Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ridgway man killed in rollover

By The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 07/30/2008 04:14:16 PM MDT

A Ridgway man was killed Tuesday in a one-car accident at the Dallas Divide.

Brian Peters, 54, was driving a silver 2002 Toyota Tundra that was pulling a trailer just after noon Tuesday on westbound Colorado 62 at mile marker 11, the Colorado State Patrol said in a news release. He veered off the north side of the road, overcorrected and went into the eastbound lanes. The truck rolled, and the trailer came loose.

Peters, who was wearing a seat belt, was killed.

His passenger, a 73-year-old woman from Dearborn, Mich., was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction with moderate injuries, the patrol said.

Jackknifed pickup, trailer block Hwy. 97

Jackknifed pickup, trailer block Hwy. 97

Posted: July 31, 2008 12:57 AM

Evening rush-hour traffic jammed; driver unhurt, gets ticket

From KTVZ.COM news sources

A pickup truck towing another vehicle on a trailer drifted into the guardrail on southbound Highway 97 near Sunriver Wednesday evening and it jackknifed, blocking traffic through the evening commute.

The 1984 Dodge pickup truck and 20-foot trailer crashed shortly after 5:30 p.m. near the Cottonwood Road exit, south of Lava Butte, said Deschutes County sheriff's Sgt. Joe DeLuca.

Driver Henry Root, 69, of Gilchrist, was unhurt, but his towed vehicle had substantial damage - and he got a ticket for failure to maintain his lane of travel, said DeLuca said.

Arriving deputies found the accident blocking the highway's southbound lane.

The crash blocked both lanes of Highway 97 for nearly 90 minutes - causing a miles-long rush hour backup - while recovery vehicles cleared the scene, aided by sheriff's deputies and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Unrated

Driver killed, passenger hurt in Dallas Divide crash

Click-2-Listen

By BEVERLY CORBELL
The Daily Sentinel

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

An accident on Dallas Divide on state Highway 62 west of Ridgway claimed the life of Ridgway resident Brian Peters, 54, at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday. Peters was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:30 p.m., according to the Colorado State Patrol.

His passenger, Marlene Zerger, 74, of Dearborn, Mich., suffered moderate injuries and was airlifted to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction.

According to the State Patrol report, Peters was driving westbound in a 2002 Toyota pickup and towing a trailer when they went off the north side of the highway. He apparently overcorrected, came back on the roadway, then rolled 2 1/2 times.

Both Peters and Zerger were wearing seat belts. Neither was ejected during the crash.

E-mail Beverly Corbell at beverly.corbell@gjsentinel.com.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Steven's mother: 'He was an incredible kid' Pick Up Towing Trailer Looses Control

Story Created: Jul 22, 2008 at 11:02 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jul 24, 2008 at 1:10 PM MDT

By Nicole Navarro and Vanessa Brown

Video

BOISE - Steven Thompson loved to run.

His personal best in the mile was just over four and a half minutes. But it wasn't good enough - he wanted to be that much better.

"He was just a junior and he had a lot of goals this year," said Steven's mother, Gina. "He liked to work hard."

Steven, 17, was killed in a horrific traffic accident Tuesday on Highway 55.

He was headed to a cross country camp when a truck pulling a trailer lost control and smashed into the car he was riding in. The impact killed Steven and sent five others to the hospital - including two of his classmates and Centennial High School's assistant cross country coach Glenn Mabey.

"I saw him the morning of the crash and he was running around in his funny shades, hanging out having a good time," said Jordan Leisure, a friend of Thompson. "That's the last image I'm going to have of him and it's a really good last image."

His mother, fighting back tears, said it was hard recalling all the delightful things about her son. There were just too many to remember.

"He was an incredible kid," she said. "I wish I could tell you all the wonderful stories."

Idaho State Police identified Ryan Howard, 38, of Texas, as the driver who caused the accident. Howard was driving a Dodge Durango pulling a trailer when police said he lost control and jackknifed.

He smashed into a Subaru, killing Thompson and also ran into a van. Five people, including Howard and two other teens were taken to the hospital. Maybey is still in critical condition. Austin Stalling is in fair condition while Michael Dobkins was treated and released.

On Tuesday, friends at Centennial paused to remember their fallen friend. A profile page was also made on Facebook entitled "In Loving Memory of Steven Thompson."

"What an inspiration to all of us," said Tyler, who wrote on the page. "We love you, bro."

"It makes you just want to help people around you who are feeling really sad and really down and you really want to help them out, it's just a real shame," Leisure said.

On Thursday, the family of Stalling issued a statement.

"We would like to thank the entire community, and especially the track and cross country teams from Centennial, Eagle, and all the area high schools for your prayers and support."

"Austin continues to recover and improve daily, and we are so grateful to the excellent care he's receiving at Saint Alphonsus. We ask for your continuing support of all four families involved in this tragedy."

Steven's mother said she doesn't know what she's going to do next. The pain of losing her son is so new.

"I'm really going to miss him," she said. "I can't even imagine how hard it's going to be."

A memorial fund for Steven Thompson and a donation account for Coach Glenn Mabey have been set up at Capital Educators Credit Union.

Those interested in helping the victims of this week's tragic automobile accident can do so by making a donation at any Captial Educators Federal Credit Union.

Furniture spill causes chaos

Furniture spill causes chaos

By: The Mississauga News

July 23, 2008 07:59 AM - There is traffic chaos on eastbound Hwy. 403 this morning after a pickup truck lost its trailer, spilling a load of furniture across three lanes of the busy highway.
The accident happened between Hurontario St. and Cawthra Rd., just before 7 a.m. after the trailer of the pickup truck came loose and flipped onto its side, strewing furniture onto the road.
The left passing and HOV lanes of the highway are still open but the three other lanes are blocked.

Traffic initially had to get by on the shoulder of the road until Ontario Provincial Police and other emergency services arrived on the scene.
There are no injuries.

OPP Const. Sally Stewart told The News from the force's Orillia traffic headquarters that the roadway is expected to reopen about 8:30 a.m.
jstewart@mississauga.net

MEMA Trailer Wreck Halts Northbound Traffic

Jackson 07/23/08
MEMA Trailer Wreck Halts Northbound Traffic

An accident involving a state vehicle shut down part of a Jackson interstate highway Wednesday morning.

It happened just before 10:00 in the northbound lanes of I-55 where it joins I-20 in south Jackson.

A travel-trailer being pulled by a truck from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency turned over. The trailer was off on the shoulder, but all northbound traffic had to be blocked while a tow truck got the trailer upright and out of the way.

There were no reports of injuries, and the highway was clear and back open by 11.