Two girls struck, injured by grandmother's vehicle

By Houston Chronicle

Two children are at Memorial Hermann hospital this morning after being hit Sunday afternoon by a vehicle that police say was driven by their grandmother, KHOU is reporting today.
The girls were playing in the yard in the 22800 block of Earlmist in northeast Harris County when the grandmother was backing out of the driveway. Her vehicle did two 360-degree turns in the driveway and then slide into the yard, striking both girls who were playing there, according to the KHOU report.
The girls, ages 7 and 8, were rushed to Memorial Hermann hospital by ambulance, where they are listed in critical condition.
Police are investigating a possible mechanical malfunction with the vehicle.

Houston Chronicle
Jan. 15, 2006

Hit-and-run driver kills Pearland teenager on bike

By Houston Chronicle

Police have identified a Pearland resident killed Saturday in a hit-and-run accident as Randall Lane, 17.
Lane and a friend were riding bicycles about 7:45 p.m. when they were struck by a pickup truck in the 2400 block of Garden.
Lane was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he died, Pearland police said.
The other victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver fled, but officers found the truck Sunday after receiving a tip from the public.
Police said they were obtaining an arrest warrant for the registered owner, who may be heading to Mexico.

Cable News Network
Wednesday, January 11, 2006

7-year-old leads police on chase
Boy wanted driver's license, took parents' pickup

By Associated Press

SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee – Eager to get his driver's license, a 7-year-old boy put on his seat belt and remembered to use his turn signal, as he took his parent's pickup truck out for a spin, leading police on a slow pursuit around town.
Officers initially thought they were chasing a drunk driver.
"He was weaving and all over the road. He couldn't stay in his lane," Officer Josh Laverette said.
What they found instead Monday evening was a barely 4-foot-tall second-grader.
"He was so short he had to sit up close to the steering wheel," Laverette said. "Whenever he would brake, he would pick himself up with his left foot and stomp on the brake with his right."
The boy, whose name was not released, narrowly avoided several collisions. "It could have been very serious," Laverette told WSMV-TV as he reviewed a videotape shot from one of the pursuing police cars.
The seven-mile chase ended when the boy drove home and parked.
"He said the reason he took the vehicle was because he wanted to get his license," Laverette said.
Nine years too early for the license test, the boy was charged with driving without a license, eluding police and leaving the scene of an accident. He faces a hearing this week in juvenile court.
Witness Susan Daniel described the scene: "There were like probably five city cars and three county cars and a state trooper" all chasing the pickup, she said.
"It blew my mind, because we actually watched him put on his turn signal and turn. And we could see when he went past that he had seat belts on," Daniel said. "Then to come find out it was a child, i was really shocked."

KOMO-TV (Seattle)
January 9, 2006

Suspect Arrested in Hit-And-Run

By Kevin Reece

TACOMA - Monday evening police arrested the suspected hit-and-run driver who left an 11-year-old boy critically injured in a Tacoma Street.
Timmy Plai and his friends were riding their bicycles at about 6 o'clock Saturday night at the intersection of 72nd Street and East 'I' Street. They were crossing at an unmarked crosswalk when a white pickup truck swerved into Timmy.
Witnesses say the driver never looked back and sped away.
Tacoma police say the passenger in the truck that night called them on Monday to say he could lead them to the driver.
He took them to an address in the 1000 block of East 72nd Street, within a half mile of the boy's home, where the driver was waiting to turn himself in.
Police also impounded the truck they believe the man was driving the night of the collision.
The passenger told police that they had been drinking that night and that after hitting the boy they were scared and drove away. Guilt got the better of them 48 hours later.
Meanwhile, as of Monday night, Timmy Plai was still in a coma in critical condition. And, reacting to the arrest, the boy's father says he is still outraged that his son was treated like an animal run down in the street.
"Just if I had a chance I want to say to him on that day 'why do you run and why do you do that to my kid,' "Mok You said he would like to ask the driver. "And all my question is just why, why, why... because I don't know the answer."
The 26-year-old driver was booked into the Pierce County Jail for investigation of felony hit and run. Police say the passenger probably won't face any charges.

Houston Chronicle
Nov. 30, 2004

Dad charged after 14-year-old girl crashes his SUV

By S.K. BARDWELL

A father who authorities say let his unlicensed 14-year-old daughter drive his SUV faces felony charges after she crashed following a visit to a nightclub, injuring herself and two friends.
The prosecutor hopes the case will send a message to other parents.
"A vehicle can be just as deadly as a firearm," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Warren Diepraam said today. "As a parent you've got a responsibility to protect your child."
Charged Sunday with criminal negligence, Barry Martin Holste, 53, was released from jail this morning after he posted a $30,000 bond.
Danielle Holste, 14, was driving her father's SUV on Thanksgiving when she lost control on a Southwest Freeway exit ramp about 10:30 p.m., Diepraam said.
The accident sent Danielle Holste and two friends, both 15, to the hospital. Danielle Holste has since been released with a leg cast, Diepraam said. The other two teens remain in intensive care, one with a broken neck and the other with bleeding in the brain that has caused seizures, he said.

Austin American-Statesman
Monday, November 15, 2004

AUSTIN
Two dead in Braker Lane wreck

Two men died Sunday in North Austin when one of them lost control of his car, which struck a tree, Austin police spokeswoman Toni Chovanetz said.
Chovanetz said the Mustang was heading east in the 1500 block of West Braker Lane about 4:30 p.m. when it began to hydroplane, left the road and split in half after striking the tree.
Both occupants were ejected, she said, and it was not clear whether they were wearing seat belts.
A 21-year-old man died at the scene. A 19-year-old died shortly after arriving at Brackenridge Hospital.
Witnesses said the driver was speeding, Chovanetz said. Investigators also found alcohol at the scene, she added.
The men's names were being withheld pending notification of their relatives. The deaths were Austin's 62nd and 63rd traffic-related fatalities this year.

Austin American-Statesman
Monday, November 15, 2004

Pedestrian killed in East Austin
Man struck by two cars Sunday night

By By Tony Plohetski - AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

A man attempting to cross East Riverside Drive near the intersection of Faro Drive was killed after being struck Sunday night by two vehicles. He died a short time later at Brackenridge Hospital.
Police said both cars had a green light and both drivers stopped at the scene.
The name of the victim is not being released pending family notification.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is asked to call 974-8211. This is the 64th traffic fatality of 2004.

New York Times
October 17, 2004

Dozens Are injured in Crashes as Storm Strikes interstate 95

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WHITE MARSH, Md., Oct. 16 (AP) - At least 86 vehicles crashed in 11 separate accidents on interstate 95 on Saturday as a storm blew through a Baltimore suburb, injuring at least 49 people and forcing the authorities to shut down the highway.
Some of the injuries were serious, but no deaths were immediately reported.
Cpl. Rob Moroney of the Maryland State Police said there had been at least four big accidents along an 11-mile stretch of the interstate. The accidents started about 4:30 p.m., when the sky darkened and hail and rain started falling.
Cindy James of Woodbridge, Va., said the road was slippery but the glare was unusually strong from sleet on the road, even though she had been wearing sunglasses.
Her 15-year-old daughter, Veronica, said, "Everybody stopped because of the glare and the sleet."
Susan Whickers of Baltimore said she knew she was in trouble when drivers in all four lanes slammed on their brakes.
"I was thinking, 'Oh God,' because the car in front of us went right under a tractor-trailer," Ms. Whickers said.
Leslie Baker, an emergency medical technician with the Joppa Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, said she knew of 49 people who had been injured, including 22 in one crash involving a bus with 30 people aboard.
While she was helping at that accident, Ms. Baker said, she saw other crashes happen, one involving a tractor-trailer running over another vehicle.
Five people being treated at a University of Maryland trauma center were in serious condition, a spokeswoman said. Ten people were sent to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, a hospital spokeswoman said.
There also were numerous minor injuries, the state police said, but the total number of people transported to hospitals was not immediately clear.
A section of I-95 was closed in both directions, but the authorities reopened the northbound lanes late Saturday night. They hoped to open the southbound lanes early Sunday morning.

LAS VEGAS SUN
August 31, 2004

Taxicab strikes conventioneer

By AUTHOR

A North Carolina woman was in critical condition at University Medical Center this morning after being struck by a taxi near the Las Vegas Convention Center.
The woman, whose name was not immediately available, was attending the MAGIC convention. She was walking across Convention Center Drive near its intersection with Paradise Road about 8:15 when she was struck by the Ford Crown Victoria headed east, Metro Sgt. Frank Weigand said.
Witnesses told police the taxi driver, who was going around two lanes of stopped traffic toward a left turn lane, accelerated before hitting the woman.
The driver had not been charged as of this morning.

King County Journal - Bellevue, WA
2004-09-02

Teens in truck toss debris at passing vehicles
Boys also smashed car mirrors while traveling along State Route 167

By Jeff Switzer
Journal Reporter

Two teenage boys clubbed car mirrors and threw junk at commuters on State Route 167 Wednesday morning-- all from the back of a moving Nissan pickup truck.
The dangerous behavior comes as the State Patrol is dealing with a skyrocketing increase in reports of road debris on state highways.
State troopers received 337 reports of road debris in February. The number of reports climbed through the summer, reaching 794 for the month of August, said Trooper Kelly Spangler.
''These numbers show the public has a heightened awareness of how dangerous debris can be. We're happy to get it out of the road.''

Havoc on the highway

Wednesday's incident sparked more than a dozen calls to 911 reporting the teens wreaking havoc on the highway.
''These two boys were throwing things at cars, as well as using a 4-foot-long stick to whack people's mirrors as they drive by,'' said Trooper Kelly Spangler.
At one point, one boy threw a tire iron out of the truck, Spangler said. A basketball, a chili dog and wood debris were also thrown from the moving truck, witnesses said, while the boys were standing in the truck traveling at freeway speeds.
Eight vehicles were damaged during the morning spree, ranging from scratched paint to a hole in a driver's door and a cracked windshield. No injuries were reported.

Arrested for mischief

The first complaint reported the boys at 8:39 a.m. at the Kent-Auburn border. The truck traveled more than six miles to the Renton border at Southeast 180th Street before troopers caught them.
in the back of the truck, troopers found the boys dressed in all-black Goth clothes. One wore tennis shoes, a black trench coat and neon green and black striped tights.
A 19-year-old man driving the truck told troopers he didn't know the younger boys were throwing stuff out of his truck or attacking passing vehicles. Troopers don't plan to charge the driver with any crime, Spangler said.
The boys were arrested for first-degree malicious mischief and booked into the King County Juvenile Detention facility, Spangler said.

Reports skyrocketing

Reports of road debris have skyrocketed in recent months after making headlines with serious injury accidents on interstate 405 and State Route 202. An insulation knife also reportedly fell from a truck recently and stabbed into a car bumper on I-405 in Totem Lake
Maria Federici was blinded and seriously injured by a falling piece of an entertainment center on Feb. 22 as she drove on I-405. Babe Watson's face was shattered by a stray metal bar as she drove on SR-202 outside Fall City on Aug. 9.
''Obviously the number of calls have increased greatly,'' Spangler said. ''They're important calls, especially if it's a piece of wood or metal, it is potentially dangerous and it needs to be removed.''
Jeff Switzer can be reached at jeff.switzer@kingcountyjournal.com or 425-453-4234.

Houston Chronicle
Sept. 1, 2004

Fallen stop sign blamed for crash
A dozen children riding in a Salvation Army van suffer minor injuries

By MIKE GLENN

A stop sign that had been pulled from the ground is being blamed for a two-car crash in north Houston that sent a dozen children to the hospital, police said.
The children were being driven to a Salvation Army after-school program about 4 p.m. when their van was broadsided at Weiss and Gano.
Police said the van had the right of way but confirmed that a stop sign on Gano had been pulled up and left lying on the ground. The driver of the Mazda likely will not be cited, police said.
Some neighbors said the stop sign has been down for three days and said they had called the city's 311 customer service hot line.
City officials said the first report they received was shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Frank Michel, the mayor's communications director, said the downed stop sign was added to the repair list about 20 minutes later.
Because the intersection was not considered high-traffic, city policy said work crews had up to 24 hours to fix the sign.
"If it's a major intersection, they are dispatched immediately," Michel said.
Houston firefighters said the children ® along with the adult drivers of both vehicles ® were strapped onto backboards as a precaution.
"They had minor cuts and bruises ® nothing broken," said HFD Capt. Howard Shaw. "They were pretty much scared more than anything else."
The children in the van, ranging in age from about 2 to 10, and the adult driver were taken to LBJ Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital. The driver who struck the van and a child, believed to be about 8, riding with her were taken to Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, officials said.
The children and driver in the Salvation Army van were treated and sent home Tuesday, said agency spokesman Rolan Chambless.
Police said the van was westbound on Weiss when it was struck in the middle of the intersection by the northbound Mazda sedan on Gano.
Chambless said he believed the students were properly secured before the accident.
"It is our ruling and our procedures that everyone must be in a seat belt in a Salvation Army van," he said.
Both vehicles were heavily damaged.
"The wreck was strong enough that it probably totalled our Salvation Army van," Chambless said.
City workers set up a temporary stop sign at the intersection Tuesday night and would return today to erect a permanent sign, officials said.

Miami Herald
Mon, Jun. 09, 2003

Causeway accident injures 6, and police blame drag racing

BY JENNIFER MALONEY
jmaloney@herald.com

A drag race on the Rickenbacker Causeway came to an abrupt halt Sunday when one of two speeding cars struck a third vehicle carrying two families on an afternoon outing. Four adults and two toddlers were seriously injured, police said.
Sunday evening, as traffic remained backed up in the westbound lanes, a crumpled Toyota SUV sat on the median, surrounded by evidence of a day at the beach: two Coca-Cola bottles, a cooler, towels, a blanket and a watermelon smashed on the pavement.
On the opposite shoulder rested a BMW with a crushed front end.
Just a few hours earlier, drivers of the BMW and a Porsche had been racing at speeds ''in excess of 100 miles an hour,'' said Lt. Bill Schwartz, a Miami police spokesman.
On the spit of land between Virginia Key and the mainland, the BMW collided with the Toyota sport utility vehicle, which then flipped and spun on its roof, Schwartz said.
The driver of the Porsche fled the scene but was found later after a witness followed the vehicle and called Miami police, who caught up with the Porsche in Coconut Grove and detained the driver for questioning.
Inside the Toyota were members of two families -- a couple with their daughter and a woman with her daughter.
All were in serious but stable condition Sunday night, as was the driver of the BMW.
Police said both children, ages 2 and 3, had been in car seats. The 2-year-old, who was unconscious at the scene, had regained consciousness, Schwartz said.
A passenger in the BMW and the driver of the Porsche were not hurt.
Police declined to identify any of the people involved.
The Rickenbacker Causeway links Miami with Key Biscayne east of the mainland across Biscayne Bay. The scenic road provides long stretches of pavement overlooking the bay and the Miami skyline.
On the causeway, witnesses said they could hear the speeding cars approach.
''When they got here, it looked like the Porsche was just flying,'' said Phillip Spencer, 20, a windsurfing instructor who was working on the south shore of the causeway when he heard a crash and turned to see the Porsche driving away. ''We didn't hear it slow down at all.''
Spencer and other bystanders ran to pull the victims out of the Toyota.
One child was in her mother's arms before they pulled the toddler from the car, Spencer said.
Bystanders then flipped the vehicle to extract the mother, he said.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6/9/03

COLUMBIA COUNTY
Two Augusta-area teens die in weekend accident

Speed and rainy weather conditions played a factor in a car accident that killed two Evans High School students on Sunday, Columbia County officials said.
A Ford Thunderbird driven by Jennifer L. McElmurray, 16, of Evans, lost control and slid into a grassy knoll before hitting trees and catching on fire.
Brad Thornton, 17, of Evans, and Keith Kroggman, 16, of Martinez, were pronounced dead at the accident site, said Vernon Collins, deputy county coroner. McElmurray was treated at Medical College of Georgia Hospital and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Monday, June 09, 2003

2 die in indiana County accidents
Motorcycle crashes into tractor; fire truck runs down pedestrian

Separate accidents killed two men in indiana County yesterday.
At 12:47 p.m., a 41-year-old Pittsburgh resident died when his motorcycle crashed into a tractor.
State police said the motorcycle operator was traveling at "an extremely high rate of speed on State Route 3002, also known as Saltsburg Road, in Conemaugh Township. He crested a hill and struck a tractor that was pulling onto the road. He died at the scene. The tractor operator was not injured.
Deputy Coroner Michael Baker identified the victim as Mark McKiel of Juliet Street in Oakland, a systems analyst at the University of Pittsburgh.
During last night's storm, a resident of the village of Clune, also known as Coal Run, was killed by a fire truck that was responding to a call. State police said the 61-year-old victim crossed State Route 3029 (Coal Run Road) around 9 p.m. to retrieve a garbage can that had been blown across the road.
The pedestrian then crossed back in front of the fire truck, which had its emergency lights on. A release from police does not indicate that the siren was on.
The victim died at 11:05 p.m. at Latrobe Area Hospital, and today the Westmoreland County Coroner's Office identified him as John G. Bogdanski.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6/9/03

Taxi driver found dead in minivan in Marietta

By MIKE MORRIS
Staff Writer

Marietta police today were trying to determine why someone shot and killed a taxi driver early Sunday.
Residents on Phillips Drive called police about 4:30 a.m. after hearing a wreck and a car horn blaring, said Marietta police Officer Brian Marshall.
Police responded and found Abelino M. Juarez slumped over the steering wheel of his Ford Aerostar minivan, which had come to rest against a utility pole. He had been shot in the chest, Marshall said.
He said it appeared that the van, which was not severely damaged, rolled into the utility pole at a "very low speed."

Kansas City Star
Mon, Jun. 09, 2003

KANSAS CITY, KAN.
Woman killed in wreck

A 67-year-old Arkansas woman died after the car she was riding in crashed into a building Sunday morning in Kansas City, Kan., police said.
Jeanne M. Byers of Beebe, Ark., was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The wreck happened about 11:55 a.m. near Mill Street and Osage Avenue.
According to police, the driver of the car, whose name was not released, apparently suffered some sort of medical problem and lost control of the car. The driver was taken to a hospital for treatment, but the driver's condition was not available late Sunday.

Washington Post
Monday, June 9, 2003; Page B03

Anne Arundel Crash Kills Two

Two people were killed in a head-on collision early yesterday in Anne Arundel County after one of the drivers headed in the wrong direction on Route 50, Maryland State Police said.
Jessica M. Armstrong, 22, of Hanover, was driving west in the eastbound lanes of Route 50 near the Severn River Bridge when her 2002 Jeep Wrangler collided about 4:20 a.m. with a Nissan 240 SX driven by David C. Wilson, 28, of Stevensville, police said.
Wilson, of the 100 block of South Carolina Road, was pronounced dead at the scene. Armstrong, of the 1900 block of Annawon Court, died after being transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, police said.

Miami Herald
Mon, Jun. 09, 2003

Driver killed on turnpike

A Southwest Miami-Dade man was killed early Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle, which flipped over on Florida's Turnpike.
The motorist, Jimmy Briones, 27, was ejected from his 1999 Ford and landed on the paved shoulder of the road near the Southwest Eighth Street exit of the Homestead extension. Briones was pronounced dead at the scene just after 6 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6/9/03

Generator falls off truck, kills 2 in SUV

Two women were killed when a two-ton generator fell from an 18-wheeler and landed on top of their sport utility vehicle, police said. Driver Becky Marie LeGrande, 21, of Rincon, and passenger Amanda Leigh McKinney, 22, of Cordele, died in the Thursday night accident on Ga. 36 near Jackson.The generator came loose and crushed the SUV.

Kansas City Star
Mon, Jun. 09, 2003

Man charged in wreck that killed Overland Park man

By TONY RIZZO
The Kansas City Star

The alleged driver in a traffic collision that killed an Overland Park man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Braden K. Beller turned himself in this morning after Johnson County prosecutors told his lawyers that a warrant had been issued Friday.
Beller, 30, appeared this afternoon in Johnson County District Court, where he is charged in the death of 21-year-old Glenn J. Treakle in February.
Treakle's mother, Roberta Treakle, attended the brief court hearing but did not speak.
"I'm glad the process has started," she said after the hearing. "We've waited long enough."
Beller allegedly was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on Feb. 19 when his truck missed a curve, struck a tree near 91st Terrace and Hemlock Street, and overturned.
Treakle was a passenger in the truck. Another passenger, Nicholas R. Miller, was injured. Beller is charged with aggravated battery for the injuries suffered by Miller.
Both the charges are felonies, and the judge who signed the warrant set a $25,000 bond.

Houston Chronicle
June 7, 2003

Pickup driver sought in bicyclist's 'deliberate' hit-and-run

By LUCAS WALL

State police are looking for a pickup that struck a bicyclist Saturday morning in Montgomery County.
The incident occurred about 10:35 a.m. on Texas 105 near Montgomery High School. Bill Oswald was riding his bicycle westbound on the shoulder of the four-lane highway when the pickup ran into him and failed to stop.
Oswald and two friends were on a 70-mile bike ride as they passed the school. Oswald said he noticed a vehicle approaching on the left.
"The next thing I knew I got this incredible pain in my back and I was airborne," he said via phone Saturday night from his residence in The Woodlands, where he was recuperating after being taken to Memorial Hermann hospital there.
"I glanced up and the vehicle was back on the road. I didn't see any brake lights -- it just kept maintaining its speed."
Oswald said he suffered a fractured rib, bruised kidney and lungs and "numerous abrasions and contusions."

Oakland Tribune
Saturday, June 7, 2003

Oakland musician dies in bike accident

By Laura Casey
Staff Writer

OAKLAND - Accomplished Oakland musician Matthew Sperry, who most recently played bass for the San Francisco stage production of Hedwig and the Angry inch, was hit by a car and killed Thursday morning while riding his bicycle on the Oakland/Emeryville border.
Oakland police spokeswoman Danielle Ashford said Sperry, 34, was riding his bike north on Vallejo Street at Powell Street about 9 a.m. when a 46-year-old Berkeley resident in a pick-up truck turned left onto Powell Street and hit him.
The impact threw Sperry, who was wearing a helmet, off his bicycle. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene.

Houston Chronicle
June 7, 2003

Police: Suspect sets himself ablaze after chase

By PEGGY O'HARE

A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend, then leading police on a chase apparently set himself on fire after wrecking his car in Baytown early today, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, was in critical condition at Memorial Hermann Hospital later this morning, hospital officials said.
Harris County sheriff's deputies were told around 1:20 a.m. that a woman had been stabbed in the 7400 block of Forestay Lane just outside the Baytown city limits. Her attacker was gone when deputies arrived, having fled in a dark-colored Camaro with a purple light beneath the vehicle. Authorities were told the man was possibly on interstate 10 heading toward Beaumont.
About 2:45 a.m., Baytown police found the man's car and tried to stop him, but he would not pull over. Sheriff's deputies joined in the chase. The man then crashed into another vehicle at Wyoming and Missouri streets in Baytown, then set himself ablaze inside his car, sheriff's reports show.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Saturday, June 7, 2003

Police officer injured in crash on way to work

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

FEDERAL WAY - While riding her motorcycle on her way into work yesterday morning, a Federal Way police officer was struck by another vehicle and hospitalized for multiple fractures to her right leg.
After the accident on Pacific Highway South in Federal Way, the officer, Shelly Hamel, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She is expected to make a full recovery.

Houston Chronicle
June 7, 2003

Car plunges into river, killing woman and three children; one body still missing

Associated Press

JACKSON, Calif - Rescue workers struggled for hours today to recover the bodies of a woman and three children, ages 1 through 3, who died when their car plunged into a frigid river.
The driver -- the boyfriend of the woman and father of two of the children -- survived and was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. The man and his brother told authorities they were washed downstream when they opened a door to get out.
The car hurtled into the Mokelumne River about 40 miles southeast of Sacramento on Friday afternoon. After floating about 400 yards downstream, it wedged against a rock as water filled the car and rushed over the top.
After darkness cut short their efforts to retrieve the bodies Friday, rescuers on a boat struggled against rapids for five hours Saturday and removed two of the children's bodies. Later a helicopter hoisted the white sedan out of the 57-degree water, but only the mother was inside.
"it's been a difficult day, but it's not done yet," Amador County Sheriff Mike Trizmich said Saturday afternoon.
Authorities arrested driver Joshua Julin, 20, of nearby Mokelumne Hill. Witnesses described the car speeding on the narrow road that parallels the river, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.
Julin's father, Bret, said the missing woman was Katie Corbett, his son's girlfriend of about a year. He identified the children as Corbett's daughter Kiara, 2, and Julin's daughter Mariah, 3, and son Andrew, 1.

Houston Chronicle
June 7, 2003

Driver leaves scene of fiery fatal crash, police say

By PEGGY O'HARE

A driver fled the scene of a fiery accident that killed one passenger and injured another in northeast Houston early today.
Alcohol may have played a role in the crash, which happened at 5:05 a.m. In the 7300 block of East Hardy Road near Crosstimbers, Houston police reports show.
A 1996 Chrysler was northbound on East Hardy Road when the vehicle left the road, crossed the median into the southbound lanes of traffic and hit the west wall, police reports show. The vehicle then bounced off the wall and rolled over. At some point, one of the passengers was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene, police said. That victim's name was not being released by the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office until later.
The driver and the passenger who survived are believed to have shaken the dead man in a futile attempt to revive him, but the driver was then picked up by someone in a black vehicle and fled the scene, police said. The surviving passenger, a Houston man, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital.
The vehicle burned after the final impact when it crashed into the wall. Houston police are investigating the incident as a hit-and-run fatality.

News 8 Austin
6/3/2003

Driver sentenced for intoxication assault

By: News 8 Austin Staff

A jury sentenced Michael Munson to 20 years in prison for running over a Smithville police officer.
Munson was driving drunk last July and he pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter.
Munson was also on parole for at least three other drunk driving convictions at the time of the crash.
Officer Ray Shappa was directing traffic when Munson's car hit him. Shappa was seriously injured and doctors had to amputate his left leg.

Star Tribune - Minneapolis
June 3, 2003

Lake Benton shaken by crash that killed 3

Paul Levy, Star Tribune

Nearly 500 people came to honor Lake Benton's graduating class of 14 Saturday, but that was just the beginning. Since then, well-wishers have flocked by the hundreds to a small-grain farm to honor one graduate who died hours before Saturday's ceremonies.
In this southwestern Minnesota border town of 700, everybody seemed to be talking Monday about Nathan Johnson, 18, the jovial 6-foot-3 farm kid who brought his English teacher lunch every day, and Alicia Vos, 17, also of Lake Benton. Early Saturday their car collided head-on with a truck driven by Lance Oppelt, 25, of Elkton, S.D., killing all three and injuring two others.

The Commercial Appeal - Memphis
June 2, 2003

Driver in deaths of Southwind students pleads guilty, gets 22 years

By Lawrence Buser
buser@gomemphis.com

A young woman charged with killing two boys and critically injuring a third in an alcohol-related car crash pleaded guilty Monday morning and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Christina Nicole Morgan, 26, entered her plea in Criminal Court as jury selection was set to begin. The settlement of the high-profile case was approved by family members of the victims and accepted by Judge Arthur Bennett.
Killed in the crash were Malcom Williams and Edgar Akpotu, both students at Southwind Middle School in southeast Shelby County. Another student, Jake Overzet, was injured. The students, all age 12, were walking home from school when Morgan's car jumped the curb and struck them on May 21 last year.
Morgan, whose blood-alcohol content was .12, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide involving alcohol and with vehicular assault, charges that would have carried up to 28 years in prison.

LAS VEGAS SUN
June 02, 2003

For So. Nevada bicyclists, speed by motorists can kill

By Jen Lawson
<lawson@lasvegassun.com>

George Wheatin, a 61-year-old bicyclist who was killed May 25 along State Route 160 near Mountain Springs, was known as "Speedin' Wheatin" from his racing days.
But Nevada Highway Patrol troopers say a 22-year-old motorcyclist, Jeremiah Carlson, was the one who was speeding when he collided with Wheatin near a summit along a scenic route popular with all types of two-wheelers.
Speeding drivers are a problem that Las Vegas area bicyclists face every day, said Debbie Craig, co-owner of Pro Cyclery at 7034 W. Charleston Blvd. But the danger is particularly high along the stretches of roadway that Wheatin rode in the last hours of his life, S.R. 160 and S.R. 159, authorities said.
State Route 159 is the scenic highway that winds through Red Rock Canyon and it links with S.R. 160.
S.R. 159 -- also known as Charleston Boulevard -- from Summerlin through Red Rock Canyon to S.R. 160 and up to the Mountain Springs summit is the most popular bike route in the valley, several bike enthusiasts said.
It's also popular with motorists, however.
"(Drivers) are speeding and looking at the scenery, looking at the mountains," Craig said. "There are so many distractions, and people aren't paying attention to the roads."
Wheatin was riding alone on S.R. 160 north when the crash occurred at about 9 a.m. May 25. Trooper Wayne Prosser said Wheatin had reached the summit and was turning around in the center turn lane when Carlson, also heading north, allegedly struck him.
The speed limit along the roadways used to be 45 mph but within the last few years it was increased to 60 mph and 65 mph in various stretches, officials said.
Dr. John Davis, 47, a Summerlin resident who has been cycling in the area for years, said the near misses along the roadway increased when the speed limit went up on what some call "Widowmaker Road."
"I stopped riding out there for several months because every time I went out I had too many close calls, too many skids to try to keep from getting hit," he said. "And drivers out there act like the wild burros in the area have dropped in from outer space. They see one and they slam on the brakes. I've seen many near collisions of multiple vehicles because of the burros.
"On the other hand," he added, "people who ride bikes out there do get a little cavalier. I've seen 10 people riding together and two of them will be out in the middle of the road. Everybody just needs to look out for each other because it's getting a heck of a lot more traffic. On weekends it gets to be practically bumper to bumper."
Carlson apparently was going above the speed limit when he hit Wheatin, but his exact speed hasn't been determined yet, Prosser said.
Wheatin and Carlson were wearing helmets. Carlson was riding with a group of other motorcyclists but only one stopped to check for injuries, authorities said. Charges were still pending against Carlson this morning, Trooper Angie Wolff, Nevada Highway Patrol spokeswoman, said.
Bruce Mackey, bicycle and pedestrian safety education officer for the state of Nevada, said Wheatin's death was "very unusual."
"This is the first occurrence that I can think of in the past five years where a motorcycle collided with a bicycle," he said.
But Wheatin was the third bicyclist killed in Clark County this year, and the second bicyclist to die in the S.R 159/S.R. 160 area in the past nine months, Mackey said.
Last August, 39-year-old Timothy Poore of Las Vegas was struck by a car and killed as he pedaled along the paved shoulder where S.R. 159 enters Red Rock Canyon.
Davis said the death hit home for him because it was along his regular cycling route.
"The cycling community is very small," Mackey said. "And when one of us dies, it sends ripples through the whole community."
Mackey said he's gotten e-mails from cyclists who are very upset about Wheatin's death.
"I've heard some wonderful things about this cyclist. He was a former racer, a great guy, very involved in biking locally and all of a sudden we lose him. It's a great tragedy."
Wheatin was a regular customer at Craig's bike shop, she said.
"He came in all the time and said, 'Speedin' Wheatin is here!' " Craig said. "He was a bike racer in Chicago, then about four years ago he got back into it again."
Whenever bicyclists get on a highway, they're facing danger, Trooper Angie Wolff said.
But Mackey said if a bicyclist has proper training, bicycle riding can be one of the safest forms of recreation. After all, he said, 10 times as many pedestrians get struck and killed by vehicles.
But there are generally many more pedestrians than bicyclists on and around the roadways, so that increases the odds that more pedestrians will be killed by traffic.
Craig said minor collisions between bicycles and cars happen more often than people realize. People come into the shop fairly often with bikes damaged from collisions with cars, but because the cyclists weren't hurt, no one ever hears about them, she said.
Her husband, Richard, co-owner of the bike shop said: "Close calls are kind of a daily thing for me. If you ride every day you're bound to run into one or two a day. I'm jaded to the whole experience."
Craig said she'd like to see Clark County build more bike paths to give leisure riders a safe place to ride. Off-road bike paths exist near interstate 215 in Henderson and Summerlin. The plan is for the paths to eventually connect, but that won't happen until the construction of I-215 is complete.

Boston Globe
6/1/2003, page B2

Alcohol cited in fatal accident
Marlborough youth faces many charges

By Steve Eder, Globe Correspondent

Marlborough police say Michael J. Murphy, 18, was intoxicated when the car he was driving crashed early Thursday, leaving a friend dead and himself critically injured.
An investigation into the crash that killed Rhys A. Jenkins, 18, of Northborough, showed Murphy was under the influence of alcohol while driving a Mercury sedan before 2 a.m. on Thursday near the Northborough-Marlborough line, Marlborough Police Sergeant Richard Oldroyd said.
Murphy, of Marlborough, will be charged with homicide by motor vehicle under the influence of liquor, operating recklessly, speeding, failure to keep right, and failure to wear a seat belt, Oldroyd said. None of the passengers wore seat belts, police said.
Murphy was in critical condition yesterday afternoon at University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. Jenkins was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Three other passengers were treated for minor injuries after the car crashed into a utility pole and fire hydrant on Robin Hill Road by Pondview Drive.

Indianapolis Star
June 1, 2003

Fairland man is killed after pickup hits tree

A Fairland man died Saturday after the pickup he was driving struck a tree near I-74, just east of Post Road in Marion County.
Robert E. Schumake, 65, was preparing to merge onto I-74 from the Post Road exit. Before hitting the tree, the truck struck several construction barrels, according to indiana State Police reports.
State Police continued to investigate to determine why the truck went out of control.

The Cincinnati Post
05-31-2003

Runaway car crashes after chase

Post staff report

A Cadillac careening out of control down the Harrison Avenue hill in South Fairmount Friday afternoon might have been a case of brake failure. A Cincinnati patrolman noticed the white 1987 Cadillac doing about 45 miles an hour on Harrison near the intersection of McHenry Avenue around 12:45 p.m. The officer turned on his lights and gave chase, but the Cadillac didn't stop.
When the officer used his cruiser's loudspeaker to tell the driver of the Cadillac to pull over, one of its passengers stuck his head out a window and hollered the Cadillac had no brakes. The car continued through several intersections, then crashed into Metro Recycling at 2424 Beekman St. and struck a car parked in the employee lot.
Police arrested the driver of the Cadillac, Antonio Hayes of 3045 Brackenwood Lane, Westwood. He was charged with driving under suspension, seatbelt violations and operating an unsafe vehicle.
Two of Hayes' passengers, Robert Hayes and Carlotta Hayes, were treated and released at University Hospital. The car was impounded to determine whether its brakes had actually failed.

Houston Chronicle
June 1, 2003

Woman tries to run down police; officer opens fire in movie theater parking lot

By MIKE GLENN

A Houston police officer working a part-time security job at a northwest side movie theater opened fire Saturday night when a woman tried to run down other officers at the scene, police officials said.
The shooting occurred about midnight at the AMC theater at Tomball Parkway and FM 1960. Officer James Crawford was checking the parking lot when he smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from a gray Honda Accord. He then called for backup from other HPD officers also working part-time details at the theater, police said.
When police officer J.R. Gratz and another officer arrived to help, the woman behind the wheel suddenly drove away, striking the golf cart they were in. Gratz fired at the late 1980s model sedan when it then moved toward Crawford.

The Cincinnati Post
05-29-2003

Man gets 6 months in road rage episode

By Kimball Perry
Post staff reporter

A road rage incident that involved five people in two cars and left one seriously injured ended Wednesday when the main offender was ordered to prison for six months.
Ryan Lovitt, 20, accepted a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to vehicular assault in exchange for assistant prosecutor David Prem dropping three felonious assault charges.
Lovitt was driving his car April 9 in Colerain Township at about 10 p.m. with his friend Timothy Hatfield in the passenger seat.
When Lovitt's car came to a stop at an intersection, he became enraged when a car behind him got too close, and he believed he was being tailgated.
Lovitt screamed curses out the window at the car - driven by Mark Caldwell and occupied by Gabriel Kapp and Thomas Johnson - and the trio responded in kind.
Prem told Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Patrick Dinkelacker that Lovitt and Hatfield continued the battle after both vehicles left the intersection, with Hatfield leaning out of Lovitt's moving car and hitting Caldwell's moving car with a pool cue.
Prem said Lovitt also tried to use his car to twice ram the other car. Lovitt also was speeding when he smacked into the other car, was forced off the road, hit a telephone pole and injured Hatfield, Prem said.
"(Lovitt's) very, very fortunate that he wasn't killed or seriously injured," Prem told the judge.
After the crash, Prem said, Lovitt threatened the victims in the other car after police arrived.

Houston Chronicle
May 31, 2003

Katy teen dies in crash at creek off Mason Road

A Katy teenager was killed early Saturday when he was ejected from a vehicle that crashed into a creek in far west Harris County.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said Nicholas A. Tapia, 18, of the 300 block of Gentilly in Katy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tapia was the passenger in an automobile traveling northbound on Mason Road about 3:40 a.m. when the driver lost control and veered off the roadway into Mason Creek in the 800 block of Mason Road. Deputies said the driver briefly fled the scene and alcohol may have been a factor, but charges had not been filed.

Charlotte Observer
Friday, May 30, 2003

CATAWBA COUNTY
Woman charged with assaulting officers with car

Police late Wednesday arrested and charged a Newton woman with assaulting two detectives with a car. Police charged 28-year-old Christy Teague Bright with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer after, police say, she fled an arrest at a store Wednesday. Bright shook one detective, Mike Ford, off the car by accelerating and ran over Lt. Rick Coffey, police said.Bright remained in the Catawba County jail Thursday on $102,000 bond. Coffey was released late Wednesday from Catawba Regional Medical Center.

The Cincinnati Post
05-31-2003

Ohio 747 crash kills 2, injures 3

Two men were killed and the driver taking them to work at a West Chester landscaping company was charged with vehicular homicide after he turned into the path of a car coming in the opposite direction Friday morning.
Cosme Monjuras, 25, of Hamilton, was heading south on Route 747 just past Rialto Road shortly after 8 a.m. Riding with him in his 1994 Mazda Prot!"g!" were four co-workers.
With northbound traffic backed up, Monjuras was waiting to turn left into Blue Chip Lawn and Landscaping when another motorist on the inside lane gestured with a wave. Monjuras took it to mean it was safe for him to proceed with the left turn.
As he crossed the center line, the Mazda was struck by a 2001 Ford Explorer, driven by ina Combs, 62, of Fairfield. The impact killed two of Monjuras' passengers, Miguel Ramos, 17, and Fidel Perez, 20, also of Hamilton. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other passengers -- isiais Ramos, 19, and Eusebio Nicanor, 34 -- were taken to University Hospital. Ramos was listed in critical condition, and Nicanor was satisfactory with a broken hip.
Combs was treated and released at Mercy South in Fairfield.
Monjuras was taken to Bethesda North, where he was listed in fair condition. He was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and driving without a license.

FREE PRESS - Detroit
May 29, 2003

Teen is charged in fatal wreck

BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A baby lies in a hospital bed. Her mother is dead and her father is in critical condition - all because a 13-year-old boy with a criminal record ran a red light in a stolen SUV, police say.
The Detroit teenager, a Butzel Middle School student, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder as a juvenile the day after 20- year-old Myra Carter died in her hospital bed.
Police say the teen and a group of his friends riding in the red Jeep Cherokee were part of a ring of thieves who'd been stealing Chrysler vehicles -- especially Jeeps -- for the past two months in Grosse Pointe Park and on Detroit's east side.
Police say the teen drove through a stoplight at East Warren and Lakeview on Sunday night and crashed into a blue 1995 Chevy Cavalier, killing Carter. She was declared brain dead and removed from life support at about 11 p.m. Tuesday at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, her family said.
Carter's boyfriend, Demiul Williams, 24, and their daughter, Arianna Carter, 8 months, were seriously injured.

Charlotte Observer
Friday, May 30, 2003

MYRTLE BEACH
Charlottean, 6 others killed during 4-day bikefest

Seven bikers - including one from Charlotte - were killed during a four- day Atlantic Beach Bikefest last weekend. John Edward Davis Jr., 31, of Charlotte died early Sunday, after he wrecked his motorcycle at the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. Police said he was driving at a high rate of speed and lost control.

Houston Chronicle
May 29, 2003

Two police chases in one day end with suspects in custody

By MIKE GLENN
Houston Chronicle

Motorists who regularly endure Houston's traffic-clogged streets endured yet another round of traveling headaches Thursday in the form of two police chases through the city's freeways.
The first began about 11 a.m. near the South Loop and Scott and ended downtown when the 20-year-old driver careened into another car and fled on foot before being captured.
The second pursuit kicked off about 3:45 p.m. and ended about a half- hour later when the driver surrendered to police.
A Houston independent School District police officer on his lunch break triggered the first chase when an Oldsmobile, now believed to have been stolen, roared past him. Houston police joined the chase when they spotted the car weaving through traffic along the West Loop near Bellaire.
HPD officers continued the pursuit onto the Katy Freeway and toward downtown. When the driver moved onto interstate 45 and then took the McKinney exit near the City Hall annex, a police supervisor, fearing possible danger to pedestrians, told the officers to back off and that a helicopter would take up the chase.
The driver and a 17-year-old passenger dumped the car after it crashed into a Toyota at McKinney and Smith. Officers chased them on foot, assisted by a man police are now calling an "unsung hero."
"He 'strong-armed' one of the suspects to keep him from fleeing," said police spokesman Robert Hurst.
Both arrested men face charges of car theft and evading arrest. Officer James Price, with the South Central Patrol Division, was slightly injured in the foot chase and ensuing scuffle. A woman in the Toyota was not seriously hurt, police said.
The second chase began when patrol officers spotted a black pickup driving erratically in the 3300 block of Montrose. The driver clipped several vehicles before pulling over in the 6400 block of Martin Luther King.
"He appeared to be intoxicated - either alcohol or drugs," said HPD spokesman Alvin Wright.

Indianapolis Star
May 28, 2003

Mayor's driver blamed for rush-hour accident

By Tom Spalding and Matthew Tully
tom.spalding@indystar.com

Mayor Bart Peterson's assigned driver was to blame for a two-car accident outside the City-County Building Tuesday night, according to a police report released today.
Officer Arthur Rowley Jr. failed to yield the right of way when he pulled out of an underground parking garage, crossed several lanes, and collided with another vehicle in what was described as "heavy stop-and-go traffic" moving north on Delaware Street, the report says.
Peterson, a passenger in the Ford sedan, was shaken but uninjured. Rowley, 42, was transported to Methodist Hospital after complaining of shoulder pain. He underwent X-rays but is expected to return to duty today, the mayor said.
The 5:29 p.m. accident caused $10,000 to $25,000 in damages to both the mayor's 2001 Ford Crown Victoria and to the 1997 BMW sedan driven by James Harper, 55, of Carmel. The Eli Lilly and Co. employee was not hurt in the collision.

Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk
May 29, 2003

Three charged with obstructing justice in DUI case

By MATTHEW ROY, The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK - Three people have been charged with obstructing justice in the investigation of the May 6 crash that killed 16-year-old Landon W. Chambers.
They appeared briefly Thursday in General District Court.

Authorities were mum on what the three told investigators regarding the crash at North Military Highway and Azalea Garden Road. After the collision, 30-year-old Roy Lee Everett was charged with drunken driving and other counts.
But police spokeswoman Valorie Massingill confirmed that the obstruction charges involved the crash. Chambers' parents attended the hearing, along with their lawyer.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Thursday, May 29, 2003

Driver gets 3 1/2 years in teen's death

By M.L. LYKE
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

EVERETT - An angry mother yesterday blasted the driver convicted in the vehicular homicide of her 16-year-old daughter, Georgia Pemberton, calling his remorseful three-page statement "bull."
"He willfully murdered my daughter," Katie Pemberton told Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Larry McKeeman during sentencing for Allison Arnold Jr.
Arnold, a 34-year-old plumber from Bellevue, struggled to control himself as he took the stand. "I grieve for Georgia in my heart and soul, I do," he said, his voice rising. "For people to say I don't -- that just eats me up."
Arnold was convicted last month of vehicular homicide in the April 27, 2002, head-on collision with Georgia and a friend, who were going to a post-prom party in Georgia's mother's '97 Ford Mustang.
Prosecutors described how Arnold, playing a "deadly game" with another driver, dodged in and out past cars in his Ford Explorer, finally crossing over the yellow line on state Route 104 in Edmonds and hitting the Mustang.

Detroit Free Press
May 28, 2003

Driver, 13, faces charges in police chase, crash

BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A 13-year-old boy faces several charges after leading police on a chase in a stolen SUV Sunday night that ended with him crashing into a car and injuring three people, including an infant.
The teen was being held Tuesday in the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center pending charges. Grosse Pointe Park police, who chased the car Sunday, said the boy was arrested early Tuesday after his family reported him to police.
The boy is from Detroit. His name is being withheld because he is a juvenile and charges against him are still being prepared.
"He admitted to knowing the vehicle was stolen and causing the accident," according to a police statement.
According to police, the chase began at 9:30 p.m. Sunday after patrol officers saw a red Jeep Cherokee without a license plate speeding. Officers were looking for a vehicle fitting that description; it had been seen near a car that had been burglarized.
The SUV, which had five people ages 12-16 inside, fled west into Detroit, with police in pursuit. At Lakeview and Warren, on Detroit's east side, the SUV crashed into a car carrying three people.
The youths fled the stolen vehicle, which had the items taken from the burglarized car inside. The injured people in the other car were taken to St. John Hospital in Detroit.
Tuesday evening, hospital spokeswoman Tina Artiga said Demiul Williams, 24, Myra Carter, 20, and their daughter, Arianna Carter, 8 months, were in critical condition.

Philadelphia inquirer
Wed, May. 28, 2003

Two killed in head-on crash near State College

Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - A State College couple were killed when their car crossed into oncoming traffic and was hit head-on by a sport-utility vehicle east of State College.
Grigoriy Akimov, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene of the Tuesday crash; his wife, Dina Akimova, 73, died after being taken to Centre Community Hospital.
Police said Akimov was driving west on Route 322 when the car veered onto the berm, hit the guard rail, then crossed into the eastbound lane, where it collided with a Ford Explorer.
Both people in the Explorer sustained only minor injuries.
Police were still investigating the cause of the crash.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Driver sentenced in fatal accident

By The Associated Press

HARRISBURG - A 21-year-old Harrisburg man who admitted driving drunk and causing a crash that killed six people last summer was sentenced yesterday to 26 to 52 years in prison.
Dauphin Common Pleas Judge John F. Cherry imposed the sentence after an emotional hearing at which Boyd C. Knouse's family pleaded for leniency and victims' relatives urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence.
Knouse, who had been free on $100,000 bail, faced a mandatory minimum of 18 years, and prosecutors had calculated the maximum at 114 years.
Last month, Knouse pleaded no contest to an array of charges that included six counts of vehicular homicide while driving drunk, which carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison.
Prosecutors said Knouse, who was 20 at the time of the July 13 crash on the outskirts of Harrisburg, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent following the accident -- five times the DUI threshold for minors.
Knouse lost control of his car and it struck an oncoming car driven by Rocky Keller Jr., 24, of Harrisburg. Keller, who was seriously injured, and Knouse, who was not, were the only survivors. Two passengers in Knouse's car and four in Keller's car were killed.

New York Times
May 26, 2003

in Town for Fleet Week, Sailor is Killed by Cab

By ROBERT D. McFADDEN

A 20-year-old sailor on the town for the Navy's Fleet Week observances stumbled off a sidewalk in Lower Manhattan early yesterday and was struck and killed by a livery cab, the police said. He was the first sailor killed in the city in 16 years of Fleet Week celebrations, a Navy official said.
The police said the victim, Petty Officer Third Class Phillip A. Simone, of Garfield, N.J., was fatally injured at Leonard and Church Streets in TriBeCa about 3:25 a.m., and was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later at New York University Downtown Hospital, where he was taken by ambulance.
Investigators questioned some sailors who were with Petty Officer Simone as well as the cabdriver, who stopped at the scene. But the police said tests showed that the driver was not impaired by alcohol or drugs. No arrest was made and the death was listed as an apparent accident.

Charlotte Observer
Monday, May 26, 2003

NORTH CAROLINA - BLADEN COUNTY
Man dies in wreck involving sheriff's deputies

ELIZABETHTOWN - The state Highway Patrol was investigating a two-car accident involving three Brunswick County sheriff's deputies that left one motorist dead. Delano William Bobbett, 63, of Bladenboro, died Friday afternoon when the car he was driving collided with a sport utility vehicle carrying the deputies on N.C. 87 in Bladen County, troopers said.Bobbett was driving north on U.S. 701 when his car pulled forward at a stop light and struck the SUV. Trooper K.L. Starkloff said it was unclear who was at fault.
Another passenger in Bobbett's car, Elexis Singletary, 18, of Bladenboro, was in stable condition at New Hanover Medical Center in Wilmington, officials said.
The deputies who had traveled to Fayetteville to get uniforms, were treated at Bladen County Hospital and released. One of the deputies was driving the SUV when the accident occurred.

Austin American-Statesman
Saturday, May 24, 2003

KILLEEN
Teen dies in car wreck

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

An 18-year-old high school student died Thursday after another car cut in front of him and caused him to collide with a gravel truck, police said.
Aaron Amparo Gutierrez was driving east on Stan Schlueter Loop just before noon when the driver of a westbound Chevrolet Nova crossed the center lane and collided with Gutierrez's car, causing it to collide with an eastbound 18-wheel gravel truck, police said.
Gutierrez, a student at Shoemaker High School, died at the scene. The driver of the Nova was taken to Darnall Army Community Hospital with injuries described as not life-threatening.
The Nova driver's name was withheld pending charges. The truck driver was not injured.

Houston Chronicle
May 25, 2003

Couple killed in motorcycle-truck collision

By MIKE GLENN
Houston Chronicle

A man and a woman were killed early this morning on the northwest side when the motorcycle they were riding collided with a pickup, Houston police said.
The accident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. In the 1700 block of the West Loop North. Both vehicles were northbound and the motorcycle apparently struck the rear of the pickup.
The man driving the motorcycle, who has not been identified, was killed at the scene. The passenger was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital where she later died.
Police have not identified the driver but said the woman was Tijana Daggs, age unknown -- a call-taker with the Houston Police Department's emergency communications section.
The man driving the pickup was taken into custody after officers at the scene determined he was intoxicated, police said.

The Austin American-Statesman
Saturday, May 24, 2003

AUSTIN
Motorcyclist dies in wreck

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

The driver of a motorcycle was killed early Friday near downtown Austin.
Police said the man was driving a 2002 Suzuki west in the 1800 block of West Sixth Street when he lost control. He died at the scene.
investigators said the man was wearing a helmet. His name has not been released pending notification of his family.

Boston Globe
5/22/2003, page B2

Route 60 crash kills teen, injures 2

By Globe Staff and Wires

A teenager was killed last night in a three-vehicle crash on Route 60 in Malden, authorities said. The teenager had been traveling east on Eastern Avenue in Malden at about 7:20 p.m. when the vehicle he was driving crossed a median strip and hit two other vehicles, police said. All three drivers were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. One victim was in critical condition last night while the other sustained minor injuries, police said. Police did not immediately release the victims' names.

The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Alcohol called factor in fatal crash
1 died, 9 injured; but I-75 cables may have saved others

By Janice Morse

MONROE - Authorities say alcohol was a factor in a weekend crash that killed a Mason man and injured nine others. But authorities also say recently installed cable barriers possibly prevented more deaths in the three-vehicle pileup on interstate 75.
Timothy C. Strait, 25, of Liberty Township, was charged Monday with aggravated vehicular homicide, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, failure to control and failure to wear a seat belt. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Butler County Area II Court, Hamilton.
His Ohio driving record shows three previous convictions, all in Mason Municipal Court: a 1995 DUI , a 2000 reckless operation and a 2002 improper turn.
Just before 3 a.m. Sunday, Strait was driving a 1992 Mazda MX-3 that went out of control on I-75 near the Monroe rest area. The Mazda struck the barriers, flipped and slid on the rain-slicked roadway back into the northbound lanes, causing two other vehicles to crash, said Sgt. Bob Potter of the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Hamilton post.
Monroe and Liberty Township emergency crews took Strait and eight others for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries at Middletown Regional Hospital; Strait's passenger, Chad Geiger, 25, of Mason, was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy Monday showed Geiger died from a crushed chest, the Butler County Coroner's Office said. Shorten & Ryan Funeral Home, Mason, is handling arrangements.
Potter said cable barriers, installed this year after a series of deadly median-crossover crashes, performed as expected. "They held the car back from going across the median. ... It definitely could have been worse if the cable barriers hadn't been there," he said.
if Strait's Mazda had crossed into oncoming, southbound traffic, "We definitely could have had more of a tragedy," Potter said.
in an unrelated I-75 traffic fatality Sunday evening, a pedestrian was killed when he tried to cross the northbound lanes at Ohio 123 in Franklin, said Trooper Kevin Bryant of the Patrol's Lebanon post.
Russell Braden, 60, of Dayton, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6 p.m. He had just been cited by a trooper for driving under suspension; the trooper had dropped him off at a restaurant to call for a ride minutes before he was struck by a 1998 Dodge Neon, Bryant said.
The fatality remains under investigation, but Bryant said he didn't expect any charges against the Neon's driver, Jeffrey Pierce, 42, of Grove City, Ohio.

Indianapolis Star
May 20, 2003

i-69 wreck injures 2, fouls commute

By Fred Kelly
fred.kelly@indystar.com

A fiery collision between two semitrailer trucks hospitalized two people and slowed I-69 traffic to a crawl this morning.
Marvin J. Randolph, 38, of Louisiana and Leonard E. Springfield, 32, of Kentucky were hurt when their trucks collided about 4:30 a.m. on I-69 near the 116th Street exit in Fishers, said Sgt. Gerry Hepp of the Fishers Police Department.
The crash caused an explosion, a fire and a gas leak, Hepp said.
Officials from the Hamilton Emergency Management office were investigating and assisting in the cleanup.
Springfield told police that he pulled over to the right shoulder of northbound I-69 to read a map. When he started to drive back onto the highway, his vehicle was struck from behind, Hepp said.
Emergency workers took Springfield to Community Hospital North in indianapolis while Randolph was taken to Methodist Hospital in indianapolis. Their conditions were not immediately available.
Randolph could not recall what happened, Hepp said.
The crash caused heavy damage to both vehicles, lifting Springfield's truck off its rear axle and dislodging the motor from the other truck, he said.
Meanwhile, the wreck shut I-69 for a time and backed up traffic for more than two hours.

Dallas Morning News
05/20/2003

Man held in accident that killed 2 teens

By TANYA EISERER
The Dallas Morning News

A Dallas man faces charges in a fatal weekend accident that killed two high school students and injured a small child.
Elmer Palmer Jr., 35, was being held in the Dallas County jail on two counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault in connection with the accident. His bail totaled $25,000.
Two Samuell High School students  Ginger Ruiz, 16, and Ana Saldana, 19  died at the scene of the accident about 11 p.m. Saturday in the 7600 block of Military Parkway, police said.
A 10-month-old girl in the car was taken to Children's Medical Center of Dallas, where she had surgery to remove glass from her lungs.
The child ingested the glass when the vehicles collided, a police report said.
The child was listed in fair condition, a police report said.
According to police reports, the teens were traveling north on McNeil Street in Ms. Saldana's car and had halted for a stop sign at Military Parkway before pulling into the intersection.
They were struck by Mr. Palmer, a warehouse worker, who was speeding eastbound on Military in a pickup, the report said.

The Cincinnati Enquirer
Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Ky. officer dies in I-75/71 wreck

By Jim Hannah

FORT MITCHELL - A Kentucky wildlife and boating officer was killed Monday afternoon when his vehicle overturned on interstate 75/71, state officials in Frankfort confirmed.
An investigator prepares to photograph the SUV driven by a Kentucky wildlife and boating officer killed in an accident on I-75/71.
The northbound lanes of the interstate at the Buttermilk Pike exit were closed for hours. Traffic was detoured to interstate 275 to interstate 471 until about 7 p.m., said ARTIMIS officials. Southbound lanes remained open, but traffic was slow-moving as it approached the Buttermilk Pike interchange through the evening.
The officer's sport utility vehicle overturned in the fast lane of the interstate northbound shortly before 2 p.m., its emergency lights flashing. The officer was ejected, rescue workers at the scene said. A red sedan, which appeared to have been sideswiped during the collision, was stopped in the slow lane.
Fort Mitchell police were handling the investigation, but had released no details as of late Monday night.

Star-Telegram - Ft. Worth
Tue, May. 20, 2003

Unidentified woman killed trying to cross I-30

An unidentified woman was killed late Saturday when she was struck by an 18-wheeler while trying to cross interstate 30 in Fort Worth.
Police said the woman was crossing the eastbound traffic lanes of the 5400 block of East interstate 30 when the accident occurred about 11:16 p.m.
The driver of an eastbound 18-wheeler traveling on the interstate's middle lane spotted the woman and swerved into the right lane in an attempt to avoid her but the woman was struck and thrown into the guardrail, police said.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Chicago Tribune
May 20, 2003

Man struck and killed after walking on highway

CHICAGO - A man walking in the middle of the Eisenhower Expressway near Western Avenue was struck and killed by oncoming traffic early Monday.
The unidentified man was hit at 12:40 a.m. while walking in the eastbound lanes of the expressway a few hundred feet from Western, said State Trooper Michelle Tufenkjian.
The driver who struck him slammed on his brakes and tried to swerve away from the man, but there wasn't time to avoid him, Tufenkjian said.
The victim suffered severe trauma and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m.

Los Angeles Times
May 19, 2003

CALIFORNIA
Santa Ana Man, 21, is Freeway Fatality

By Jennifer Mena, Times Staff Writer

Authorities have identified the man killed Friday on interstate 5 in San Clemente when a piece of a brake drum crashed through the windshield of a sport-utility vehicle as Ruben Serrano Jaramillo, 21, of Santa Ana.
Serrano Jaramillo was a passenger in the SUV driven by his brother, Orange County supervising deputy coroner Joseph Luckey said Sunday.
Serrano Jaramillo was talking to his brother Friday evening when he was hit in the head by an object investigators identified as a part of a brake drum. The brother was pelted by glass shards from the impact, but he survived. Authorities did not release the brother's name.
The accident occurred in the southbound lanes near Avenida Vista Hermosa in San Clemente about 8:50 p.m. A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said the brothers' vehicle was traveling about 70 mph.
So far, officers have been unable to find the big-rig that lost its brake drum, the spokesman said.

Denver Post
Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Driver dies in creek

A 48-year-old Lyons woman died overnight after her car ran off Colorado 7 and landed upside down in St. Vrain Creek. The State Patrol found Brenda Befus's Dodge intrepid almost completely submerged in the water at around 5:45 a.m. Investigators say she was traveling southbound on Colorado 7 when she lost control on a right-hand curve. Her car ran off the right side of the road, rolled down a 40-foot embankment and landed on its top in the creek. Befus was the only person in her car. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators did not know when the crash happened, but say it was likely late Monday night or early this morning. Befus was wearing her seat belt.

Miami Herald
Tue, May. 13, 2003

Two Miami-Dade officers, motorist injured in crash

BY LUISA YANEZ
lyanez@herald.com

Two Miami-Dade police officers were slightly injured Tuesday morning in a car accident in downtown Miami that sent both to the hospital.
Police said the two were in a marked cruiser westbound on Northwest Sixth Street when they collided with a northbound station wagon on Second Avenue. The station wagon may have failed to stop at a red light, police said. The incident happened at 11:50 a.m.

Star Tribune - Minneapolis
May 13, 2003

Rush hour closes with 2 accidents, lighter levels

Brad Stokman

Accidents continued to plague the morning rush hour as it concluded with moderate to light traffic levels today in the Twin Cities.
The higher than normal number of accident during today's morning rush included two, according to MnDOT.

Charlotte Observer
Tuesday, May 13, 2003

Wreck of 5 cars kills motorist

JACKIE MAH
Staff Writer

One man died and three others were hospitalized in a five-car wreck on interstate 85 near the Brookshire Freeway just before rush hour on Monday.
The accident occurred at 4:27 p.m. Three people were taken to Carolinas Medical Center in serious but not life-threatening condition, a Medic spokesman said.
Three of four lanes of southbound I-85 were closed for more than two hours, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.
The driver of a white Ford van was merging into the right lane on I-85 when he braked suddenly due to heavy traffic at the Brookshire Freeway exit, said Trooper Ben Miller, who investigated the incident. The van struck a silver Chrysler Sebring and then rolled onto its side. The Sebring caught fire after rear-ending a Ford Explorer, and the male driver of the Sebring was killed, Miller said. The Explorer also struck two vehicles, but no one was injured in either of those two cars, said fire department Capt. Rob Brisley.

The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk
May 8, 2003

Man involved in death was driving illegally

NORFOLK - The man accused of driving under the influence and running a red light, causing an accident Tuesday that killed a city high school student, shouldn't have been behind the wheel.
Roy Lee Everett's license had been suspended, according to authorities, who charged him with third-offense driving under the influence. He already faced a court date from an April 14 drunken-driving arrest.
Everett drove through a red light Tuesday afternoon at Military Highway and Azalea Garden Road, police said. His pickup collided with a 1991 Honda Civic, fatally injuring Landon Chambers and injuring Chambers' older brother, Barney.
Landon, 16, died early Wednesday at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. He was a baseball lover and an honor student at Lake Taylor High School.

May 10, 2003

Girl killed, 10 injured in blowout
Hearne group returning from Astroworld outing

By Robert Crowe
Houston Chronicle

A Hearne school district van transporting students and teachers home from Astroworld suffered a tire blowout Friday and flipped over in northwest Harris County, killing 17-year-old Jennifer Marie Rocha and injuring 10 passengers.

Dallas Morning News
05/03/2003

Wylie cyclist hit by bus, badly injured
Endurance rider Schwartz fighting for life in Dallas hospital

By Roy Appleton
The Dallas Morning News

Larry Schwartz was on the road again early Thursday, living his passion, riding his bicycle north of McKinney.
By midmorning the Wylie man was flown by helicopter to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where he was fighting for his life Friday night.
Mr. Schwartz, 42, was pedaling east on FM1461 about 8:05 a.m. Thursday when the mirror of a passing eastbound school bus struck his head, knocking him to the ground, said Senior Cpl. Kent Paluga of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The nationally known marathon cyclist was unconscious when flown to the hospital, Cpl. Paluga said.

New York Times
May 2, 2003

Off-Duty Officer's Car Jumps Divider, Killing Him and Five More

By RONALD SMOTHERS

LINDEN, N.J., May 1 ® An off-duty police officer from Union County and five employees from a restaurant in Holmdel were killed early this morning when the officer's car jumped a median along Routes 1 and 9 and collided head-on with the employees' car, the authorities said.

The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk
April 17, 2003

Police seek hit-and-run driver who killed motorcyclist

NORFOLK - Police are looking for the driver who fled the scene of a collision Tuesday night that took the life of a motorcyclist.
Robert Quartey, 25, of the 800 block of Chalk Court in Virginia Beach died late Wednesday afternoon of injuries he sustained in the crash.

Houston Chronicle
Section: Local & State
April 20, 2003

Driver dies after hitting pole

A Houston man died Sunday morning after losing control of his car and hitting a utility pole, officials said. israel Martinez, 18, of the 6300 block of Chippewa Blvd., was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:30 a.m. accident in the 23800 block of Texas 249, according to the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office. Martinez and a passenger were both ejected from the two- door car, which was torn in half after hitting a utility pool on its driver's side, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. The passenger, whose name was not released, was taken to Ben Taub Hospital and was listed in critical condition, the sheriff's office said.

Dallas Morning News
04/17/2003

Man dies in hit-run on I-30
Good Samaritan had stopped fellow driver to warn of tire problem

By CHERIE BELL
The Dallas Morning News

MESQUITE  One moment, Thomas Caverly was shaking hands with a Good Samaritan who had waved him over on the interstate to warn of a tire hazard.
The next, what he later said seemed like an explosion left him with a sharp pain in his right arm. His hand was empty.
"The man was lying there on the ground," said Mr. Caverly, recalling the hit-and-run accident that left Audie Ray Hughes mortally injured. "Everything happened in a split second."

Houston Chronicle
Section: Local & State
Feb. 18, 2003

Texas' traffic deaths increase as national figures show decline
Report: Speed, alcohol fuel fatalities

By MICHAEL GRACZYK
Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION - The Texas traffic death toll, soaring even as comparable national figures show a decline, is being fueled by drivers who speed and especially drivers who are drunk, according to research at the Texas Transportation institute.
"Obviously, something bad is going on here in Texas," Dave Willis, director of transportation safety for the institute based at Texas A&M University, said Tuesday.
Statistics show 3,724 people were killed on Texas highways in 2001, more than 10 per day.
"it's like crashing a fully loaded Boeing 737 every two weeks," he said. "it's a big number. And if we crashed a fully loaded Boeing 737 every two weeks in Texas, the Legislature, the governor and everyone else would be up in arms.
"Unfortunately, that is not the case about the traffic safety problem we have currently."

HPD officer injured as patrol car hits house

By Houston Chronicle

A Houston police officer remained hospitalized today after crashing his patrol car into a home in the Heights area, authorities said.
The officer, whose identity was not released, lost control of the vehicle about 12:20 a.m. today, striking the house on West 11th near Nicholson.
The people inside the home were not injured.
Witnesses told investigators the officer was not speeding at the time. The officer was taken in stable condition to Memorial Hermann Hospital and remains under observation.
Police said the officer may have experienced a medical problem just before losing control of the patrol car, but he could not be specific.

Las Vegas Review-Journal
Jan. 12, 2006

Driver gets prison term in hit-and-run crash that killed 11-year-old

By GLENN PUIT

Eleven-year-old Amanda Aragon was the type of child who enjoyed teaching her little brother the alphabet and how to count. She made sure she was at the front door to greet her father each day when he came home from work.
But on Oct. 17, a man whose driver's license had been suspended 15 times struck and killed Amanda in a marked crosswalk as she walked to school.
in court Wednesday, Amanda's father asked District Judge Lee Gates to give the driver, Barry Fehler, the maximum prison sentence of six to 15 years. After listening to the parents talk about how the child's death had crushed their family, Gates did.
"Without Amanda, we are lost," Amanda's mother, Anne Aragon, said through tears. "I'm lost."
Amanda was walking to Sawyer Middle School when she entered the crosswalk on Hacienda Avenue at Redwood Street.
Police said two vehicles stopped for her, but Fehler's Geo Metro did not. There were no skid marks before or after the accident site.
"(The impact) scattered her lunch money on the street," prosecutor L.J. O'Neale said. "Some people tried to help. Some others could not bear to."
At least one witness said that just prior to the collision, Fehler had been driving erratically and had even driven onto the sidewalk.
O'Neale said Fehler's view of the crosswalk was not blocked, and after the crash, Fehler fled the scene and took the plates off his car. He was tracked down with the help of witnesses.
A subsequent check of Fehler's driving record showed the multiple suspensions. He had more than a dozen prior traffic citations dating back two decades. He'd previously been cited for running red lights, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and ignoring stop signs. Then, he often failed to show up in court, causing his license to be suspended.
Police said Fehler was driving without a license in an unregistered vehicle at the time of Amanda's death. He was also driving with California plates at the time.
"His whole life has been pointing to a moment like this," O'Neale said. "He has 12 prior traffic offenses. His license has been suspended 15 times."
O'Neale at times fought back emotion in court Wednesday as he told the judge the details of the tragedy and how the child's 12th birthday fell on the same day as Fehler's preliminary hearing.
"She was 11," O'Neale said. "She won't be 12."
Fehler worked as an independent contractor, delivering newspapers for the Review-Journal. The location where Amanda was run over, however, is not in the area for which he was contracted to deliver newspapers, and the time of the collision, 7:30 a.m., was 90 minutes past the end time for deliveries.
in court Wednesday, Fehler apologized to his victim's parents.
"I'm very sorry and somber," Fehler said. "Your loss cannot be measured.
"I will feel self-loathing for my very existence from this day to the end. ... It is not my intention or will to set foot or hand in any car again," Fehler said.
He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of leaving the scene of a traffic collision and asked for probation.
But Gates told him: "If I were to grant your wish of probation, it's like saying this is not important. ... It's good you are contrite, but it's too late now. You have to be punished.
"Parents have to work, and they can't take their children to school ... so we rely on people to do their duty," Gates said. "To follow the law, watch out for children and yield to them in crosswalks -- especially the children.
"Yet people don't follow the law and they drive with complete disregard for the children," Gates said.
Amanda's father, Amado Aragon, offered emotional testimony during the hearing about a promising and talented girl who dreamed of being a teacher or writer.
On the morning of her death, she told her father not to worry if it rained as she walked to school.
He recalled her saying, "Hey daddy, don't worry. I have a hood on my sweater. I can pull it up."
Amado Aragon then cried as he added: "I know raindrops did fall on her face as she (was) on the pavement."
Eleven-year-old Amanda Aragon was the type of child who enjoyed teaching her little brother the alphabet and how to count. She made sure she was at the front door to greet her father each day when he came home from work.
But on Oct. 17, a man whose driver's license had been suspended 15 times struck and killed Amanda in a marked crosswalk as she walked to school.
in court Wednesday, Amanda's father asked District Judge Lee Gates to give the driver, Barry Fehler, the maximum prison sentence of six to 15 years. After listening to the parents talk about how the child's death had crushed their family, Gates did.
"Without Amanda, we are lost," Amanda's mother, Anne Aragon, said through tears. "I'm lost."
Amanda was walking to Sawyer Middle School when she entered the crosswalk on Hacienda Avenue at Redwood Street.
Police said two vehicles stopped for her, but Fehler's Geo Metro did not. There were no skid marks before or after the accident site.
"(The impact) scattered her lunch money on the street," prosecutor L.J. O'Neale said. "Some people tried to help. Some others could not bear to."
At least one witness said that just prior to the collision, Fehler had been driving erratically and had even driven onto the sidewalk.
O'Neale said Fehler's view of the crosswalk was not blocked, and after the crash, Fehler fled the scene and took the plates off his car. He was tracked down with the help of witnesses.
A subsequent check of Fehler's driving record showed the multiple suspensions. He had more than a dozen prior traffic citations dating back two decades. He'd previously been cited for running red lights, driving the wrong way on a one-way street and ignoring stop signs. Then, he often failed to show up in court, causing his license to be suspended.
Police said Fehler was driving without a license in an unregistered vehicle at the time of Amanda's death. He was also driving with California plates at the time.
"His whole life has been pointing to a moment like this," O'Neale said. "He has 12 prior traffic offenses. His license has been suspended 15 times."
O'Neale at times fought back emotion in court Wednesday as he told the judge the details of the tragedy and how the child's 12th birthday fell on the same day as Fehler's preliminary hearing.
"She was 11," O'Neale said. "She won't be 12."
Fehler