: A 17-year-old died when her car ran off the road in Hodgeman County. Amber R. Schmitt was driving a 2002 Chevy Silverado, according to the Dodge City Daily Globe, when she left the road and entered a ditch. She re-entered the road, but lost control of the vehicle, which went back into the ditch and rolled.

PENNSYLVANIA: State Police said 19-year-old Benjamin Horner of Franklin was killed in a 3:48 p.m. crash in Ashland Township. The teen, driving a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, crossed into oncoming traffic and sideswiped another car. Horner was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other driver was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.

OHIO: A Caledonia teen was killed in a car accident after she crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle head on, according to the Marion Star. Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth Bayles was declared dead at the scene of the 9:25 p.m. crash., and the driver of the other car was brought to the hospital. No word on seatbelt use or the cause of the crash.


UTAH: Four teens died in a high-speed accident along a rural road sometime between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., although the scene of the accident was not discovered until 7:30 a.m. The driver had survived the initial impact and was able to walk or crawl a short distance away before he died, according to a story in the Deseret News. The Chevy Aveo subcompact car was going about 95 mph before crashing, police said. Jose Flores, 16, of Orem, was driving, and died shortly after the crash. The three passengers, Mauro Lopez, 16, and Manuel Gonzalez, 19, both of Orem, and Vanessa Estrada, 13, of Payson, were killed instantly.

UPDATE: Memorial story on Vanessa can be found here. The driver was apparently going around 100 mph in a 30 mph zone.


SOUTH CAROLINA: Blake C. Tuggle, 18, died in a one-car accident after his 1991 Honda slid off the wet highway, according to The State.  The car crashed into the woods and struck two trees about 9:50 p.m. He had been speeding, the county coroner's office said, and was wearing his seatbelt.

MINNESOTA: Police are not releasing the name of a 19-year-old woman from East Bethel who died in a one-car rollover crash Sunday morning. There were no witnesses, and the woman was wearing her seatbelt.