Posted on 12/31/2007 3:07:00 AM PST by ShadowDancer
5 Dead in Head-on Collision on I-280
Police believe victims were a family from Maryland
Last Edited: Monday, 31 Dec 2007, 5:26 AM EST
Created: Monday, 31 Dec 2007, 12:33 AM EST
An alleged drunk driver in a black pick-up truck heading northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate-280 near the I-75 interchange collided with a white minivan with eight passengers, killing five.
The five passengers killed were all females -- a mother, two 10-year-old girls, a 7-year-old girl, and a 6-month-old girl. The father, and 8-year-old girl, and an 8-year-old boy survived.
Four of the family members died at the scene of the crash, Toledo Police say. The infant died after being transported to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.
All of the surviving victims, including the alleged drunk driver, were also taken to St. Vincent for treatment.
Police believe the family is from Maryland because the white minivan had Maryland license plates.
The accident happened right before 11 p.m. Sunday, an hour before New Year's Eve.
The force of the impact was so severe that the pick-up truck sheared off the passenger side of the minivan, killing those on the right side of the vehicle.
"The preliminary report we have is that a pick-up truck going the wrong way on I-280 here and hit a minivan head-on," said Sgt. Jeff Pachall, Toledo Police spokesperson. "The sole occupant of the pick-up truck is injured but alive.
"There are several fatalities out of the minivan and it appears to be a family traveling from Maryland."
Police say the family appears to be non-traditional.
The accident happened between the I-75 split and the Manhattan Boulevard exit.
A witness tells FOX Toledo News that he, along with an off-duty emergency medical technician and an off-duty police officer, freed some of the victims from their seatbelts and performed CPR before emergency crews arrived.
Other people told police the appeared to be drunk. Police say the driver, who suffered minor injuries, is from Adrian, Mich.
"The witnesses say he was [drinking], but I didn't talk to him," Sgt. Pachall said. "He looks like he was but I don't have any information. He was struggling with the firemen [trying to treat him]. He was screaming as they were trying to get him out of the pick-up."
Because of his belligerent demeanor, an officer rode with the suspect in the ambulance. Another officer followed behind in a patrol car.
The Lenawee County man admitted to police that he was drunk at the time of the crash.
A search warrant was issued for the driver's blood and sent it away for testing. Results were not immediately known. He is being held at St. Vincent for observation.
The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.
The really infuriating thing about these accidents, besides their frequency, is the pure senselessness of it. So much grief and loss can result from a decision that is essentially infantile, a childish belief that “I can handle it.” It is just subhumanly stupid.
The drunk who caused this tragedy would be better off dead and the people of Ohio should make sure that he thinks so too.
Early TV reports said that the pickup driver refused blood alcohol tests. Later reports said that judge issued court order for the test. Still other reports said that the driver “...blew .256 blood alcohol, three times legal limit.”
As for the "pickup’s driver walking around and complaining about jaw pain", I sure hope he experiences a lot more pain once he sobers up.
Amen to that.
Give him a rope, a place on ceiling of the cell to tie it and chair to stand on. Let him do the right thing.
Amen!
I heard a substitute host for Rush, I think named Tom Sullivan. He is/was from Sacramento, and I think was formerly a police officer. He said the best thing, if you’re on a four-lane highway (two lanes in either direction) is to drive in the SLOW lane. He said that if someone is drunk and driving the wrong way, he will think to himself “I should be in the slow lane,” but in doing that, he’s actually in the FAST lane.
“and then being informed that you just killed 5 people”
I don’t imagine it will bother him one bit. And his parents, no doubt, will be all over the news telling everyone what a good “kid” he is and that he really shouldn’t have to do any serious time over this—maybe just a little probation and some community service.
Bethany and Dan had families from previous marriages before they married each other.
They had just had their first child together.
They were brave, intelligent, hard working people who loved their children very, very much.
Everyone who knew them will miss them terribly.
Same with a very heavy fog.
I understand. I did not mean to chastise you. I apologize for being offensive.
Agreed - and a sign that the liberal mindset permeates everything - even stories that should be factual even when quite grim.
A number of lives have been lost in a tragedy and all the writer can think about is whether the parents were married or not (or gay, or trannies, etc.)
My question as well. Never miss a chance to advance a social agenda.
Yeah, but who flipping cares? What does it add to the story?
I saw the guy you were referring to, the man in the black jacket, he looked pretty calm. That doesn't jibe with the article:
"The witnesses say he was [drinking], but I didn't talk to him," said Sgt. Pachall. "He was struggling with the firemen [trying to treat him]. He was screaming as they were trying to get him out of the pick-up."
Because of his belligerent demeanor, an officer rode with the suspect in the ambulance. Another officer followed behind in a patrol car.
No need to apologize . . . as I read through more of the facts in later posts on this thread I realized how ridiculous my initial post was. LOL.
Me too, OTOH, enough alcohol can turn off that guilty feeling...
We have home-grown idiots, as well.
*sigh* Yeah.
because some people aren’t so stupid that they can actually understand the use of factual description, which adds to the newsreport.
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