lornajarrettblanchard

 

–24  Blanchard tally of State breakouts below.

–16  Assoc. Press. “Storm Dumps Snow on Midwest, Bitter Cold to Follow,” 12-9-2009.

–12  USA Today. “Fierce Winter Storm Affects Much of the Country,” 12-9-2009.

 

Breakout of Fatalities by State

 

Arizona          (   2)

–1  High wind/tree fall. AP. “‘Extremely Dangerous’ Blizzards Move…Midwest,” 12-9-2009.[1]

–1  Gila County, north of Young. Froze; outside, male, 38.[2]

 

Illinois             (   2)

–1  Chicago, Belmont Road, Dec 8-9. Hypothermia from cold exposure; male, 42.[3]

–1  Chicago, Monroe St., Dec 8-9. Cold exposure; male, 51.  Storm Data, 51/12, Dec 2009, 87.

 

Iowa                (  3)

–3  Des Moines Register. “Bitter Cold Moving In; At Least 3 Dead…” Dec 9, 2009.

–2  Weather-related car crashes, Dec 8. Daily Times Herald, IA. “Snowstorm.” 12-10-2009, p. 3.

–1  Yale, Guthrie Co., Dec 9. Hypothermia; male, late 60s, found on ground next to his pickup.[4]

 

Minnesota      (>3)

—>3  Weather-related traffic accidents by Dec 10. Associated Press, Minneapolis.[5]

—  1  (Auto)  USA Today.  “Fierce Winter Storm Affects Much of the Country,” Dec 9, 2009.

 

Missouri         (  3)

— 3  (Auto)  USA Today.  “Fierce Winter Storm Affects Much of the Country,” Dec 9, 2009.

 

Nebraska        (  3)

— 1  Omaha, Dec 8. Female, 28, hit by snowplow outside her SW Omaha apartment complex.[6]

— 1  Omaha, Dec 8. Elderly man had car trouble, walked home; found dead in chair outside.[7]

— 1  Omaha, Dec 9. Heart attack after shoveling snow; male, 63.[8]

 

New Mexico   (  2)

–2  Auto accident. Assoc. Press. “Big Storm Targets Midwest With Snow, Wind,” 12-8-2009.

 

New York       (  1)

–1  Northumberland, Saratoga County, Dec 9. Snow plow hit by freight train; male driver, 68.[9]

 

North Carolina (2)

–2  State. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 180.

–1  Davidson Co., near Denton, Dec 9. Strong wind; tree fall onto vehicle; male, 44.[10]

–1  Franklin Co., Dec 9. Strong wind gusts blow down trees. Vehicular, male, 44.[11]

 

Oregon           (  1)

–1  Freezing.  AP.  “Big Storm Targets Midwest With Snow, Wind,” 12-8-2009.

–1  Southwest OR, Dec 5-11. Extreme Cold/Wind Chill. Storm Data, 51/12, Dec 2009, p. 192.

 

Texas              (  2)

–1  I-20, Dec 7. Vehicular, ice-covered road. NCDC. Storm Data, V51, N12, Dec 2009, p. 219.

–1  Armstrong Co., Dec 8. Freezing rain and icy roads; vehicular. Storm Data 51/12, p. 222.[12]

 

Press, General

 

Dec 8, AP: “Des Moines, Iowa (AP) — A fierce wintry storm moved into the nation’s midsection Tuesday, covering roads with deep snow that was set to be followed by high winds, creating blizzard conditions.  The storm already blanketed much of the mountain west and drenched Southern California with rain. In the Phoenix area, fierce wind brought down power lines, left four hospitals temporarily without power and created wide outages. Freezing temperatures in Oregon were being blamed for one death.

 

“Ice was the problem Tuesday morning in Oklahoma, where Interstate 40 was closed for about 25 miles between Clinton and Elk City, leaving truckers to wait out the storm. Mitch Dodson, a trucker hauling soda pop out of Durango, Colo., to Virginia, was waylaid at the Travel America plaza near the town of Sayre in western Oklahoma.  “It’s just a sheet of ice from Amarillo to here,” Dodson said. “It’s a disaster.”….

 

“In New Mexico, two people were killed in traffic accidents blamed on slick conditions. In Oregon, a 70-year-old man was pronounced dead in Medford. Officials said it appeared he had gone to sleep on the ground near railroad tracks with only a light blanket around himself, KDRV-TV reported.” (AP. “Big Storm Targets Midwest With Snow, Wind,” Dec 8, 2009.)

 

Dec 9, ABC News: “In Omaha, Neb., a 28-year-old woman was reportedly killed Tuesday night when a pickup truck, plowing out of the parking lot of an apartment complex, accidentally backed over her.” (ABC News (Ned Potter). “Snow, Wind, Rain: Winter Storm Blankets U.S., Dec 9, 2009.)

 

Dec 9, AP: “At least five deaths were blamed on the weather, including an Arizona hunter who was killed Monday night when a large pine tree snapped and crushed him as he slept in a tent. The driver of a sport utility vehicle that plunged 90 feet off an icy road into the Texas Panhandle’s Palo Duro Canyon also died.”  (AP. “’Extremely Dangerous’ Blizzards Move into Midwest,” Dec 9, 2009.)

 

Dec 9, AP: “Des Moines, Iowa (AP) — The big winter storm that has dumped more than a foot of snow across much of the Midwest and New England is blamed for at least 16 deaths, most in traffic accidents.  Powerful winds have created snow drifts between 8 and 15 feet tall….
Hundreds of schools canceled classes and hundreds of flights have been canceled. Thousands of people from Missouri to New York have lost power. The weather system has also caused bitter cold. In the Twin Cities, the wind chill dipped to minus 9 degrees.” (Associated Press. “Storm Dumps Snow on Midwest, Bitter Cold to Follow,” Dec 9, 2009.)

 

Dec 9, USA Today: “The East Coast braced for a storm of snow, ice and rain Wednesday as residents in the Upper Midwest were still dealing with dangerous ice, heavy snow and vicious winds.  Schools and businesses were closed, motorists were stranded in their cars, and at least 12 people have died, most in traffic accidents….

 

“The weather service said the storm was Iowa’s worst since 1996. Des Moines had 14.7 inches of snow by 7 a.m. Wednesday. Roads were closed and snowdrifts were expected to reach up to 15 feet high…. The Iowa National Guard was called out to help state troopers rescue motorists. Plows were being pulled off the roads because snow drifts were too high to navigate….

 

“In Sioux Falls, S.D., snow plows couldn’t keep up with clearing emergency routes because of blowing snow, said police Sgt. Tom Ward.

 

“Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle declared a state of emergency as the state dealt with blizzard-like conditions. Doyle ordered the closure of all state government and University of Wisconsin campuses.  The weather service’s blizzard warning for the state — defined as a severe snowstorm characterized by cold temperatures and heavy drifting of snow — is in effect until midnight Wednesday. As many as a dozen tractor-trailers were stuck on interstate ramps near Madison because of heavy snows…. Snapped power lines knocked out power to thousands of residents in Madison, which was buried in 16 inches of snow….

 

“Weather was blamed for 200 flight cancellations at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, said Karen Pride, spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Aviation.

 

“Blizzard warnings also covered eastern Nebraska, where overnight snowfall reports of 12 inches were common, and parts of Kansas, Illinois and Minnesota.

 

“Meanwhile, snow and ice pummeled the Northeast. A wintry mix of sleet and snow blanketed Massachusetts, snarling traffic and forcing school closures.

 

“Hundreds of schools across New York’s eastern half are closed and almost 50,000 upstate utility customers are without electricity. Eight inches of snow had fallen by late Wednesday morning, with the highest totals in the Albany area, the Catskills and Orange County in the Hudson Valley.

Snowfall was very heavy in Maine during the day, with accumulations of up to 14 inches expected in the western mountains and smaller amounts closer to the coast, where rain fell in some areas as the winds moved in.

 

“By the time the storm moves off the Maine coast Thursday night, it may have affected as much as two-thirds of the country, said Jim Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines.  Maine and New Hampshire could see snow accumulations of 6 to 10 inches capped off by rain and sleet in the evening. In northern New York, as much as a foot of snow was expected to accumulate Wednesday and more than 3 feet was expected by the week’s end near the Great Lakes.  “It’s a monster of a storm,” Lee said.

 

“The storm drenched California with rain, blanketed the mountain West with snow and brought 100 mph winds to New Mexico earlier this week. More than 20 inches of snow fell over Flagstaff, Ariz. — more than four times the record of 5 inches set in 1956.

 

“The 12 people who have died include three fatal accidents along slippery roads in Missouri, and a Minnesota driver who braked to avoid a stalled vehicle and wound up crashing down an embankment.” (USA Today. “Fierce Winter Storm Affects Much of the Country,” Dec 9, 2009.)

 

Dec 10, AP: “A man who was found behind the post office in Yale, Iowa died en route to hospital. He had been there for at least a couple hours…” (AP. “Massive Storm Buries Central US in Snow,”  Dec 10, 2009.)

Arizona

 

NCDC: “A powerful winter storm hit northern Arizona December 7th and 8th. This storm produced heavy snow, strong winds, and limited visibility in the high country. In the lower terrain, this storm produced heavy rain, damaging winds, and severe thunderstorms. Freeways were closed due to snow and blowing snow, hunters were trapped by heavy snow and falling trees, and over 400 hundred cars slid off the roads. The storm resulted in the largest search and rescue operations in Coconino County with nearly 50 people located from the Grand Canyon to Happy Jack. The Department of Public Safety dispatch center in Flagstaff received 3,000 calls for service within the first 24 hours of this storm. There were close to 550 slide offs and motorist assists, 83 non-injury collisions, and 26 injury collisions across northern Arizona. More than 14,000 customers were without power after the storm passed. Heavy rains loosened soil around boulders allowing them to fall on roadways. This storm caused school closures across the area.

 

“Northern Gila County received up to 18 inches of snow with this storm. A man froze to death about a mile and a half from his truck north of Young.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Heavy Snow. Arizona. Northern Gila County. 12-07/08-2009.)

 

Illinois

 

NCDC: “Bureau – Carroll – Henry – Jo Daviess – Putnam – Rock Island – Stephenson – Whiteside [Dec] 08-09…Winter Storm

 

“A very intense storm system tracked from the Oklahoma Panhandle to western Illinois and then to Lake Huron. This had the lowest barometric pressure (975 mb or 28.79 inches) in the Midwest since the November 10, 1998 storm that also moved through the upper Midwest. This powerful winter storm produced very heavy snowfall, blizzard conditions and bitterly cold temperatures on December 8-9, 2009. Snow amounts of at least 10 to 15 inches were common north of a Fairfield, Iowa to Sterling, Illinois line. The largest amount was an incredible 17.7 inches at Orangeville, Illinois in Stephenson county. Other amounts included 15 inches at Brighton, Iowa (Washington county), Mt. Vernon, Iowa (Linn county) and at Freeport, Illinois (Stephenson county). Snowfall was much lighter in southeast Iowa, extreme northeast Missouri and west central Illinois. Here snow accumulations were 1 to 4 inches as rain and sleet mixed with the snow. A band of freezing rain from Burlington, Iowa to Sterling, Illinois coated trees and power lines with up to 3 tenths of an inch of ice. A few locations also reported thundersnows with snowfall rates of nearly 2 inches per hour. There were scattered power outages and some tree branches down. Numerous accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported across the region. Many schools and businesses were also closed. In addition, winds gusting over 50 mph produced widespread blizzard conditions across much of eastern Iowa and extreme northeast Missouri, reducing visibilities to near zero on December 9.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 88.)

 

Iowa

 

NCDC: “Iowa, Central [Dec] 08-09…Heavy Snow

 

“An intense low pressure system moved into southern California during the afternoon and evening of the 7th, then tracked northeast across the central U.S. the surface low reached Kansas during the morning of the 8th, eastern Kansas by evening, and tracked to northern Illinois before sunrise on the 8th. The storm intensified rapidly, reaching 975 mb by the afternoon of the 9th as it crossed Lower Michigan. Snow broke out across Iowa during the overnight hours of the 7th into the early morning hours of the 8th. The snow continued through the day on the 8th. Northeast winds of 15 to 25 MPH caused drifting snow through the day and into the evening. Snowfall reached an inch per hour at times during several heavier waves of snowfall during the afternoon and evening of the 8th. A broad band of 8 to 16 inch snowfall totals were reported across much of the northwest two thirds of the state. There were isolated reports of thundersnow over southwest into central Iowa. Some of the heavier snowfall totals included 20 inches in Sac County at Schaller, 16.2 inches in Adams County at Corning, 16 inches in Cass County at Atlantic, 15.7 inches at the Des Moines Airport, and 15.3 inches in Windsor Heights, both in Polk County. The entire CWA received at least 4-6 inches from the storm over a 36 hour period. In terms of snowfall across the state, this storm produced the greatest snowfall /10.2 inches average/ of any storm since 1971. The snow became mixed with freezing rain and ice pellets over the southeast third of the state, and even turned to all freezing rain for a few hours southeast of a Lamoni to Ottumwa line. Ice accrual was generally under one tenth of an inch. Road conditions became hazardous with most businesses and schools closing by the early to mid afternoon hours of the 8th due to the poor conditions.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 92.)

 

Kansas

 

NCDC: “Kansas, East…[Dec] 07-09…Winter Storm

 

“A powerful winter storm battered much of Northeast Kansas dumping up to 15 inches of snow across parts of the area. Many areas received over 6 inches of snow during the storm which began on Monday night and persisted into the early morning hours of Wednesday. Areas along and southeast of an Abilene to Manhattan to Hiawatha line experienced periods of freezing rain and sleet during the day Tuesday, December 8th, which limited the snowfall accumulations however northwest of this line the precipitation primarily fell as snow and it was heavy during the day Tuesday. Although the heavy snows ended by Tuesday night, extremely strong northwest winds gusting from 40 to 50 mph developed and produced near blizzard conditions across parts of the area during the early morning hours on Wednesday. Wind chill values dropped into the -10 to -20 degree range early on Wednesday December 9^th.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 99.)

 

Minnesota

 

NCDC: “Minnesota, Southeast…Olmsted…Houston…Dodge – Fillmore- Mower – Wabasha – Winona…[Dec] 08-09…Blizzard…Winter Storm…

 

“A large winter storm, with heavy snow and strong winds, affected southeast Minnesota from December 8 through December 9. As the storm system approached, it strengthened and produced strong northwest winds that gusted to 45 mph at times, leading to significant drifting and blowing snow. Visibilities were reduced to near zero in many locations, especially in open country, where blizzard conditions prevailed. Snow drifts of 4 to 6 feet were common by the morning of December 9, with numerous roads nearly impassable. Snow plows had difficulty keeping roads open, especially in rural areas. Highest snowfall totals were between 12 and 17 inches. Specific reports from weather observers included 16.5 inches at Rushford (Fillmore County), 16.3 inches at both Dakota and Minnesota City (Winona County) and 14.0 inches near Caledonia (Houston County).” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 138.)

 

Dec 10: “Associated Press, December 10, 2009. Minneapolis (AP) — Slick roads are making for slow commutes in the Twin Cities after the first big snowstorm of the season dumped up to a foot of snow in southeastern Minnesota. Cold air pushed into the state after the storm moved on Wednesday. Early morning temperatures Thursday ranged from 22 degrees below zero in Hallock to 1 above in Winona….At least three people have died in weather-related traffic accidents in Minnesota. The arctic cold is expected to longer until late in the week, with highs Friday near zero along the U.S.-Canadian border.”

 

Missouri

 

NCDC: “Missouri, Northeast…Clark – Scotland…[Dec] 07-09…Winter Storm.

 

“A very intense storm system tracked from the Oklahoma Panhandle to western Illinois and then to Lake Huron. This had the lowest barometric pressure (975 mb or 28.79 inches) in the Midwest since the November 10, 1998 storm that also moved through the upper Midwest. This powerful winter storm produced very heavy snowfall, blizzard conditions and bitterly cold temperatures on December 8-9, 2009. Snow amounts of at least 10 to 15 inches were common north of a Fairfield, Iowa to Sterling, Illinois line. The largest amount was an incredible 17.7 inches at Orangeville, Illinois in Stephenson county. Other amounts included 15 inches at Brighton, Iowa (Washington county), Mt. Vernon, Iowa (Linn county) and at Freeport, Illinois (Stephenson county). Snowfall was much lighter in southeast Iowa, extreme northeast Missouri and west central Illinois. Here snow accumulations were 1 to 4 inches as rain and sleet mixed with the snow. A band of freezing rain from Burlington, Iowa to Sterling, Illinois coated trees and power lines with up to 3 tenths of an inch of ice. A few locations also reported thundersnows with snowfall rates of nearly 2 inches per hour. There were scattered power outages and some tree branches down. Numerous accidents and vehicles sliding into ditches were reported across the region. Many schools and businesses were also closed. In addition, winds gusting over 50 mph produced widespread blizzard conditions across much of eastern Iowa and extreme northeast Missouri, reducing visibilities to near zero on December 9.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009, p. 138.)

Nebraska

 

NCDC: “A large and relatively slow moving storm brought a prolonged winter storm and even, for a time, blizzard conditions to eastern Nebraska and western Iowa from late on Dec. 7th through the early morning hours of Dec. 9th. The storm was driven by an upper level disturbance that tracked from the west coast across the Rockies and deepened over the Mississippi River Valley. The heaviest snow fell in advance of when the stronger winds arrived, mainly during the morning and afternoon of Dec. 8th. However, as north winds increased to 30 to 50 mph during the night of the 8th and early on the 9th, visibilities frequently dropped to near zero, especially in open areas. Considerable drifting snow also occurred, in many cases closing roads back shut almost as fast as they could be opened. This prompted many counties to pull snow plows off the roads for a while during the night of the 8th and early on the 9th. Many schools were closed for 3 days because of the storm; due the forecast of heavy snow to begin on the 7th, because of poor visibilities and roads that were drifted shut on the 8th and still some closed roads and bitter cold wind chills which followed the storm on the 9th. An elderly Omaha man was found dead during the evening of the 8th when he apparently had car trouble and returned to his apartment and was found dead sitting down in a chair outside.

 

“Total snowfall from the storm was 6 to 15 inches over most of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Higher amounts in eastern Nebraska included 15 inches in Union, 14 inches in Columbus, around 12 inches at the NWS in Valley, at Tekamah, Uehling, Steele City and Weeping Water. In western Iowa heavier amounts included 12 inches in Clarinda and Hastings and around 11 inches in Harlan, Red Oak and Little Sioux.

 

“….A 28-year-old woman was killed late on the 8th when she was hit by a snowplow that was backing up outside of her southwest Omaha apartment complex and a 63-year-old man died of a heart attack on the 9th after shoveling snow outside of his northwest Omaha home. The weight of the snow damaged several roofs of businesses in Omaha and also caused the city to spend over $500,000 in equipment rental for snow removal besides over $1 million in actual snow removal expenses.” (National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Winter Storm. Nebraska. Douglas. Dec 7-9, 2009.)

 

Sources

 

ABC News (Ned Potter).  “Snow, Wind, Rain: Winter Storm Blankets U.S., 12-9-2009.  At:  http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/winter-storm-rain-snow-bad-road-conditions-school/story?id=9290413

 

Associated Press, Minneapolis. “Arctic Air Moves into Minn. After Snowstorm Leaves.” 12-10-2009. FEMA News Clipping Service.

 

Associated Press (Melanie S. Welte). “Big Storm Targets Midwest With Snow, Wind,” 12-8-2009. At: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-WqKbY64oAqC7RR_lsu1h9nMHFwD9CFAQI80

 

Associated Press. “`Extremely Dangerous’ Blizzards Move into Midwest,” 12-9-2009.  At:  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-WqKbY64oAqC7RR_lsu1h9nMHFwD9CFPHJ84

 

Associated Press. “Massive Storm Buries Central US in Snow,”  12-10-2009. Accessed at:  http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/massive-storm-buries-central-us-in-snow-20091210-kkhd.html

 

Associated Press. “Storm Dumps Snow on Midwest, Bitter Cold to Follow,” 12-9-2009. At:  http://www.weartv.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/31d56567-www.weartv.com.shtml

 

Bloomberg News/Brian K. Sullivan and Gregory Viscusi. “Wintry Storm Drenches NYC as Snow Moves Northeast.” 12-9-2009. Accessed from FEMA News Clipping Service, 12-10-2009.

 

Chicago Tribune/Associated Press. “Iowa Man Found During Blizzard Died of Hypothermia.” 12-10-2009. The Courier, Waterloo, IA. Accessed 7-29-2017 at: http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/iowa-man-found-during-blizzard-died-of-hypothermia/article_ced4b8d2-e5ab-11de-9e07-001cc4c002e0.html

 

Daily Times Herald, Carroll, IA. “Snowstorm.” 12-10-2009, p. 3. Accessed 8-5-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/carroll-daily-times-herald-dec-10-2009-p-19/?tag

 

Des Moines Register, IA. “Bitter Cold Moving In; At Least 3 Dead After Mighty Storm,” Dec 9, 2009. At: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20091209/NEWS/912090369/0/NEWS12/Bitter-cold-moving-in-at-least-3-dead-after-mighty-storm

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 12, Dec 2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, NOAA. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-63C9C3B6-1C46-4465-A115-94928C85B1A8.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Heavy Snow. Arizona. Northern Gila County. 12-07/08-2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=201500

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Strong Wind. North Carolina. Davidson. Dec 9, 2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=198870

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Strong Wind. North Carolina. Franklin. Dec 9, 2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=198874

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Winter Storm. Nebraska. Douglas. Dec 7-9, 2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=200527

 

New York Times/Associated Press. “Storm Closes Schools, Knocks out Power Across NY.” 12-9-2009. From FEMA News Clipping Service, 12-9-2009.

 

USA Today. “Fierce Winter Storm Affects Much of the Country.” 12-9-2009. Accessed at: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2009-12-09-winter-storm-wednesday_N.htm

 

 

[1] In apparent reference to the same death, Pete Thomas of the LA Times, noted: “In the high winds Monday night (Dec 7) Arizona hunter Skylar Stock was killed when the top of a 70-foot pine tree fell on the tent in which he was sleeping. (Thomas, Pete. “Arizona Hunters Trapped in Deep Freeze are Subject of Massive Search,” Los Angeles Times Blog, 12-10-2009.)

[2] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Heavy Snow. Arizona. Northern Gila County. 12-07/08-2009.

[3] NCDC. Storm Data, V51, N12, Dec 2009, p. 87.

[4] Chicago Tribune/AP. “Iowa Man Found During Blizzard Died of Hypothermia.” 12-10-2009. Notes that victim also had “underlying medical conditions,” and lived in Bagley.

[5] “Arctic Air Moves into Minn. After Snowstorm Leaves.” 12-10-2009.

[6] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Winter Storm. Nebraska. Douglas. Dec 7-9.

[7] NCDC. Storm Data, V51, N12, Dec 2009, p. 154.

[8] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Winter Storm. Nebraska. Douglas. Dec 7-9.

[9] NYT/AP. “Storm Closes Schools, Knocks out Power Across NY.” 12-9-2009. Victim identified as James Shea.

[10] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Strong Wind. North Carolina. Davidson. Dec 9, 2009.

[11] NCDC. Storm Events Database. Event Details. Strong Wind. North Carolina. Franklin. Dec 9, 2009.

[12] Possible reference to death of a “The driver of a sport utility vehicle that plunged 90 feet off an icy road into the Texas Panhandle’s Palo Duro Canyon…” (Bloomberg News/Brian K. Sullivan and Gregory Viscusi. “Wintry Storm Drenches NYC as Snow Moves Northeast.” 129-2009.) This State Park enters Armstrong Canyon on the west.

— 13  Washington Post (Billy Kenber). “Nidal Hasan sentenced to death…” 8-28-2013.

— 13  Webster. Final Report… Webster Commission on…Investigation… Fort Hood, Texas…

 

Narrative Information

 

Webster Commission: “On December 17, 2008, United States Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan visited the website of radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi. He sent a message to Aulaqi. The Federal Bureau of Investigation acquired the message.  A second message followed on January 1, 2009.  Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the San Diego Field Office reviewed the messages. Concerned by the message’s content and implications that the sender was a U.S. military officer, San Diego set a lead to International Terrorism Operations Section 1 at FBI Headquarters and the JTTF in the Washington, D.C., Field Office (WFO).

 

“Five months later, WFO conducted an assessment of Hasan, who worked as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. WFO queried certain FBI and Department of Defense (DoD) databases and reviewed the limited set of Army personnel records available to DoD personnel serving on JTTFs.  In the meantime, San Diego had acquired and reviewed fourteen additional messages and emails from Hasan to Aulaqi and two emails from Aulaqi to Hasan.  WFO did not assess Hasan to be involved in terrorist activities.  San Diego advised WFO that the assessment was inadequate. Neither Field Office took any further action. Hasan sent his last message to Aulaqi on June 16,2009. Aulaqi did not respond.

 

“Effective July 15, 2009, the Army assigned Hasan to the Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas. In October 2009, the Army notified Hasan that he would be deployed to Afghanistan in November 2009.

 

“On November 5, 2009, Hasan entered the Fort Hood deployment center. He carried two pistols. He jumped on a desk and shouted “Allahu Akbar!” – Arabic for “God is great!” Then he opened fire, killing twelve U.S. soldiers and one DoD employee, and injuring forty-two others.

 

“The FBI immediately conducted an internal review of how San Diego and WFO handled Hasan’s communications with Aulaqi.  As a result of the review, the FBI took specific steps to improve its ability to detect and deter threats like Hasan. Those steps focused primarily on FBI-DoD information-sharing, FBI Headquarters involvement in reviewing significant national security cases, information technology improvements, and training.

 

“FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, determined that an additional, independent investigation of the FBI’s actions was appropriate.”  (Webster, William. H., et al.  Final Report…Investigation… Events at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009.  July 2012 [?].)

 

Washington Post/Kenber: “Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Tex., the worst mass murder at a military installation in U.S. history…. If even a single panel member had objected, Hasan would instead have been sentenced to life in prison….

 

“No active-duty service member has been executed since 1961, and legal experts said it will probably be many years, if ever, before the sentence will be carried out. Hasan will be flown shortly to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he will join five other inmates on military death row, officials said….” (Washington Post (Billy Kenber). “Nidal Hasan sentenced to death for Fort Hood shooting rampage.” 8-28-2013.)

 

Sources

 

Washington Post (Billy Kenber). “Nidal Hasan sentenced to death for Fort Hood shooting rampage.” 8-28-2013. Accessed 9-11-2015: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nidal-hasan-sentenced-to-death-for-fort-hood-shooting-rampage/2013/08/28/aad28de2-0ffa-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html

 

Webster, William. H., et al.  Final Report of the William H. Webster Commission on the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Counterterrorism Intelligence, and the Events at Fort Hood, Texas on November 5, 2009.  July 2012 [?]. Accessed 7-27-2012 at: http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/judge-webster-delivers-webster-commission-report-on-fort-hood  )

 

 

 

— 9  Associated Press. “CA Searchers Scour For Survivors of Midair Crash,” October 30, 2009.

— 9  Baugher. US Navy…US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (164196 to ???). 10-28-2011.

— 9  Braesch. “Search for Crewmembers involved in Mid-Air Collision.” Coast Guard Compass.

— 9  Reuters. “U.S. Marine, Coast Guard Aircraft Collide, 9 Missing,” Oct 30, 2009.

 

Narrative Information

 

Baugher: “Bell AH-1W Sea Cobra….164596 (c/n 29154) with HMLA-469 collided with Coast Guard HC-130H 1705 off San Clemente Oct 29, 2009.  2 on helicopter and 7 on HC-130H killed.”  (Baugher. US Navy…US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (164196 to ???). 10-28-2011.)

 

Braesch: “….A joint agency search and rescue operation continues off the coast of California east of San Clemente Island for the missing air crewmembers who were onboard the Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules airplane and a Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter that collided. The search effort has saturated an area totaling 644 square miles and includes surface and air assets from the Coast Guard, Navy, Marine Corps and Customs Border Protection Air/Marine Branch. The missing Guardians from the Coast Guard C-130 are:

• Lieutenant Commander Che J. Barnes, age 35, Capay, Calif., Aircraft Commander.
• Lieutenant Adam W. Bryant, age 28, Crewe, Va., Co-Pilot.
• Chief Petty Officer John F. Seidman, age 43, Stockton, Calif., Flight Engineer.
• Petty Officer 2nd Class Carl P. Grigonis, age 35, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, Navigator.
• Petty Officer 2nd Class Monica L. Beacham, 29, Decaturville, Tenn., Radio Operator.
• Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason S. Moletzsky, age 26, Norristown, Pa., Air Crew.
• Petty Officer 3rd Class Danny R. Kreder II, age 22, Elm Mott, Texas, Drop Master.

“The missing crew members from the Marine Corps helicopter are:

• Major Samuel Leigh, age 35, Kennebec, Maine.
• 1st Lieutenant Thomas Claiborne, age 26, Douglas, Colo.

(Braesch, Lt. Connie. “Search for Crewmembers involved in Mid-Air Collision.” Coast Guard Compass (Official Blog of the U.S. Coast Guard). 10-31-2009.)

Oct 30, AP: “A Marine attack helicopter that collided with a Coast Guard search plane off Southern California was one of four helicopters flying in formation to deliver Marines to a training island…. Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Jay Delarosa says two AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters were escorting two heavy lift CH-53E transport helicopters carrying Marines to San Clemente Island Thursday night. ….at the time of the crash, the C-130 was searching for a man in a skiff who was reported missing out of Los Angeles.  The Camp Pendleton-based AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter was on a training mission.”  (AP, Oct 30, 2009)

 

Oct 30, Reuters: “SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – Rescue teams searched the waters off the coast of Southern California on Friday for nine people missing after a mid-air crash of a U.S. Coast Guard plane and a Marine Corps helicopter, officials said.  The collision was reported on Thursday evening off San Clemente Island, a U.S. Navy-owned island about 68 miles west of San Diego, according to Coast Guard and Marine Corps officials.

 

“Seven people were believed to be aboard the Coast Guard C-130 transport, and two more aboard the Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter when the two aircraft collided, authorities said.  The cause of the crash was not immediately known, authorities said. The Cobra crew was on a training mission at the time, authorities said.

 

“As of dawn on Friday, pilots and sailors were searching for any survivors in and around an ocean debris field spotted between San Clemente Island and the San Diego County coast, authorities said.”  (Reuters, Oct 30, 2009.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “CA Searchers Scour For Survivors of Midair Crash.” 10-30-2009. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/ca_searchers_scour_for_survivo.html

 

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (164196 to ???). Oct 28 2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries23.html

 

Braesch, Lt. Connie. “Search for Crewmembers involved in Mid-Air Collision.” Coast Guard Compass (Official Blog of the U.S. Coast Guard). 10-31-2009. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://coastguard.dodlive.mil/2009/10/search-for-crewmembers-involved-in-mid-air-collision/

 

Reuters. “U.S. Marine, Coast Guard Aircraft Collide, 9 Missing,” 10-30-2009. Accessed at: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE59T39B20091030

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

–10 AP. “14 die in Afghan copter crashes.” Northwest FL Daily News, Fort Walton Beach. 10-27-2009, 1-2.
–10 Aviation Safety Network. US Army Chinook crash, Western Badghis province, Afghanistan
–10 Defense-update.com. “Brownout…Cause of…Fatal Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan.” 10-26-2009.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 2009:
“Date: 26 Oct 2009 Time: c. 03:30
“Type: Boeing MH-47G Chinook
“Owner/operator: United States Army
“Registration: 04-03747 MSN: M3747
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 36
….
“Location: Muqur district, Western Badghis province – Afghanistan
“Phase: Take off
“Nature: Military
….
“Narrative:

“A US Army or NATO helicopter is reported crashed in the west of the country when transporting personnel away from an anti-drug raid. Seven U.S. troops and three U.S. civilians are reported killed and twenty-six others, both U.S. and Afghan, are reported to be injured.

“….Thick dust stirred up from the initial takeoff and overwhelmed the visibility of the helicopter crew. While trying to correct the aircraft’s movement, it struck a tall structure, causing it to crash. Militants did not fire at the helicopter at any point during the departure or crash.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 2009. US Army Chinook crash, Western Badghis province, Afghanistan. 26-Oct-2009. Accessed 8-1-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/69433

Defense-update.com. “Brownout Blamed as the Cause of the Fatal Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan.” 10-26-2009. Accessed 8-1-2023 at:

Brownout Blamed as the Cause of the Fatal Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan

— 34  CNN. “Report: Tsunami warning funds squandered in American Samoa.” 10-28-2009.

— 34  FEMA. “Disaster Assistance in American Samoa Tops $33 million,” 3-17-2010.[1]

— 32  Confirmed. U.S. Interior Dept. “American Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami.” 10-13-2009.

 

Narrative Information

 

US Interior Dept.: “An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0 on the Richter Scale occurred 120 miles south-southwest from American Samoa, about 13 kilometers below the seabed at about 6:48 a.m. SST (1:48 p.m. Eastern DT ). The earthquake was followed by a tsunami that produced several large waves causing 32 confirmed deaths, more than a hundred injuries and the destruction of about 200 homes and businesses. While there are still about 400 persons living in shelters, most of the displaced persons have been invited to live with friends and families on the island. Major damage/destruction occurred to the coastal areas of Tutuila and other islands of American Samoa, a U.S. insular territory. The tsunami also impacted surrounding islands, including Western Samoa and Tonga.

 

“American Samoa received an expedited Federal Major Disaster Declaration on Sept. 29, 2009 making disaster funds available for Individual assistance, Public assistance and Hazard Mitigation. The Federal Coordinating Officer (FCO) established a Joint Field Office (JFO) on the island where all Federal response and recovery operations are being coordinated. The FCO assumed operational control of response and recovery operations from FEMA Region IX’s Response Coordination Center which has transitioned to a support posture. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced late this week that response operations have concluded and the incident has moved to the recovery phase. FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center has shifted back to normal, steady state operations.

 

“The U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Defense and Hawaiian Airlines provided relief flights to the island, bringing in responders and supplies with 24-hours of the tsunami. While much of the island’s infrastructure was damaged, response teams were able to get water facilities, electricity and communications re-established, at least to a workable level with a few days of the disasters.

 

“The Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital was able to remain open throughout the disaster using generator power. Within 48-hours, relief medical supplies and deployed medical teams arrived on American Samoa to supplement the island staff, assisting with the treatment of many patients who were injured during the disaster….

 

“The NPS [National Park Service] Visitor Center and headquarters on Tutuila received extensive damage from tsunami surge flooding and is uninhabitable….

 

“American Samoa is a U. S. insular territory with a population of approximately 65,000 people. The Department of the Interior is the federal agency charged with coordinating federal policy for the social, economic and political development of the U.S. insular territories in the Pacific and Caribbean and administers all congressional funding for these islands. The Office of Insular Affairs carries out the Secretary’s statutory responsibilities for these islands.” (U.D. Dept. Interior OEM.  “American Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami” (Fact Sheet). 10-13-2009 update.)

 

CNN, Pago Pago, American Samoa, Oct 28: “When an earthquake-triggered tsunami cascaded into this tiny island in late September, the result was 34 lives lost and untold millions in property damage. But a CNN investigation to air on tonight’s “AC 360” has uncovered an array of unsettling facts that point to a single conclusion: this natural disaster was in many ways a man-made tragedy. Public records show that the Department of Homeland Security had awarded millions of federal dollars in grants for disaster preparedness here, including the construction of an island-wide siren warning system. But all the federal funding was frozen in early 2007 after DHS inspectors found that the local American Samoan government had been diverting millions of those dollars for its own uses….

 

“Federal sources told CNN they believe that had the warning system been built, the death toll would likely have been lower….

 

“CNN has learned that the FBI is now conducting an investigation into exactly what did happen to the federal preparedness dollars sent to American Samoa. It was launched, sources tell CNN, by the Interior Department as its Insular Affairs office has federal administrative responsibility for the island. The FBI investigation is only the latest and most recent attempt by the federal government to try to track what one federal official told CNN was “endemic” corruption on the island….

 

“In half a dozen villages either wiped out or badly damaged by the tsunami, CNN could find no visible evidence of local government assistance. Workers from a tuna fish processing plant were helping in one village; in another, students from an island community college were dredging rubbish out of a stream. Red Cross officials distributed tents in other villages. Children in another village were hauling furniture on their backs to help clear the debris. When asked about the seeming lack of local government assistance, the governor told CNN, “Our departments are out there working and working very hard, and to say they haven’t seen any assistance is totally false.”

 

“Since 1995, American Samoa has received nearly $2 billion in federal grants from nearly every federal agency. On average the 65,000-population — the size of a typical American suburb — receives about $250 million in federal money each year. Congressional sources tell CNN that oversight has always been a problem because of Samoa’s isolation and the expense involved in even mounting an investigation….

 

“Federal sources said they don’t believe any official is getting rich off the U.S. Treasury. Instead, they said, federal funds — including disaster-preparedness money that was to have gone to the warning system — were instead used to create local government jobs in an economy almost totally dependent on U.S. federal grants….” (CNN (Drew Griffin and David Fitzpatrick). “Report: Tsunami warning funds squandered in American Samoa,” 10-28-2009.)

 

FEMA: “Pago Pago, AS —  In the six months since an earthquake and tsunami struck American Samoa and caused extensive damage and loss of life, federal assistance has topped $33 million. Another $107 million is in the pipeline for later distribution. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in partnership with the American Samoa Government (ASG) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), launched recovery efforts within a day of the disastrous tsunami, which killed 32 people and left two missing.

 

“The series of waves also disabled the local power plants; destroyed 248 homes and 28 rental units; and damaged another 2,750 dwellings. One school was destroyed and another four suffered substantial damage. Roads, bridges, churches, and everything in the waves’ paths were damaged to varying degrees….” (FEMA. “Disaster Assistance in American Samoa Tops $33 million,” 3-17-2010.)

Sources

 

CNN (Drew Griffin and David Fitzpatrick). “Report: Tsunami warning funds squandered in American Samoa.” CNN Special Investigations Unit, 10-28-2009. Accessed 9-5-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/27/asamoa.tsunami.warningsystem/

 

Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Disaster Assistance in American Samoa Tops $33 million,” 3-17-2010. Accessed 9-5-2015 at: https://www.fema.gov/news-release/2010/03/17/disaster-assistance-american-samoa-tops-33-million

 

United States Department of the Interior, Office of Emergency Management. “American Samoa Earthquake and Tsunami” (Fact Sheet). 10-13-2009 update. Accessed 9-5-2015 at: https://www.doi.gov/emergency/factsheets/american-samoa-earthquake-and-tsunami-damage

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] 32 confirmed, 2 missing.

— 10  Associated Press. “Death Toll At 10 As Southeast Floods Start to Ebb,”  Sep 23, 2009.

— 10  USA Today.  “Southerners Survey Damage After Floods,” Sep 22, 2009.

— 09  NYT. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” Sep 24, 2009.

— 09  Reuters. “U.S. Flood Damage in Georgia to Top $250 Mil.,” Sep 23, 2009.

— 08  ABC News. “Storms, Rain Turn Deadly In Georgia,” Sep 22, 2009.

— 08  Associated Press. “Avoid Atlanta! Floodwaters Claim 8 Lives.” Sep 22, 2009.

 

Alabama         (  1) (not included)

—>1  Associated Press. “Death Toll At 10 As Southeast Floods Start to Ebb,” Sep 23, 2009.[1]

 

Georgia          (10)

—  10  State. NWS WFO Peachtree City, GA. Atlanta Floods 5^th Anniversary, Sep 15-22, 2009.

—>10  State. NWS WFO Peachtree City, GA. The Epic Floods of 2009. 3-2-2010 modification.

—    9  State. NYT. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” 9-24-2009.

—    9  North GA. Reuters. “U.S. Flood Damage in Georgia to Top $250 Mil.,” 9-23-2009.

—    7  Blanchard tally of locality breakouts below.

Locality Breakouts

— 1  Carroll Co., Snake Creek, Sep 21. Drowning; flood “ripped open…mobile home”, boy, 2.[2]

— 1  Chattooga County, Chattooga River, Sep 22. Drowning; male, 15.[3]

— 5  Douglas County. NYT. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” 9-24-2009.

— 4  Douglass County. AP. “Avoid Atlanta!” 9-22-2009.

–1  Sep 22. Drowning; car washed off road, Richard Butler, 29.

–1  Anneewakee Creek, Sep 22 (body found). Drowning, female; flood swept car off road.[4]

— 1  Fulton Co., Atlanta, Desiree Dr., Sep 21. Car swept into creek; female, Seydi Burciaga, 39.[5]

 

Tennessee       (  1) (not included)

— 1  Location and date not noted. Male jumps into fast-moving flood water on a bet.[6]

 

Narrative Information

 

Sep 22, AP: “(Atlanta, GA) The death toll in Southeast flooding has reached eight after rescuers found the body a 15-year-old boy in northwest Georgia after days of heavy rain turned docile creeks into surging rivers and rivers. The teen’s body was found in the Chattooga River on Tuesday morning.  The Georgia Emergency Management Agency also reported a new death in Douglas County west of Atlanta, bringing the toll in that county to four people. No more details were immediately available.  Other victims have included a 2-year-old boy who was swept away from his family when a creek ripped open their west Georgia mobile home Monday.  Aerial shots showed schools, parking lots and even entire neighborhoods submerged by the deluge, sending some unlucky residents scurrying for higher ground.

 

“(Atlanta, GA) Portions of interstate highways in the Atlanta area were closed to traffic because of flooding during Tuesday morning rush hour.  The state Department of Transportation reported that a portion of Interstate 285, Atlanta’s perimeter highway, was closed in Cobb County at a bridge crossing the Chattahoochee River.  The DOT says Interstate 20 is shut down in the Austell area at the bridge over Sweetwater Creek because of rising water. It says flooding has also closed the highway just west of Atlanta.  In Cherokee County, I-575 was shut down at Highway 92 because of flooding. DOT spokeswoman Crystal Paul-Buchanan says the water there is receding but the road has not yet reopened.  Elsewhere, the DOT says I-75 is closed at Big Creek in Houston County.” (Associated Press. “Avoid Atlanta!” Sep 22, 2009.)

 

Sep 23, AP: “At least 10 deaths in Georgia and Alabama were blamed on the torrential downpours in the Southeast. The storms finally relented and relief was in sight with just a slight chance of rain Wednesday, but the onslaught left many parts of the region in stagnant water.

 

“The latest victim, Richard Butler, 29, drowned after his car was apparently washed off a road near a creek Tuesday night in suburban Douglas County, west of Atlanta, county spokesman Wes Tallon said….

 

“Most deaths were from drowning when cars were swept off roadways. Authorities released a 15-minute 911 call of a storm victim’s last moments. Seydi Burciaga, 39, screamed to a dispatcher as water rose to her neck. The dispatcher advised her to try to break a window, but she couldn’t….

 

“Eddie Stroup, an investigator with the Chattooga County Sheriffs Office in northwest Georgia, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that 14-year-old Nicholas Osley drowned when he and a friend saw a Jeep in the water and dove in to see if there were any people who needed help. The current from the nearby Chattooga River swept them away, Stroup said.  The friend survived.

“In Tennessee, a man was still missing after jumping into the fast-moving water as part of a bet. Boats and trucks evacuated 120 residents from a retirement center as nearby creeks rose, and several hundred others were ferried from low-lying neighborhoods and motels to dry land.

 

“The devastation surrounding Atlanta was widespread. In Austell, about 17 miles west of downtown Atlanta, Sweetwater Creek overflowed its banks, sending muddy water rushing into a nearby mobile home park where several trailers were almost completely submerged….

 

“Just down the road, in the Mulberry Creek subdivision, large houses built just five years ago were partially underwater. Some residents tried to salvage anything.” (Associated Press. “Death Toll At 10 As Southeast Floods Start to Ebb,” Sep 23, 2009.)

 

Sep 23, Reuters: “ATLANTA, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Flooding in north Georgia that killed nine people caused $250 million worth of damage to property and tens of millions of dollars more damage to infrastructure, the state insurance commissioner said on Wednesday.

 

“Parts of the 1-20 interstate highway that runs through downtown Atlanta were closed through the Wednesday morning rush hour and at least 20 bridges, including some over the highway, appeared damaged, commissioner John Oxendine said….

 

“The flooding struck on Monday after days of rain that in some parts of Atlanta were the heaviest in the city in more than 100 years, according to state climatologist Pam Knox at the University of Georgia in Athens.

 

“Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue asked President Barack Obama on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency for Georgia….

 

The Chattahoochee river broke its banks and several smaller creeks and tributaries that snake through the city became raging torrents with water levels rising up to 20 feet (7 meters). In most cases the water quickly receded.” (Reuters. “U.S. Flood Damage in Georgia to Top $250 Mil.,” Sep 23, 2009.)

 

Sep 24, NYT: “ATLANTA — The death toll from the floods in Georgia rose to nine people as the waters continued to recede on Wednesday, and residents grappled with the damage that has destroyed their homes, uprooted their lives and shut down bridges and major roadways around the Atlanta area.

 

“Another body was found Tuesday evening in hardest-hit Douglas County. Richard Butler, 29, was swept from his car and died, like the other five victims from the county, as a result of flash-flooding, said Wes Tallon, the spokesman for the county’s emergency management agency….

 

“The county was hit by 21 inches of rain in a 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, knocking out the drinking water supply to most residents, and forcing others to boil their water….on Tuesday afternoon, the body of a woman was found in Douglas County after a flash flood from the Anneewakee Creek (usually two feet deep) overwhelmed the roadway, sweeping the car downstream.

 

“In Carroll County, about 5o miles west of Atlanta, Tim Padgett, the emergency management director, said that a 2-year-old boy died when his family’s mobile home was swept away by the fast-moving Snake Creek — about 18 feet higher than its normal level — and the father could no longer hold on to his son in the rush of the water….” (NYT. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” Sep 24, 2009.)

Georgia

 

NWS WFO: “Catastrophic flooding impacted the Atlanta metropolitan area September 15-22, 2009, as a result of multiple days of prolonged rainfall. A combination of ample moisture from both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and topography enhancement produced heavy rains that fell faster than local watersheds could handle. At the height of the event, September 20-21, an estimated 10 to 20 inches of rain occurred in less than 24 hours. Historic flash flooding resulted, with flooded river basins remaining swollen for weeks. Numerous flood records were set, with some locations observing conditions exceeding the 0.2% chance of occurrence in a given year.

 

“The maximum 24-hour rainfall total for September 20-21, 2009, was 21.03 inches, observed at the Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority. The chance of any location in the Atlanta area receiving this amount of rainfall in any given 24-hour period is less than 0.01% annually.

 

“The epic flooding that occurred greatly impacted the community and economy. Initial property damage in Georgia was estimated at $250 million, but was eventually raised to $500 million. More than 20,000 homes, businesses and other buildings sustained major damage, including 16,981 residences. Unfortunately, 10 Georgia residents lost their lives during this event. Of those, 9 died during the overnight hours, and 8 died driving across flooded roads. Additionally, hundreds of people were rescued from their homes and vehicles. Portions of all major Atlanta-area interstates, including I-20, I-75 and I-85, were closed.

 

“The impact of the heavy rainfall to area creek and river systems lasted for weeks. There were 79 river gages that rose above flood stage, with 35% of those cresting above major flood stage. More than one third of the gages rose to never-before-seen levels. During the height of the event, 20 river gages went underwater and stopped reporting. In these cases high water marks were surveyed to determine the peak stage height. At Sweetwater Creek near Austell, Georgia, the new established record was 20 feet above flood stage and nine feet above the previous record crest. In Douglas County, the Dog River overtopped the USGS stream gage by 12 feet. In total, 28 new record crests were set, one of which was originally established in 1919. These swollen river basins resulted in damage to 21 Category One dams.

 

“Seventeen counties in Georgia received Federal Disaster Declarations, the majority of which were in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. The clean-up and rebuild process continued into 2010. As of September 2010, there were more than 16,000 requests and inquiries for federal aid.

 

“Improvements in forecast tools and availability of real-time data – such as flood inundation mapping and increased river gage density – should aid hydrologists, meteorologists and decision makers when the next big flood strikes.” (National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Peachtree City, GA. Atlanta Floods 5^th Anniversary, September 15-22, 2009 (website). NWS, 9-13-2014 modification.)

 

USGS on Atlanta GA: “The epic flooding that hit the Atlanta area in September was so extremely rare that, six weeks later this event has defied attempts to describe it.  Scientists have reviewed the numbers and they are stunning. “At some sites, the annual chance of a flood of this magnitude was so significantly less than 1 in 500  that, given the relatively short length of stream-gaging records (well less than 100 years), the U.S. Geological Survey cannot accurately characterize the probability due to its extreme rarity,” said Robert Holmes, USGS National Flood Program Coordinator. ‘Nationwide, given that our oldest stream-gaging records span about 100 years, the USGS does not cite probabilities for floods that are beyond a 0.2 percent (500-year) flood.’ ‘If a 0.2 percent (500-year) flood was a cup of coffee, this one brewed a full pot,” said Brian McCallum, Assistant Director for the USGS Georgia Water Science Center in Atlanta. “This flood overtopped 20 USGS stream-gages – one by 12 feet. The closest numbers we have seen like these in Georgia were from Tropical Storm Alberto in 1994. This flood was off the charts.’

 

“The rains returned water levels in the region’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Lanier and Allatoona Lake, to pre-drought levels.  Lake Lanier rose by more than three feet to 1068 feet by Sept. 25 and returned to full pool in October.  Allatoona Lake rose to 853.25 feet on Sept 23, more than 13 feet over full pool of 840 feet.

 

“ ‘The flooding in Atlanta is certainly near the top of the list of the worst floods in the United States during the past 100 years,” said Holmes. “For comparable drainage areas, the magnitude of this flood was worse than the 1977 Kansas City flood, which caused tremendous destruction and loss of life.  It is a testament to the diligence of county officials and emergency management teams that more lives were not lost in Georgia.’….

 

“ ‘Applying rainfall frequency calculations, we have determined that the chance of 10 inches or more occurring at any given point are less than one hundredth of one percent”, said Kent Frantz, Senior Service Hydrologist for the National Weather Service at Peachtree City.  “This means that the chance of an event like this occurring is 1 in 10,000.’….” (U.S. Geological Survey. Atlanta Floods Extremely Rare. Reston VA: USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior. 11-4-2009.)

 

Sources

 

ABC News. “Storms, Rain Turn Deadly In Georgia,” 9-22-2009.

 

Associated Press. “Avoid Atlanta! Floodwaters Claim 8 Lives.” 9-22-2009. Accessed at:  http://www2.wjbf.com/jbf/news/state_regional/georgia/article/avoid_atlanta_floodwaters_claim_7_state_of_emergency_declared/25353/

 

Associated Press (Brumback). “Death Toll at 10 as Southeast Floods Start to Ebb,”  9-23-2009. Accessed 6-23-2015 at: http://blog.al.com/live/2009/09/floodwaters_begin_to_recede_in.html

 

CNN (Wayne Drash and Emanuella Grinberg). “Drowning mother: ‘Please, come help me!’” 9-23-2009. Accessed 6-23-2015 at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/23/georgia.drowning.911/index.html?eref=rss_us

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 51, No. 9, Sep 2009. Asheville, NC: NCDC, National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, NOAA. Accessed 6-23-2015 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-848EAB4B-AE2C-40E4-8F8D-E7A20C4AA1E3.pdf

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Peachtree City, GA. Atlanta Floods 5^th Anniversary, September 15-22, 2009 (website). NWS, 9-13-2014 modification. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/?n=atlanta_floods_anniv

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Peachtree City, GA. The Epic Floods of 2009 [website] 3-2-2010 modification. Accessed 6-24-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ffc/?n=0909epicflood

 

New York Times. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” Sep 24, 2009.

 

Reuters, Atlanta (Matthew Bigg). “U.S. flood damage in Georgia to top $250 million.” 9-23-2009. Accessed 6-23-2015 at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/09/23/us-usa-georgia-floods-idUSTRE58M49620090923

 

USA Today. “Southerners Survey Damage After Floods.” 9-22-2009. Accessed at:  http://www.usatoday.com/weather/floods/2009-09-22-flooding-tuesday_N.htm

 

U.S. Geological Survey. Atlanta Floods Extremely Rare. Reston VA: USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior. 11-4-2009. Accessed 9-5-2015: http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2343#.Vesxspc9Z14

 

 

 

[1] Writes of at least ten deaths in Georgia and Alabama. Nine have been reported for Georgia.

[2] NYT. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” Sep 24, 2009.

[3] Associated Press. “Avoid Atlanta!” 9-22-2009. This might be a reference to Nicholas Osley.

[4] New York Times. “Georgia Grapples With Damage From Storm,” Sep 24, 2009.

[5] CNN (Wayne Drash and Emanuella Grinberg). “Drowning mother: ‘Please, come help me!’” 9-23-2009.

[6] Associated Press. “Death Toll At 10 As Southeast Floods Start to Ebb,” 9-23-2009.

–9  Gendar, et al. “Hudson River Crash…‘Inevitable’ Colleague of Helicopter Pilot…” 8-10-2009.

–9  NTSB. AAR. Midair Collision Over Hudson River…Near Hoboken [NJ], August 8, 2009.

 

Narrative Information

 

Gendar: “A close colleague of the pilot of the doomed tourist helicopter says it can be dicey in the skies over the Hudson River – and Saturday’s disaster that killed nine was “inevitable.”  “We were borderline surprised that it took so long for a crash like this to happen,” said Ben Lane, 34, who frantically radioed his pilot pal Jeremy Clarke that a plane was bearing down on him… experts said Lane is right, and that the Federal Aviation Administration has failed to make the city skies safe.  “The FAA is going to come under a lot of fire for not managing the situation above the Hudson better,” said ex-National Transportation Safety Board investigator Greg Feith.

 

“The agency is “playing the odds” by letting local low-flying air traffic fly so close to small planes passing through New York’s air space.  “The issue is these weekend warriors,” Lane said. “I don’t care if they are life-long pilots, 90% of the time they don’t make a radio call.”

 

“He said his fellow chopper pilots try to remain safe by staying in constant radio contact. “The professional pilots down here who fly all the time, we do a borderline excessive amount of radio calls,” he said.  “We know how busy it is, so we all kind of look after each other on the river.”

 

“Sadly, that got-your-back teamwork wasn’t enough to save Clarke, 32, and the five Italian tourists he was ferrying.  Clarke had just lifted off when Lane – while refueling his chopper at the W. 30th St. heliport used by Liberty Helicopters – saw the plane that would strike the helicopter like a torpedo barreling down the Hudson. “Jeremy, Jeremy, you have an airplane on your right side!” Lane yelled into the radio, but it was too late. “I don’t think the plane took any evasive action. I don’t think the pilot ever saw Jeremy,” Lane said. “Jeremy never replied back to me,” he recalled….”The plane looked like a cruise missile hitting a target, straight into him,” Lane said.

“The right wing came off the airplane and did an uncontrolled free fall from there. For Jeremy, the blades came off the helicopter, and it did a free fall. “I immediately took off from the deck and flew over the debris looking for survivors. There was no one in the water”.”  (Gendar, et al. “Hudson River Crash…‘Inevitable’ Colleague of Helicopter Pilot…” 10Aug09)

 

NTSB: “This accident summary report discusses the August 8, 2009, accident involving a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N71MC, and a Eurocopter AS350BA helicopter, N401LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters, which collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. The pilot and two passengers aboard the airplane and the pilot and five passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and both aircraft received substantial damage from the impact. The airplane flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and the helicopter flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Parts 135 and 136. No flight plans were filed or were required for either flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The safety issues discussed in this report address changes within the recently designated special flight rules area (SFRA) surrounding the Hudson River corridor, vertical separation among aircraft operating in the Hudson River SFRA, the see-and-avoid concept, and helicopter electronic traffic advisory systems. Five new safety recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration are included in the report.”

 

“Executive Summary

 

“On August 8, 2009, at 1153:14 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, N71MC, and a Eurocopter AS350BA helicopter, N401LH, operated by Liberty Helicopters, collided over the Hudson River near Hoboken, New Jersey. The pilot and two passengers aboard the airplane and the pilot and five passengers aboard the helicopter were killed, and both aircraft received substantial damage from the impact. The airplane flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, and the helicopter flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Parts 135 and 136. No flight plans were filed or were required for either flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was (1) the inherent limitations of the see-and-avoid concept, which made it difficult for the airplane pilot to see the helicopter until the final seconds before the collision, and (2) the Teterboro Airport local controller’s nonpertinent telephone conversation, which distracted him from his air traffic control (ATC) duties, including correcting the airplane pilot’s read back of the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) tower frequency and the timely transfer of communications for the accident airplane to the EWR tower. Contributing to this accident were (1) both pilots’ ineffective use of available electronic traffic information to maintain awareness of nearby aircraft, (2) inadequate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) procedures for transfer of communications among ATC facilities near the Hudson River Class B exclusion area, and (3) FAA regulations that did not provide adequate vertical separation for aircraft operating in the Hudson River Class B exclusion area.

 

“Previous safety recommendations issued to the FAA addressed standard operating procedures for the Hudson River Class B exclusion area, ATC performance deficiencies, the designation of a special flight rules area (SFRA) for the Hudson River Class B exclusion area and surrounding areas, and standard operating procedures within and training for SFRAs. The safety issues discussed in this report address changes within the recently designated SFRA surrounding the Hudson River corridor, vertical separation among aircraft operating in the Hudson River SFRA, the see-and-avoid concept, and helicopter electronic traffic advisory systems. Five new safety recommendations to the FAA are included in the report.” [p. v.] (NTSB AAR. Midair Collision Over Hudson River, Piper PA-32R-300…and Eurocopter…Near Hoboken, New Jersey, August 8, 2009. Adopted 9-14-2010.)

 

Sources

 

Gendar, Alison, et al. “Hudson River Crash…‘Inevitable’ Colleague of Helicopter Pilot Says.” NY Daily News, 8-10-2009. Accessed at: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/10/2009-08-10_air_disaster_was_inevitable_.html

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Aircraft Accident Summary Report. Midair Collision Over Hudson River, Piper PA-32R-300, N71MC and Eurocopter AS350BA, N401LH, Near Hoboken, New Jersey, August 8, 2009 (NTSB/AAR-10/05). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 9-14-2010, 54 pages. Accessed 6-23-2015 at: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR1005.pdf

 

–10  AP. “Death toll in Oklahoma turnpike crash rises to 10.” Del Rio News-Herald, TX. 6-29-09, 10.

–10  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

–10  NTSB. HAR. Truck-Tractor…Collision Into Passenger Vehicles on I-44 Near Miami, OK.

–10  Truckinginfo. “NTSB…Driver Fatigue…Root of Fatal [OK] Truck Wreck.” 9-29-2010.

—  9  Associated Press. “9 killed in Okla. Wreck.” Hays Daily News, KS. 6-28-2009, p. 5.

—  9  Lawrence Journal World, KS. “Oklahoma. 9 killed in turnpike traffic wreck.” 6-27-2009, 2

 

Narrative Information

 

June 27, Lawrence Journal World: “Nine people died Friday when a tractor-trailer slammed into a line of cars stopped by an earlier accident on a northeast Oklahoma turnpike, leaving twisted metal and debris strewn on the highway and stranding miles of traffic in scorching heat.

 

“The final victim was found hours after the crash when tow trucks were finally able to dislodge the rig from a car it had crushed.

 

“Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said eastbound traffic was stopped about 1 p.m. on the Will Rogers Turnpike northeast of Miami because of an earlier crash when the big rig slammed into at least three cars, which then crashed into more vehicles.  “It looks like a war zone,” he said. “There’s mangled metal everywhere. There’s debris, fluids, dead bodies.”

 

“The turnpike’s eastbound lanes were closed for hours after the accident, which occurred near the border with Missouri and Kansas.” (Lawrence Journal World, KS. “Oklahoma. 9 killed in turnpike traffic wreck.” 6-27-2009, 2.)

 

June 28, AP: “Miami, Okla. (AP)….Eight adults and one child died Friday in the accident that left twisted metal and debris strewn across the highway and stranded miles of traffic in scorching heat for hours.”  (AP. “9 killed in Okla. Wreck.” Hays Daily News, KS. 6-28-2009, p. 5.)

 

June 29, AP: “Oklahoma City (AP) – The death toll from a chain-reaction collision in northeast Oklahoma, which began when a tractor-trailer slammed into cars stopped for a previous accident, climbed to 10 on Sunday.  Shelby Hayes, 35, of Frisco, Texas, died about 7 a.m. at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Mo., the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.  “There were family members with her this morning,” said Tina Freeman, a spokeswoman for Freeman Health Systems.

 

“Hayes had been pinned in the wreckage of her vehicle for about two hours after the accident on Interstate 44 on Friday before she was freed by emergency crews.  She was taken to the hospital in critical condition with head, internal and external injuries.  Hayes’ husband of 16 years, Randall Hayes, 38, and their son, Ethan Hayes, 7, were pinned in the vehicle for between eight and nine hours and were pronounced dead at the scene.  Cynthia Olson, 55, of Crossroads, Texas, who also was in the vehicle, died as well.  Olson was Shelby Hayes’ mother, Wanda Hayes said. “They were on their way to Sarcoxie, Mo., for Shelby’s great-grandfather’s funeral,” Wanda Hayes, Randall Hayes’ mother, said Sunday from Garland, Texas.  “I heard about this about 1:30 a.m. from Garland police.  They tracked me down and I immediately went to Joplin to be with Shelby and make arrangements to get my boys home.”

 

“Barbara Mueth of Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., said Sunday that the condition of 12-year-old Andrea Reyes, of Phoenix, Ariz., was upgraded from critical to serious. Her parents, Ricardo Reyes, 39, and her mother, Ernestina Reyes, were killed.

 

“The other victims were Oral Hooks, 69, Earlene Hooks, 63, Antonio Hooks, 42, and Dione Hooks, 41, all of Oklahoma City.

 

“The Hooks family, two parents and two sons, were headed to Missouri to visit Ronnie Hooks for what was supposed to be a celebration on Sunday.  “They were on their way to see me in St. Louis,” Hooks said.  “I was to be ordained as an elder in the Church of God and Christ.”  Instead, Hooks and his surviving brothers are arranging to bury their loved ones.  Hooks said his father, Oral, was semi-retired and his mother, Earlene, was a housewife.  His brother Dione worked as a laborer and Antonio Hooks was a veteran who was disabled, Ronnie Hooks said.

 

“The driver of the tractor-trailer, identified as 76-year-old Donald Creed of Willard, Mo., was admitted to a Missouri hospital in good condition with head and other injuries.”  (AP. “Death toll in Oklahoma turnpike crash rises to 10.” Del Rio News-Herald, TX.6-29-09, p. 10.)

 

NTSB: “Executive Summary

 

“On June 26, 2009, a multivehicle accident occurred on Interstate 44 (I-44) near Miami, Oklahoma, shortly after a minor accident in the same vicinity occurred. The minor accident took place about 1:13 p.m., when a 2001 Ford Focus traveling eastbound at milepost 321.7 on I-44 drifted into a truck-tractor semitrailer parked on the right shoulder.  After the Focus sideswiped the semitrailer, the car’s driver overcorrected to the left, lost control, and struck the concrete center median barrier.  The Focus came to rest in the roadway, blocking the left eastbound lane. As the trailing traffic began to slow and stop, it formed a queue.  Several motorists exited their vehicles and began to push the disabled Focus to the right shoulder. The queue of stopped vehicles and approaching but slowing vehicles extended back from the accident site approximately 1,500 feet to about milepost 321.5.

 

“Meanwhile, about 1:19 p.m., a 76-year-old truck driver operating a 2008 Volvo truck-tractor in combination with an empty 2009 Great Dane refrigerated semitrailer was traveling eastbound in the outside (right) lane of I-44 at approximately 69 mph. (The posted speed limit was 75 mph.) The truck driver did not react to the queue of slowing and stopped vehicles and collided with the rear of a 2003 Land Rover sport utility vehicle (SUV). As both vehicles moved forward, the Land Rover struck a 2003 Hyundai Sonata and then departed the right lane and shoulder, coming to rest off the roadway.  The Volvo continued forward, struck and overrode the Hyundai Sonata, struck and overrode a 2004 Kia Spectra, and then struck the rear of a 2000 Ford Windstar minivan.  The Volvo overrode a portion of the Windstar while pushing it into the rear of a livestock trailer being towed by a 2004 Ford F350 pickup truck.  The pickup truck was pushed forward and struck a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.  The Volvo combination unit came to rest approximately 270 feet past the point where it initially struck the Land Rover.  As a result of the Volvo combination unit’s striking the slowed and stopped vehicle queue on I-44, 10 passenger vehicle occupants died, 5 received minor-to-serious injuries, and the driver of the Volvo combination unit was seriously injured.

 

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the Volvo truck driver’s fatigue, caused by the combined effects of acute sleep loss, circadian disruption associated with his shift work schedule, and mild sleep apnea, which resulted in the driver’s failure to react to slowing and stopped traffic ahead by applying the brakes or performing any evasive maneuver to avoid colliding with the traffic queue. Contributing to the severity of the accident were the Volvo truck-tractor combination unit’s high impact speed and its structural incompatibility with the passenger vehicles.

 

“The following safety issues are identified in this report:

 

• The accident truck driver’s fatigue,
• The need for updated and comprehensive fatigue education materials and fatigue management programs,
• The significance of heavy vehicle aggressivity in collisions between dissimilar vehicles,
• The lack of Federal requirements for heavy commercial vehicle event data recorders and video event recorders, and
• The lack of Federal requirements for forward collision warning systems.”  (pp. ix-x.)

 

“At the times of both accidents, the pavement was dry, and the nearest weather station reported conditions of clear, dry weather with 10 miles of visibility and a temperature of approximately 101° F and 43 percent humidity. When the accidents occurred, the sun was almost directly overhead.” (p. 3.)

 

“Second Accident (With Fatalities)

 

“As vehicles approached the traffic queue, they decelerated from the posted speed limit of 75 mph. The 2008 Volvo truck-tractor with an empty 2009 Great Dane refrigerated semitrailer, traveling eastbound at approximately 69 mph, struck the last vehicle in the right lane of the queue without significant slowing. The entire combination vehicle weighed approximately 40,400 pounds….”  (p. 4.)

 

“Survival Factors….

 

“Postaccident examinations of those killed in the accident showed that their injuries included blunt force trauma to the head and torso, fractures of the extremities, and multiple severe abrasions and lacerations. Three occupants of the passenger vehicles sustained chemical contact injuries from the fuel that leaked from the damaged saddle fuel tank of the Volvo truck-tractor when it came to rest on top of their vehicles….

 

“The driver of the Volvo truck-tractor semitrailer was not wearing his 3-point restraint, and he sustained injuries including a non-displaced fracture of the jaw, a brain contusion, and facial swelling and lacerations.”  (p. 9.)

 

“Emergency Response

 

“The Miami Police Department dispatcher was notified of the fatal accident through the 911 system at 1:20 p.m.  An OHP trooper, who was working a vehicle incident a short distance west of the accident, was notified of the accident by a passerby and was en route to the scene when dispatch notified him at 1:22 p.m.  Upon his arrival on scene at 1:24 p.m., the trooper assumed Incident Command for law enforcement and immediately requested OHP dispatch to send all available ambulances, three medical helicopters, and a heavy-duty wrecker, stating that there were injuries and people pinned in their vehicles.  The trooper also requested that the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) close the eastbound tollgate in Miami and start rerouting traffic.  By 1:33 p.m., eastbound traffic on the I-44 turnpike was closed, and traffic was redirected off at the Miami tollbooth. Westbound traffic was reduced to one lane.

 

“The first call from dispatch went out to the Downstream Fire Department at 1:22 p.m., and its first unit arrived on scene at 1:31 p.m.  The Miami Fire Department was notified of the accident at 1:23 p.m., and its first unit arrived on scene at 1:33 p.m.  The arriving shift captain for the Downstream Fire Department assumed Incident Command for the rescue, recovery, extrication, and transport of the injured.  Between 1:33 and 1:38 p.m., three medical helicopters were put on standby; they were subsequently dispatched to the scene, sequentially. Each helicopter transported one seriously injured passenger vehicle occupant to hospitals in Joplin, Missouri.  The Volvo driver and the seriously injured Tahoe passenger were transported to a hospital by ground ambulance at 2:29 p.m.

 

“A heavy-duty wrecker arrived approximately 40 minutes after the first call from dispatch. According to the wrecker owner/driver, he took the most direct route to the accident scene, a distance of about 15 miles. Because of the backed-up traffic, he had to drive his wrecker along the shoulder and, at times, into the drainage ditch to get to the scene.  The Volvo combination unit had come to rest on top of three passenger vehicles; consequently, the Volvo truck-tractor and its semitrailer had to be lifted off the Kia and the Hyundai before the occupants could be extricated.  In total, 7 fire departments, with 7 rescue and engine units, and 12 public and private emergency medical services ambulances responded to the scene, as well as 3 medical helicopters.” (p. 10.)

 

“Highway Information  General

 

“The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) recommends an 820-foot stopping sight distance for a speed of 75 mph. Field measurements showed that when the accident site was viewed from a truck driver’s perspective (average seated eye height of approximately 96 inches from the ground), a 2.0-foot-tall (height of a passenger car taillight) object could be seen from the beginning of the hill crest 1,260 feet away.”  (p. 11.)

 

“Accident records from the OTA showed that for a 5-year period prior to the accident (2004–2008), there were 70 accidents along the 6-mile segment between mileposts 318.5 and 324.5. Comprising the 70 events were 31 injury accidents, 2 fatal accidents (1 of which involved a commercial vehicle), and 37 property damage accidents. The annual average daily traffic count for 2004–2008 was 20,642 vehicles per day for I-44. The OTA indicated that commercial vehicles accounted for approximately 35 percent of this total.” (p. 12.)

 

“The initial accident that caused the traffic queue to develop occurred at approximately 1:13 p.m.; the fatal accident occurred at 1:19 p.m., and the first responding OHP trooper arrived on scene at 1:24 p.m.”  (p. 13.)

 

“Volvo Truck-Tractor Semitrailer

 

“The vehicle that rear-ended the passenger cars in the fatal accident was a 2008 Volvo truck-tractor with an empty 2009 Great Dane refrigerated semitrailer. The unloaded Volvo combination unit weighed 40,400 pounds. Both the truck-tractor and the semitrailer were owned by Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG).” (p. 13.) ….

 

“Following the accident, the truck-tractor’s cruise control was found in the “on” position…” (14)

 

“The available ECM [electronic control module] data also indicated that the tractor’s cruise control was active and that the driver did not attempt to brake the Volvo before striking the passenger vehicles or at any time during the accident sequence….” (p. 15.)

 

“Driver

 

“The 76-year-old Volvo truck driver had been employed by AWG since 1992,23 and he possessed a valid Missouri Class “A” commercial driver’s license… Missouri requires that a CDL be renewed every 3 years after a commercial driver turns 70; for drivers under 70, the renewal period is 6 years. The driver also held passenger transportation and doubles/triples trailer endorsements. His license indicated that he was not subject to any restrictions, and he had a current medical certificate, valid for 1 year, with an expiration of December 2009.25 The NTSB obtained a copy of the driver’s Missouri driving history, and it indicated no violations, convictions, or traffic accidents.

 

“When he arrived on scene, the first responding OHP trooper spoke with the accident truck driver, who was still in his vehicle. The trooper subsequently reported that the driver was able to walk and negotiate turns, and he saw no indication of the driver’s having visual problems. The OHP accident investigation report stated that the driver was inattentive at the time of the collision.

 

“The driver was subject to postaccident drug and alcohol screening, per 49 CFR 382.303.27 Urine and blood samples were collected from the driver at the hospital at 5:34 and 7:20 p.m., respectively. The NTSB arranged for a split of the blood specimen collected at 7:20 p.m. under the direction of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to be tested at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology laboratory; the sample was negative for alcohol and a wide range of prescription, over-the-counter, and illicit drugs.

 

“The accident driver refused to be interviewed by NTSB investigators postaccident.” (pp. 16-17.)

 

“Witnesses’ Reports of Driver’s Preaccident Actions

 

“The NTSB interviewed several witnesses who were driving on I-44 eastbound and observed the driver and his activities just prior to the accident.

 

“Truck Driver Trainer and Trainee. A truck driver trainer and his trainee student, who was driving a Freightliner tractor with a refrigerated semitrailer, were traveling in the right lane heading eastbound on I-44, and they observed the accident.  They saw the Volvo combination vehicle driver pass them in the left lane, traveling approximately 70 mph. They reported that the accident driver changed lanes about a half-truck-length in front of them, without signaling.

 

“The trainer stated that he could observe that traffic ahead on I-44 was stopped, and he told his student to “back down.” He recalled that as their vehicle slowed, the Volvo combination unit traveled another 4–5 truck lengths ahead of them; then, the trainer observed debris flying into the air and a vehicle going off the road to the right.  The trainer reported not observing brake lights on the accident truck or smoke from the vehicle’s tires.  After the student driver brought their vehicle to a stop, the two witnesses exited their vehicle and approached the accident truck which was on top of the passenger vehicles.

 

“The student truck driver reported that while he was driving on I-44, he first noticed the accident truck in his left side mirror, changing from the right into the left lane. He said this occurred about the same time that he began to slow his own vehicle in response to the congestion and brake lights he observed in both lanes ahead of him as he crested the hill. He said he activated his vehicle’s four-way flashers when he observed the stopped traffic. He stated that the accident Volvo truck passed him on the left and changed back to the right lane without slowing or braking. The student driver estimated that it took 6–7 seconds for the accident truck to complete the passing maneuver. Then, the Volvo combination unit crashed into the stopped traffic ahead. This witness estimated that his own truck was traveling about 66 mph when he began to brake it and that he had slowed to about 35–40 mph when the accident occurred about 300–400 feet ahead of him. This witness also observed that another truck passed him after the accident Volvo did, and that truck stopped without hitting the traffic queue ahead. This student driver believed that he was able to bring his vehicle to a stop approximately at the location where the Volvo truck had struck the westernmost vehicle in the queue, the Land Rover SUV….” (pp. 17-18)

 

“Witness 1 From Traffic Queue.  A witness who had been stopped in the traffic queue that resulted from the first accident (involving the Ford Focus) said that he observed in his rearview mirror that a vehicle had been struck from behind and had gone off the road. He then saw a truck strike and run over several more vehicles. He called 911 to report the accident and request ambulances. He exited his vehicle, ran to the accident truck driver, and saw him climb up from the floor of the Volvo cab on the passenger side and sit back into the driver seat.

Witness 2 From Traffic Queue. NTSB investigators interviewed another driver from the traffic queue who did not observe the accident but did interact with the accident driver immediately thereafter. He noticed that both windows of the Volvo truck-tractor were down and that the driver appeared to be disoriented and seemed to have no idea of what had happened.” (p. 19.)

 

“Driver’s Work Shift and Preaccident 72-Hour History

 

“According to AWG, the driver was regularly scheduled to work on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The driver engaged in shift work; he generally came on duty between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. and went off duty before 3:00 p.m.” (p. 19)

 

“When he was scheduled to work, the driver normally began his shift at AWG’s Springfield, Missouri, terminal, made deliveries to a number of stores (or other destinations), and returned to the Springfield terminal after completing his final delivery. On the day of the accident, the driver’s start time was scheduled for 3:00 a.m., and he left the AWG terminal in Springfield at 3:15 a.m. He traveled to the following destinations (all in Oklahoma): Chouteau, Muskogee, Vian, back to Muskogee, onto Wagoner, and back to Chouteau. The driver departed Chouteau and was headed to the AWG terminal in Springfield when, at 12:46 p.m., while driving on I-44, he began a 22-minute cellular telephone call to a friend.  The OHP interviewed the person with whom the accident driver was speaking during this 22-minute telephone call, and that individual stated that the driver was coherent, spoke in a normal fashion, and did not mention anything about being tired or sleepy.  The driver ended the telephone call at 1:08 p.m. after remarking that he was in traffic. The accident occurred east of Miami, Oklahoma, about 1:19 p.m., at milepost 321.5….

 

“There is no indication that the driver was engaged in non-driving tasks, such as sending a text message or talking on a citizens band radio or cellular telephone at the time of the accident. Postaccident examination of the roadway and the accident vehicle showed no evidence of braking or evasive steering input by the Volvo truck driver prior to his truck’s striking the first passenger vehicle in the traffic queue….”  (p. 22.)

 

“At the time of the accident, the driver weighed 240 pounds, was 5 foot 11 inches tall, and had a body mass index (BMI) of 34.4.[1]

 

“Postaccident Medical Examinations. After the accident, the driver was admitted to a local hospital for injuries sustained in the accident; he was observed for 24 hours and then released. The driver went to another hospital 2 days later due to markedly elevated blood pressure. During this hospitalization, he was evaluated by a neurologist, who noted the following in the driver’s medical record in reference to the accident on June 26,

 

He was amnesic for the event. The last thing he remembers was that he saw the traffic was slowing down and he thought he was slowing down in the traffic. But according to the witness, he was not slowing down. The next thing he remembered was that he was out of his truck and a lady was holding his left side of the face. He did not know the exact time that he was out but it was approximately about 15–20 minutes.”  (pp. 24-25.) ….

 

“Cellular Telephone Use Policy

 

“AWG’s policy regarding personal cellular telephone use appears in its employee handbook.  It states, “The use of cellular telephones can lead to workplace distractions that can cause the user to put themselves or others in dangerous situations.” The handbook further states, under Prohibited Use, that “Employees will not use or carry their cellular telephone in any fashion while performing their jobs.” The NTSB obtained the accident driver’s cellular telephone records. The records for June 22 showed that the driver had used his personal cellular telephone that day when driving the company’s Volvo combination unit.”  (p. 27.)

 

“Analysis

 

“Accident Discussion….

 

“Four of the six passenger vehicles sustained catastrophic damage from being struck by the Volvo combination unit. The first vehicle struck by the Volvo was the Land Rover; the truck-tractor’s front bumper was higher than the Land Rover’s, so the Volvo overrode the smaller vehicle and intruded into its occupant compartment, crushing it inward several feet before pushing the Land Rover off the right side of the roadway. The second vehicle struck was the Hyundai; the Land Rover hit it first in the rear right corner, which rotated the Hyundai slightly counterclockwise. Then, the Volvo truck-tractor hit the Hyundai and pushed it forward into the Kia sedan. The Volvo continued forward and (due to the high impact speed, its taller bumper, and its heavier structure) drove over the Hyundai, which was caught under the truck-tractor’s dual wheels when it came to rest.

 

“The third vehicle struck was the Kia sedan; it was hit first by the Hyundai and then by the Volvo truck-tractor. The Volvo then drove over the Kia. The Kia ended up directly under the truck-tractor’s second axle. The fourth vehicle struck from the rear by the Volvo was the Windstar minivan. The Volvo overrode it and crushed the Windstar occupant compartment structure forward, almost to the front seatbacks. The last two passenger vehicles, the F350 pickup truck (towing a livestock trailer) and the Chevrolet Tahoe, sustained moderate damage but no intrusion into their occupant compartments. The Volvo did not strike these vehicles directly; however, the Windstar was pushed forward into the trailer being pulled by the F350, causing the pickup truck and the trailer to be pushed forward into the Tahoe.” (p. 44.)

 

“Driver….

 

“It cannot be conclusively established that the driver was awake/conscious at the exact time of the accident, but he was certainly awake/conscious when he shifted lanes prior to it, when the queue of slowing and stopped vehicles in both lanes would have been clearly visible to him.

 

“The driver’s failure to initiate any sort of action to avoid the accident suggests a complete lack of awareness of, and/or inability to respond to, the line of vehicles in front of him. No compelling medical explanation for his behavior was identified through comprehensive postaccident medical testing. Although there are conditions—including a complex partial seizure, a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), a psychological disorder, or a sudden sustained abnormal heart rhythm—that might explain a sudden loss of awareness or inability to act, no clinical evidence was found that any of those conditions had occurred. Further, there is no evidence that the driver experienced any such event in the months/years preceding or in the weeks following the accident, and the diagnoses of such events are not consistent with the driver’s witnessed behavior immediately before and after the accident. Therefore, the NTSB concludes that based on the medical evidence and witness accounts concerning the accident truck driver’s behavior and condition, it is unlikely that he experienced a medical event that might have caused or contributed to the accident.” (pp. 44-45.)

 

“Fatigue….

 

“The day of the accident, June 26, was the first time in 3 weeks that the driver had worked a long shift, which required an earlier shift start time of 3:00 a.m.  Had the driver gone to sleep at 8:00 p.m. and awoken at 1:00 a.m., he would have had the opportunity to obtain a maximum of 5 hours of sleep, which was 3-4 hours less than his typical sleep requirement.  Such acute sleep deprivation has been found to increase the risk of an injury crash, with a 2-hour sleep loss resulting in noticeable decrements in divided attention and vigilance.  Additionally, drivers who reported getting 5 hours sleep or less in the previous 24 hours had an almost threefold increase in risk for an injury crash.

 

“In the 3 weeks prior to the accident, the Miami accident driver had worked only once and had probably reverted to a typical diurnal sleep–wake schedule similar to the one he described as having since the accident (that is, going to bed about 10:00 p.m. and rising about 7:00 a.m.). Consequently, at the time of the accident, it is very likely that the driver’s circadian rhythms mirrored those of an individual keeping a typical daytime schedule. Therefore, on the night before the accident, the driver would have been trying to fall asleep 2 hours earlier than usual. This significant phase advance is beyond the range of entrainment for the circadian clock and would have resulted in significant sleep latency and shortened total sleep time. Given the self-reported circadian phase advance of the driver’s bedtime, it is possible that he may have obtained as little as 3 hours of quality sleep prior to the accident, resulting in a total of 5 hours of  acute sleep loss prior to the crash. Furthermore, the driver would have begun driving during the window of a circadian low, making him more prone to fatigue and decrements in attention and performance. Finally, the accident occurred in the early afternoon, about the time when individuals on a standard daytime schedule would begin to experience a mid-afternoon dip in performance. It is highly probable that the combined effects of acute sleep loss, his shift work schedule, and a mid-afternoon decline in performance resulted in the accident driver being fatigued at the time of the accident.  (pp. 46-47.) ….

 

“In 2009, 3,380 people died in crashes that involved a large truck.”[2] …. (p. 68.)

 

“Conclusions….

 

1. The cellular telephone activity in which the truck driver engaged while on duty failed to comply with Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., written policy.

 

1. Based on the available electronic control module data and analysis, the truck driver failed to apply the brakes at any time prior to, during, or after striking the slowed and stopped vehicles in the traffic queue and was operating the accident truck with the cruise control engaged at a speed of about 69 mph.

 

1. Based on the medical evidence and witness accounts concerning the accident truck driver’s behavior and condition, it is unlikely that he experienced a medical event that might have caused or contributed to the accident.

 

1. The accident truck driver was impaired by fatigue at the time of the crash as a result of the effects of acute sleep loss, circadian disruption associated with his shift work schedule, and mild obstructive sleep apnea.

 

1. The truck driver’s impairment from fatigue led to his failure to react to the slowing and stopped traffic ahead by applying brakes or performing any evasive maneuver to avoid colliding with the traffic queue.

 

11. The provision of new and updated information on sleep, fatigue, and alertness by the

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, based on contemporary scientific research, is essential to ensuring that commercial drivers have the necessary guidance to enable them to be alert and well rested when operating their vehicles.

 

12. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc., did not have a meaningful fatigue management

program in place at the time of the accident.

 

13. The use of fatigue management programs by motor carriers has the potential to reduce

accidents caused by fatigued commercial drivers.

 

14. The combination of the high impact speed of the Volvo truck-tractor semitrailer and the

structural incompatibility between the Volvo and the passenger vehicles resulted in extensive intrusion deformation and crush damage to the passenger compartments of the Land Rover, Hyundai, Kia, and Ford Windstar; a loss of survivable space in those vehicles; and the deaths of 10 passenger vehicle occupants.

 

15. Even though heavy truck incompatibility is a major cause of death for occupants of

passenger cars, light trucks, and vans involved in crashes with heavy trucks, to date, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have not made this issue a priority and have not allocated sufficient resources to study and address it.

 

16. The heavy truck in the Miami accident lacked a dedicated event data recorder designed

for accident reconstruction and to provide accelerometer-based crash pulse data, which

are critical to the evaluation of vehicle performance and could have been used in vehicle

incompatibility research; therefore, these data are again unavailable to investigators and researchers.

 

17. Due to the lack of government standards and requirements for the design and use of highway vehicle event data recorders, valuable high-fidelity crash data continue to go unrecorded and, thus, are unavailable for analysis.

 

18. Video event recorders have the potential to increase safe behavior among commercial drivers through structured safety performance monitoring, which may lead to decreases in accidents and injuries.

 

19. Had the accident truck been equipped with a video event recorder, a more definitive assessment of the driver’s precrash condition and behavior would have been possible.

 

20. A forward collision warning system with adaptive cruise control and active braking would have provided the driver with the best opportunity to prevent, or reduce the severity of, the truck-tractor semitrailer’s impact with the passenger vehicles in the traffic queue.” (pp. 80-81.) ….

 

“New Recommendations

 

“As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following safety recommendations:

 

“To the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:

 

Create educational materials that provide current information on fatigue and fatigue countermeasures and make the materials available in different formats, including updating and redistributing your truck-driver-focused driver fatigue video; make the video available electronically for quicker dissemination; and implement a plan to regularly update the educational materials and the video with the latest scientific information and to regularly redistribute them. (H-10-8)

 

Require all motor carriers to adopt a fatigue management program based on the North American Fatigue Management Program guidelines for the management of fatigue in a motor carrier operating environment. (H-10-9)

 

Require all heavy commercial vehicles to be equipped with video event recorders that capture data in connection with the driver and the outside environment and roadway in the event of a crash or sudden deceleration event. The device should create recordings that are easily accessible for review when conducting efficiency testing and system-wide performance-monitoring programs. (H-10-10)

 

Require motor carriers to review and use video event recorder information in conjunction with other performance data to verify that driver actions are in accordance with company and regulatory rules and procedures essential to safety. (H-10-11)

 

“To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

 

To improve highway vehicle crash compatibility, develop performance standards for front under-ride protection systems for trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds. (H-10-12) (This recommendation supersedes Safety Recommendation H-06-16 and is classified “Open—Unacceptable Response.”)

 

After establishing performance standards for front under-ride protection systems for trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds, require that all such newly manufactured trucks be equipped with front under-ride protection systems meeting the performance standards. (H-10-13)

 

Develop and implement minimum performance standards for event data recorders for trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds that address, at a minimum, the following elements: data parameters to be recorded; data sampling rates; duration of recorded event; standardized or universal data imaging interface; data storage format; and device and data survivability for crush, impact, fluid exposure and immersion, and thermal exposure. The standards should also require that the event data recorder be capable of capturing and preserving data in the case of a power interruption or loss, and of accommodating future requirements and technological advances, such as flashable and/or reprogrammable operating system software and/or firmware updates. (H-10-14)

 

After establishing performance standards for event data recorders for trucks with gross vehicle weight ratings over 10,000 pounds, require that all such vehicles be equipped with event data recorders meeting the standards. (H-10-15)

 

“To Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.:

 

Create and implement a comprehensive fatigue management program using existing sources of information, and develop a systematic process to update the program as more guidance becomes available. (H-10-16)

 

“Previously Issued Recommendations Reiterated and Reclassified in This Report

 

“As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board reiterates and reclassifies the following safety recommendations:

 

“To the U.S. Department of Energy:

 

Report to the National Transportation Safety Board the 21st Century Truck Partnership’s plans and timetable for prioritizing research, testing, and design enhancements that address heavy truck aggressivity. (H-06-15)  Safety Recommendation H-06-15 is reclassified “Open—Unacceptable Response” in the “Vehicle Occupant Survival, Heavy Vehicle Aggressivity” Analysis section of this report.

 

“To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

 

Complete rulemaking on adaptive cruise control and collision warning system performance standards for new commercial vehicles. At a minimum, these standards should address obstacle detection distance, timing of alerts, and human factors guidelines, such as the mode and type of warning. (H-01-6)  Safety Recommendation H-01-6 is reclassified “Open—Unacceptable Response” in the “Forward Collision Warning Systems” Analysis section of this report.

 

After promulgating performance standards for collision warning systems for commercial vehicles, require that all new commercial vehicles be equipped with a collision warning system. (H-01-7)  Safety Recommendation H-01-7 is reclassified “Open—Unacceptable Response” in the “Forward Collision Warning Systems” Analysis section of this report.

 

“Previously Issued Recommendations Reiterated in This Report

 

“As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board reiterates the following safety recommendations:

 

“To the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration:

 

Develop and implement a plan to deploy technologies in commercial vehicles to reduce the occurrence of fatigue-related accidents. (H-08-13)

 

Develop and use a methodology that will continually assess the effectiveness of the fatigue management plans implemented by motor carriers, including their ability to improve sleep and alertness, mitigate performance errors, and prevent incidents and accidents. (H-08-14)

 

“To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

 

Determine whether equipping commercial vehicles with collision warning systems with active braking and electronic stability control systems will reduce commercial vehicle accidents. If these technologies are determined to be effective in reducing accidents, require their use on commercial vehicles. (H-08-15)

 

“Previously Issued Recommendation Reclassified in This Report

 

“As a result of its investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board reclassifies the following safety recommendation:

 

“To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

 

Include heavy vehicles in your research, testing, and eventual rulemaking on highway vehicle incompatibility, especially as that incompatibility affects the severity of accidents. (H-06-16)  Safety Recommendation H-06-16 is reclassified “Closed—Unacceptable Action/Superseded” (superseded by Safety Recommendation H-10-12) in the “Vehicle Occupant Survival, Heavy Vehicle Aggressivity” Analysis section of this report.”  (pp. 83-85.)

 

(NTSB. Highway Accident Report Truck-Tractor Semitrailer Rear-End Collision Into Passenger Vehicles on Interstate 44 Near Miami, Oklahoma, June 26, 2009 (NTSB/HAR-10/02; PB2010-916202). Adopted 9-28-2010.)

 

Truckinginfo: “Creed [the AWG Truck driver], who was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash, has pleaded guilty to 10 counts of negligent homicide and was sentenced last month to 30 days in jail and 10 years’ probation.  He is barred from possessing a CDL as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.  He retired from the Kansas City-based Associated Wholesale Grocers shortly after the accident.”  (Truckinginfo. “NTSB Says Driver Fatigue at the Root of Fatal Oklahoma Truck Wreck.” 9-29-2010.)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “9 killed in Okla. Wreck.” Hays Daily News, KS. 6-28-2009, p. 5. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/hays-daily-news/2009-06-28/page-5/

 

Associated Press. “Death toll in Oklahoma turnpike crash rises to 10.” Del Rio News-Herald, TX. 6-29-09, 10. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/del-rio-news-herald/2009-06-29/page-10/

 

Lawrence Journal World, KS. “Oklahoma. 9 killed in turnpike traffic wreck.” 6-27-2009, 2. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/lawrence-journal-world/2009-06-27/page-2/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

National Transportation Safety Board. Highway Accident Report. Truck-Tractor Semitrailer Rear-End Collision Into Passenger Vehicles on Interstate 44 Near Miami, Oklahoma, June 26, 2009 (NTSB/HAR-10/02; PB2010-916202). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted 9-28-2010. At: http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2010/HAR1002.pdf

 

Truckinginfo. “NTSB Says Driver Fatigue at the Root of Fatal Oklahoma Truck Wreck.” 9-29-2010. Accessed 2-3-2012: http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=71776

 

 

 

[1] NTSB footnote 36:  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define a BMI of 30 or above as constituting obesity.

[2] NTSB footnote 179:  See <http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs811363.pdf>

–11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

–11  Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced…SUV rollover…killed 11…” 9-27-2011

–10  Anniston Star, AL.  “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2.

 

Narrative Information

 

June 8, Anniston Star: “Sonoita, Ariz. — Ten undocumented immigrants “stacked like wood” in the back of a sports utility vehicle crammed with at least 22 people were killed when the driver lost control and rolled over on a remote southern Arizona highway, authorities said Sunday.  The Ford Excursion had no rear seat and most of the men and women were ejected when the SUV crashed.” (Anniston Star, AL. “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2.)

 

Nogales International: “The fourth and final defendant in the case of a deadly SUV rollover near Sonoita that killed 11 people in 2009 was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison Monday.  Oscar Garay-Mariscal, a 37-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to 65 months in federal prison by a judge in Tucson. He was one of four defendants who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bring in and transport aliens for profit resulting in death.  The other three defendants, Ezekiel Peraza Garay, Jose Ramos Garcia and Carlos Jorge Garcia Gomez were sentenced to 75, 65 and 51 months, respectively.

 

“According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the men were part of a migrant-smuggling operation based out of Cananea, Sonora that specialized in illegally bringing people from Central and South America to the United States.  “Guides working for the conspiracy would bring aliens across the United States-Mexico border and guide them over the Huachuca Mountains to pick up spots near Sierra Vista,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “The groups of undocumented aliens would then be driven north to Phoenix … in large vans and sport utility vehicles.”

 

“During one of these operations on June 6, 2009, the prosecutor’s office said, the defendants were traveling in an SUV packed with 24 illegal immigrants on State Route 82 near Sonoita when the excessive weight caused the rear tires to blow out.  The vehicle rolled over numerous times, and most everyone inside was ejected.

 

“Eleven people, including the driver, died as a result of the crash.

 

“One of the survivors, a Mexican national, said a Border Patrol vehicle had been following the SUV when it rolled, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Tucson told the Nogales International following the incident.

 

“Spokesman Julian Etienne said at the time that the man told a representative from the consulate that he and the other passengers were picked up from a house on the United States side of the border.  According to Etienne, the man said that because there were so many people crammed in the vehicle, many of the passengers couldn’t see out the window.  But approximately 20 minutes into the trip, he heard the driver say that the Border Patrol was following them.

 

“The man reportedly said that despite pleas from the passengers to slow down, the driver began speeding up, saying that “he had been caught before, and he didn’t want to expose himself again,” Etienne said. That’s when the tires blew.

 

“Etienne said the Border Patrol subsequently denied that one of its vehicles had been pursuing the SUV, and instead told him that an agent came across the accident scene later.  Contacted at the time for comment, the Border Patrol referred all questions to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the lead agency investigating the crash. However, DPS did not respond to queries.

 

“In a sentencing memorandum filed Aug. 26, 2011, Garay-Mariscal’s defense lawyer Clay Hernandez also asserted that the Border Patrol had been tailing the SUV.  “After the driver of the vehicle observed a United States Border Patrol vehicle in close proximity, he began to accelerate to rapid speeds which in turn caused the vehicle’s rear tires to blow out due to the oversized load in the passenger compartment,” Hernandez wrote.

 

“He described Garay-Mariscal’s role in the smuggling operation as that of a “trail scout” who was to be paid $500 for his contribution to the fateful 2009 trip. Hernandez also wrote that Garay-Mariscal sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident that left him in a coma for nine days.  “He remains racked with guilt over his being connected to an incident which led to so many lives being lost,” Hernandez wrote.” (Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced in case of SUV rollover that killed 11 people.” 9-27-2011.)

 

Sources

 

Anniston Star, AL. “10 killed in SUV wreck in Arizona.” 6-8-2009, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://newspaperarchive.com/the-anniston-star/2009-06-08/page-2/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Nogales International. “Final defendant sentenced in case of SUV rollover that killed 11 people.” 9-27-2011. At: http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/final-defendant-sentenced-in-case-of-suv-rollover-that-killed/article_7b330192-e992-11e0-a143-001cc4c002e0.html

 

 

 

 

 

— 348  April 15, 2009-Oct 2, 2010. CDC. Influenza (Flu). “CDC Reports…” 3-22-2013.

 

CDC: “…during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, which lasted from April 15, 2009 to October 2, 2010, 348 pediatric deaths were reported to CDC.” (CDC. Influenza (Flu). “CDC Reports About 90 Percent of Children Who Died From Flu This Season Not Vaccinated.” 3-22-2013.)

Source

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Influenza (Flu). “CDC Reports About 90 Percent of Children Who Died From Flu This Season Not Vaccinated.” Atlanta, GA: CDC, U.S. DHHS, 3-22-2013. Accessed 8-15-2015 at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/spotlights/children-flu-deaths.htm