Driver in tour bus crash had earlier accident

SOLEDAD, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say the America driver of a bus carrying French tourists was among the five people killed when the vehicle overturned on a highway overpass in central California.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Wiest said Wednesday that the driver was one of at least three people ejected from the bus who fell 60 to 70 feet to the street below. The patrol previously said the driver survived.

Three victims died at the scene Tuesday along U.S. 101 in Soledad, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco. Two were pronounced dead at hospitals.

The patrol has not released any victims' names. A total of 36 people were on board, including 34 French tourists, their Canadian tour guide and the driver.



SOLEDAD, Calif. (AP) — Police reports show that the driver of a tour bus that crashed in central California, killing himself and four others, struck a woman in a Las Vegas crosswalk a little more than three years ago.

The Monterey County Coroner's office on Wednesday identified the bus driver as 69-year-old John Egnew of Corona.

Cmdr. Scott Ragan says Egnew died of head and neck injuries after he was thrown from the bus, which overturned Tuesday on a freeway overpass in Soledad.

In the 2005 accident, Egnew admitted not seeing 71-year-old Joan Smith of Delton, Mich., before the bus he was driving hit her.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Could Madonna Sue Paparazzi for Horse Accident?

by Leslie Gornstein

You assume Madonna isn't lying. You know, lying? The way she denied through her flack getting a divorce or adopting a baby or dating A-Rod? Camp Madonna isn't exactly known for verity, Abe. In fact, at least one snapper, one paper and one cop say there were no paparazzi in or near the bushes when Madge's horse got spooked.

"She has to prove that that the reporter's action was the connection to her injury," attorney Robin Bond tells me. In other words, "that if the reporter would not have jumped out, the horse would not have spooked...She could even get money for pain and suffering."

Then again, she may not want to. A court case could cast Madonna as a litigious, greedy bully just when she needs to look maternal for an adoption judge in Malawi.

"My initial reaction was, no, she should not sue," attorney Andrew Weinstein tells me.

"From what I have read, her injuries are relatively minor and, if that is the case, the value of her claim would be low."

But let's just suppose Madonna is making sense for once. In that case, the leaping paparazzo just might have to watch his wallet...

If she can prove that the paparazzo's pirouetting caused her horse to start, she can, and even should, sue, attorneys and judges say.

"I would do a lie-detector test on Madonna first, and if she passed it I would show it to everybody," TV judge David Young tells me. Sure, Madge doesn't need money for medical bills, but "if Madonna takes a stand against the paparazzo that could be financial ruin forever for him. That could send a message."

Exactly what would Madonna have to prove?

Boy killed in fire truck accident probably ran into vehicle’s side and under rear wheels, KC police say

By CHRISTINE VENDEL

A boy killed in a fire truck accident last month probably ran into the truck’s side and tumbled under the rear wheels, according to a Kansas City police report released Thursday.

The fire truck’s driver braked and swerved to the right to try to avoid striking Obarimomoya Nkani, 7, in a crosswalk at Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue as the boy was on his way home from school March 2.

There was no evidence of an impact on the front of the truck, the report said. Police did find evidence, however, on a step behind the left front wheel.

The report estimated the fire truck’s speed at 25 to 31 mph and said that was not excessive. The speed limit on the street was 25 mph, but the truck was operating as an emergency vehicle with lights and sirens activated, so it could exceed the limit with caution, police said.

The boy’s father could not be reached Thursday.

John Kurtz, the attorney representing the boy’s family, said they had not yet seen the report and could not comment on its findings.

But Kurtz said the family’s current sentiment was gratitude for the outpouring of concern and support from the community. School officials helped transfer the boy’s sister and three other children who witnessed the boy’s death to other schools so they would not have to pass by the scene each day.

“This is not a raging family full of venom,” Kurtz said. “They have an overwhelming sense of loss, but also an overwhelming sense of gratitude.”

Prosecutors decided no charges would be filed in the case.

The report also said a large moving truck or city bus that was trying to yield to the fire truck may have prevented the fire truck’s driver from seeing the boy sooner.

The fire truck driver told police the boy sprinted out from behind a westbound bus and into the crosswalk. The driver said he braked and steered to the right but could not go too far because of trees lining the right side of the street.

The report did not address the fire truck’s brakes.

Fire Department officials said last month that the truck had failed its first brake test after the accident but passed two subsequent tests.

Police were present for the first test but not for the later tests. Because police did not have custody of the truck, they said they could not use the second and third test results to gauge the effectiveness of the brakes.

The president of Gooch Brake & Equipment Co., which conducted the first test, later told fire officials the equipment required calibration and the test results should be “rendered invalid.”

Although police don’t have what they would consider valid test results to prove the brakes would pass inspection, they said they thought the brakes worked effectively.

“The truck stopped within two lengths of the truck,” said Detective Chris Petree, who reconstructed the accident. “It did stop pretty quick.”

The 40-page report said several factors contributed to the accident:

•The boy failed to yield to the emergency vehicle and may have been too young to understand he was supposed to.

•Another child was urging the boy to hurry and cross in front of the fire truck.

•The boy had no adult supervision at the time.

Angels' pitcher dies in car accident

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart reportedly died after being involved in a car accident a few hours after pitching in Wednesday's game against Oakland.

According to the Los Angeles Times, three people were killed in a crash in Fullerton, California when a driver ran a red light. The paper cited an associate of Adenhart as saying the 22-year-old rookie pitcher was among the three.

Adenhart started Wednesday's game against the Athletics and did not receive a decision in the 6-4 loss, allowing seven hits in six scoreless innings.

The paper said witnesses told police that the driver of a red minivan ran a red light and hit a silver Mitsubishi with four passengers. Two people from the Mitsubishi were killed at the scene and the other two were transported to a hospital, where one was later pronounced dead.

Yamaha Rollover Accidents Prompt Scores of Lawsuits

Hundreds of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of victims of Yamaha Rhino rollover accidents. The high number of accidents linked to the Rhino off-road vehicle was among the reasons U.S. regulators launched an investigation of the popular off-roader last November. That investigation culminated in the recall of more than 145,000 Rhinos announced earlier this week.

While off-road vehicles are involved in hundreds of accidents every year, critics say the Yamaha Rhino is even more likely to be involved in one particular type of mishap - rollover accidents. They charge that the Yamaha Rhino is top heavy, and it has tires that are extremely narrow. These design defects make it far more likely that the Yamaha Rhino will tip and rollover while going through a turn, even when the vehicle is traveling at a slow speed and is on a flat surface. Furthermore, the Yamaha Rhino is designed in such a way that passengers’ legs are unprotected in the event of a rollover accident.

Critics of Yamaha say the company has been too slow to acknowledge the Rhino’s rollover problems. In September 2006, Yamaha Motor Corp. sent a letter to the owners of the vehicles warning that the Rhino was prone to tip while going through sharp turns. However, the wording of the Yamaha letter seemed to place much of the blame for Rhino rollover accident injuries on the victims themselves. In 2007, Yamaha offered to modify the vehicles free of charge. These modifications included the addition of doors to the vehicle, as well as additional handholds. Unfortunately, it is clear now that these fixes were not enough, as Rhino rollover accidents continued to take a devastating toll on victims.

The Rhino’s problems have resulted in hundreds of lawsuits. So many in fact, that recently, the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered that all Yamaha Rhino rollover Federal lawsuits be consolidated before a Federal Judge in Kentucky. The action centralizes the Federal suits into Multidistrict Litigation (”MDL”) so that all pretrial discovery and litigation from all Federal Rhino cases will be heard in one court.

Those lawsuits helped spark the CPSC’s investigation of the Rhino. Earlier this week, the commission said it had investigated 50 Rhino accidents which had resulted in 46 deaths and hundreds of serious injuries. According to the CPSC, more than two-thirds of the cases involved rollovers.

The investigation prompted the CPSC and Yamaha to announce a recall of all Rhino 450, 660 and 700 models distributed since fall of 2003. Under the recall, Yamaha will repair the vehicles free of charge. These repairs include the installation of a spacer on the rear wheels as well as the removal of the rear anti-sway bar to help reduce the chance of rollover and improve vehicle handling, and continued installation of half doors and additional passenger handholds where these features have not been previously installed to help keep occupants’ arms and legs inside the vehicle during a rollover and reduce injuries. The company is also extending a free helmet offer to owners of the affected Yamaha Rhinos.

Woman killed, driver charged with DWI in Smithtown crash

BY JOHN VALENTI

A Smithtown woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident early Thursday after a pickup truck driven by a drunken driver collided with her car on Route 25A, police said.

The victim, Karen Naclerio-Negrin, 43, was driving her 1992 Volvo southbound on Route 25A in Smithtown when it was involved in the collision with a northbound 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by John Harnage, 43, near Summerset Drive at 3:30 a.m.

Naclerio-Negrin was pronounced dead at the scene. Harnage, of Oakside Road, Smithtown, was not injured and was arrested at the scene, charged with driving while intoxicated.

Harnage will be arraigned Thursday at First District Court in Central Islip, police said.

The road was closed for almost six hours between Summerset Drive and Route 25, as police conducted a crime scene accident investigation.

It was re-opened at about 9:15 a.m.

Fourth Squad detectives said the investigation remains ongoing and asked that anyone with information regarding the incident to call 631... or Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.

Accident leaves 2 pedestrians dead, 1 critical

Many people get bad experience this is cause of lack of decipline, like the accident featured in this article.

A two-car accident killed a pedestrian and critically injured two others Tuesday night, authorities said.

The collision occurred near the intersection of Fountain and La Brea avenues, on the border of Los Angeles and West Hollywood, according to d'Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Davies said the accident occured at 6:24 p.m, killing a 65-year-old woman at the scene. The other pedestrians, a man and woman in their 50s, were hospitalized in critical condition, she said. The drivers of the two cars suffered minor injuries.

It was unclear if the pedestrians were struck in the street or on a sidewalk, Davies said.