Combined a visit to Mr Valle's site, as well as a visit to his house in Westbrook today
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
June 2015- What you see in South Dakota
South Dakota Department of Transportation Guidelines for Roadside Memorials (THINK signs)
Loss of life from a motor vehicle crash leaves a lasting and devastating impact on families and friends of the victim. The South Dakota Department of Public Safety recognizes this, and in partnership with the Department of Transportation, established the "THINK" sign program in 1979. This program is to provide a memorial to the victim and to also remind motorists of dangerous behaviors such as driving under the influence, not wearing seat belts, speeding, and distracted driving.
One sign is erected on the state highway for each person killed in the crash, with each sign mounted on a separate post near the edge of the right of way.
Upon official notification of a fatal crash on a County, City, or Township road, the Department of Public Safety- Accident Records will notify the Department of Transportation to furnish a sign to all participating local governments (Some local governments have requested not to participate in the "Think Sign" program) to be placed on the County, City and Township road.
These signs remain in place until:
- An immediate family member of the crash victim objects to the sign, at which time the sign will be expeditiously removed
- The sign is no longer in a satisfactory condition because of damage or deterioration
- The section of roadway is reconstructed to new standards, at which time all "Think" signs on that segment of roadway are removed
Once removed, these signs are not replaced unless a request is made from an immediate family member of the crash victim to do so. This also applies to signs that may have been removed by others.
The Department of Transportation recognizes that some people grieve by placing a roadside memorial within the highway right of way near the crash site. While the department acknowledges this, the placement of memorials within the highway right of way is not allowed as these roadside memorials may themselves be a safety hazard. The department will immediately remove a roadside memorial if:
- It poses a safety concern, for example:
- If it interferes with roadway safety features or obstructs the view of motorists
- If it impacts the flow of traffic
- If it would be a hazard if hit by a vehicle
- If it is a distraction to motorists
- It interferes with routine highway maintenance
- It falls into disrepair
- The Department of Transportation receives a complaint
Individuals should understand that any roadside memorial placed on the highway right of way is temporary and should not expect that it remain in place indefinitely. The department typically does not know who placed the memorial, and individuals should also understand that the department is not responsible for any items placed at the memorial. When a memorial is removed by the department, the items from the memorial are kept for a period of two weeks to allow time for the owners to retrieve them by contacting the local Department of Transportation Area Office. If items are not claimed within two weeks, they are disposed of.
No one wants to see a tragedy such as a subsequent crash at the site of a roadside memorial. This is the reason that regulations specify that only items that perform a specific highway function be allowed within the highway right of way. Individuals should consider that mourners who stop to maintain a roadside memorial not only place themselves in danger, but they also put other motorists at risk.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
A major incident near Bronson Florida
Came across this one, in which a total of 7 were killed, most of them students who were riding in a handicapped bus. The driver of the flat bed truck was charged with several counts of vehicular homicide.
BRONSON — The driver
of a truck that struck a school bus carrying handicapped children in August was
charged Tuesday with causing the deaths of the bus driver and five students by
speeding through a stop sign.
Scott Lou Allen, 26,
of Bushnell, was arrested at his Sumter County home and charged with six felony
counts of vehicular homicide in connection with the Aug. 28 accident, said Levy
County State Attorney Gene Whitworth Sr.
Allen was taken to the
Sumter County Jail, where he was expected to be held overnight. Bail was set at
$20,000 by Levy Circuit Judge Elzie Sanders, said Sumter County sheriff's Capt.
Jim Fussell.
The charges were filed
Tuesday after a two-month Florida Highway Patrol investigation. In a 104-page
report to the state attorney's office, investigators say Allen was driving
between 40 mph and 45 mph in a 35 mph zone and that he failed to reduce his
speed at a stop sign, Whitworth said.
''The facts we relied
on in this case indicate that Mr. Allen had the capability of seeing that stop
sign four-tenths of a mile before he came to it,'' Whitworth said. ''There was
no decrease of his speed as he entered the intersection and no braking or
attempted braking until after the accident.''
The stop sign was
posted at the intersection of County Roads 337 and 32 in this North Florida
town 25 miles southwest of Gainesville. Many of Bronson's 700 residents are
constantly reminded of the tragedy when they pass through the intersection.
''I go by there every
day,'' said Paul Johnson, assistant superintendent of the Levy County School
District. ''The residents have put commemorative crosses up, six of them, one
for each person who was killed, and there are flowers permanently placed by the
side of the road.''
Several of the
mentally and physically handicapped students, ages 4 to 18, who were injured in
the accident have not returned to Bronson Elementary School and Williston
Middle School.
On the afternoon of
Aug. 28, bus driver Edith Mae Asbell, 59, of Chiefland, was driving 19 students
home from the two schools when the 47-seat bus was struck broadside by a
flatbed truck driven by Allen, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper John
Touchton, who investigated the accident with Trooper Ted Glass.
The accident left
Asbell and five students dead and 17 people injured, including Allen.
Allen's first court
appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. today in Sumter County. He will be
transferred to Levy County if he does not post bond.
CHIEFLAND — Dozens of
school bus drivers from Levy and surrounding counties turned out for driver
Edith Asbell's funeral Sunday, with some predicting that few students would
ride buses today after a terrifying crash Friday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Levy County
school officials were huddling with crisis workers in preparation for this
morning's classes, the first since Asbell and five handicapped children were
killed when a flatbed truck ran a stop sign and hit the bus broadside.
Another
16 mentally handicapped youngsters from Williston Middle and Bronson Elementary
schools were injured, along with Tampa truck driver Scott Allen, 25, in good
condition with a broken leg at Alachua General Hospital.
Crisis
workers told school principals that some students and teachers may need help
dealing with the tragedy.
''The
expectation is that a lot of kids will be brought to school tomorrow; they
won't ride the buses,'' said Connie Hartsock of the Alachua County Crisis
Center.
Earlier
Sunday afternoon, a stream of people drove to the intersection of county roads
32 and 337, where the crash occurred. There, on a utility pole at the northwest
corner of the intersection, were a dozen posters made of colored construction
paper.
They
bore messages like ''God bless'' and ''Love one another'' and ''God loves.''
JoAnn
Tisdale, 54, said her Sunday school class of 7-year-olds at First Baptist
Church of Bronson wanted to make the posters as a memorial.
Although
none of the dead children were in the Sunday school class, Tisdale said
''that's all they could talk about this morning, the children and their
parents.
''They
didn't seem interested in learning their lesson. One of the little girls asked
if we could have a special prayer for them.''
Kay
Berezansky, 63, of Bronson, brought a purple potted flower to the crash site,
placing it on a dirt bank beside a bouquet and a bunch of yellow flowers.
Later
in the day, six American flags were planted along the side of the road where
the wreckage came to rest. The bank where the bodies of the dead children were
placed still was strewn with broken glass, its grass withered and scarred.
''Those
little children used to wave at me,'' Berezansky said, recalling her days as a
crossing guard at Bronson Elementary School.
At
the Hardeetown Baptist Church in Chiefland, hundreds of people packed into the
sanctuary for Asbell's funeral.
The
Rev. Walter Cooley told family and friends that God had an appointment with
Asbell, and that day was Friday.
''None
of this that happened was a surprise to the Lord,'' he said.
Asbell,
buried at Chiefland Cemetary, was described by family and fellow bus drivers as
a cautious driver who loved the mentally and physically disabled children who
rode her bus twice a day.
March 27th Near High Springs, Florida
Jasen
T. Hendrickson, 26, of High Springs, died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 from injuries
sustained in an automobile accident in High Springs. He was a native of Colon,
Mich., and a graduate of the Colon High School Class of 2004.
Mr.
Hendrickson was a cabinetmaker at Hunter Marine in Alachua, an avid fisherman
and a University of Michigan fan. He loved his family, Michigan sports and
working with children.
He
is survived by his parents, Dennis and Christine Seguin Hendrickson, High
Springs; maternal grandparents, Homer and Katherine Seguin, Ellenburg Depot,
N.Y.; one sister, Tricia (Greg) Kurzawski; a niece, Brooke Kurzawski; a nephew,
Samuel Kurzawski, all of Lake City; one brother, Joshua (Chelsea) Hendrickson
of Marquette, Mich., and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Memorial
services will be conducted at a later date in Colon, Mich. Arrangements are
under the direction of Evans-Carter Funeral Home, High Springs.
Two men were hospitalized with injuries Wednesday evening following a crash
in High Springs that required extensive extrication to free them, authorities
reported.Flown by helicopter to Shands at the University of Florida was Jasen Hendrickson, 26. Taken by ambulance was Kenneth Timms, 56, said High Springs Police Chief Steve Holley.
The accident occurred about 6:33 p.m at 16325 NW State Road 45.
Holley said one of the men was driving north and the other south when they collided at an angle. Holley said the crash investigation is still under way and added that details were not available.
The High Springs Fire Department said in a news release that it had to use extensive extrication to get the men out of their cars.
Monday, March 16, 2015
March 16 2015- A 4 person shrine on Highway 301
I actually passed this one twice before I was able to stop and take a photo of it.
Rare that I see this many at one shrine- There were actually six folks killed in this two car wreck, one of them being an unborn child of one of the victims. For some reason, there are only 4 markers. Lamb and Durgan are missing from the display.
The victims
Danny S. Lamb Jr., 33, of Plant City was a married father of three young children and an avid outdoorsman.
Ashley Blagburn, 19, of Zephyrhills was five months pregnant and thrilled with her future.
Richard Forbes, 19, of Plant City canceled a weekend's hunting expedition to Georgia with friends.
Jennifer Sawyer, 19, was born and raised in Hillsborough County. She was saving up for a car.
Garth Durgan, 33, of Plant City had been living with a girlfriend and an aunt.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
January 25th Hilltop Road, St Augustine Florida- Hit and Run vs Bicyclist
This tragic accident involved a 26 year old cyclist on his way either to or from work on a street near our home. I believe they ultimately did find the motorist who was responsible.
Accident Date:
Accident Date:
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Detectives in the Major Crimes Unit along with the Traffic Section are
investigating the incident. A deadly hit-and-run traffic accident occurred involving a bicyclist
near Hilltop Road and Kings Estate Road in St. Augustine. The victim has
been identified as Madison Jacob Meyer, 26 of St. Augustine, Florida. Law
enforcement and emergency personnel responded to the area Sunday morning
and found Meyer lying on the side of the road deceased. Law enforcement found a
bicycle nearby which appeared to be struck by a vehicle. It appears
that Meyer was traveling south on Hilltop Road when a vehicle struck him
from behind. Detectives believe the incident possibly happened sometime
early Sunday morning. The search is on for the hit-and-run driver and any
potential witnesses.
Type: Bicycle Accident
Hit and Run
People Involved: Madison Jacob Meyer Roadway: Hilltop Road and
Kings Estate Road City: Saint Augustine,
FL
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