hanging car

i found these at: http://media.skoopy.com/misc/car_crash/- i wish i had more info but i dont- this is cool!

Hurricane Katrina

i was just watching the news and it looks very bad for New Oleans and the Gulf coast. they r expecting over 1,000,000 homes destroyed in New Orleans alown.
this does not look good
for us towers, after some desasters like this, they orginize for help from around the country to come in to the desaster area and help clean up. i will post any news about this as soon as i find out anything
for everyone: please help out the american red cross- they will need every penny they can

keep checking back- i will post when there is news.

cool pic

this is a good pic i found on the net

it is from:

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050825/NEWS/508250512

 

An Upman's Towing truck driver chains the Honda SUV after extracting it from the 9-foot sinkhole on Honore Avenue. The accident and its aftermath caused an estimated $100,000 in damage and a lot of worry -- officials thought a body might be in the submerged vehicle.

 

 

Crash creates 9-foot sinkhole

Driver leaves SUV, walks away after hitting hydrant on Honore

BY KATHLEEN CULLINAN

MANATEE COUNTY -- A Bradenton woman drove into a fire hydrant Tuesday night and simply walked away as water spewed forth, authorities say.

She told no one, and left her Honda sport utility vehicle in the spreading pool of water, which eventually caused a section of Honore Avenue north of University Parkway to cave in.

By morning, a 9-foot-deep sinkhole engulfed the SUV. Murky water was pooling on Honore by about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, when officials started getting calls about it, a sheriff's deputy said.

The accident and its aftermath caused an estimated $100,000 in damage and a lot of worry when officials found the Honda submerged in the sinkhole and weren't sure if anyone was inside.

Authorities said Lisa M. Ferrier, 29, of the 5000 block of Water Oak Drive in Bradenton, drove right past the accident site on her way to work the next morning, again without stopping.

Officers later tracked Ferrier down at work, Deputy Ned Foy said, and charged her with careless driving and failure to report an accident.

"You look at all the labor involved in this thing," Foy said Wednesday. "They're going to be working well into the night."

Ferrier was driving the Honda SUV northbound on Honore at about 11 p.m. Tuesday when she hit a parked trailer, then the fire hydrant, authorities said.

She has a previous DUI conviction, according to Sarasota court records. Authorities said Wednesday it was probably too late to determine if alcohol was a factor in the accident. Attempts to reach Ferrier for comment were unsuccessful.

Water officials spotted the top of the Honda in the sinkhole when they arrived, Foy said.

A fireman entered the hole and found no one in the vehicle. The Honda was filled to the dashboard with sand, he said.

Water officials shut the hydrant's leaking pipe, and eventually the water drained from the crater, exposing the SUV.

It took a heavy-duty truck from Upman's Towing to extract the SUV from the sinkhole without breaking a yellow gas line it had landed on.

A tow-truck driver stood near the sinkhole after the SUV was loaded. "All in a day's work," Chris Ecker said.

 

2 things to share

i found these on www.orsm.net

rollover

this is from:

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050820/NEWS01/508200360/1095

 

Andrew Tangel
News-Leader

At least four people died on Ozarks roads Friday afternoon as the Missouri Highway Patrol reported a 10 percent increase in the traffic death toll across the state since this time last year.

In Springfield, a garbage truck driver was killed around 2 p.m. when he swerved to miss a car stopped ahead of him and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer rig in the 1800 block of North West Bypass, police said.

After the trucks crashed, the trash truck rotated and its cab hit the stopped car, a black Pontiac, police said.

The wreck left the garbage truck on its side in the middle of the road and the tractor-trailer in a ditch. Fuel, garbage and wreckage were spilled.

Police identified the garbage truck driver as Benjamin D. Vice, 19, of Willard. They could not determine whether Vice, who was ejected, was wearing a seat belt.

The tractor-trailer driver, a 52-year-old Fair Grove man, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to an area hospital. The car's driver, a 53-year-old Springfield woman, was treated and released from a hospital. Her grandson, also in the car, was reportedly unharmed.

Police closed West Bypass from Division to Kearney Street for more than two hours as emergency workers cleared the scene and bystanders watched.

The driver's death hit home for Todd Bruinekool, 39, who also drives a garbage truck in Springfield.

"People just don't pay attention," he said.

Also Friday afternoon, a head-on crash on U.S. 65 in Dallas County killed a Springfield woman in her 40s and a man and woman from Oklahoma, said David Brown of the Greene County Medical Examiner's office.

Authorities did not release the victims' identities becacuse their families had not been notified.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reported Friday morning that the state's roads had seen 800 fatal accidents this year � an increase from 721 in the same time period last year.

In Springfield, fatal accidents have been down since last year, according to police totals dated Aug. 11. In that time frame, eight people have died in city traffic accidents; 12 died in the same period last year.

Not included in those numbers is the death Thursday of Betty B. Baumberger, 85, of Brookline Station.

She died from injuries suffered when she drove her car from Kansas Expressway onto Bennett Street and into the path of an oncoming car, police said in a report. Both drivers had solid green lights.

Baumberger died at St. John's Hospital. The other driver was admitted and a passenger in her car was treated and released.

fatal acident at Devon and River

well, when most people are on their way home and they get stuck in heavy traffic and detours they cuss and complain, not me. i get out and take pictures. this is from an intersection a block from the Tollway shop. unfortianitly i dont have any details other than "A 1" towing did the tows- note the reflective shirts!!

Rollover Semi I55 e/b ramp to N/B 90/94

i am still working to figure out this new camera so excuse the not so good pics.

last night there was a rollover semi. i was just getting to bed when the call went out. I love these things and what is even more exciting, it watching the IDOT Minutemen work. I showed up 1 min to late to watch them drag the semi to the next ramp ( a little less than 1/2 mile). remember- IDOT's sole purpous is to open the roads as fast as possable.





IDOT usually relocates any rollover semis by dragging them to the nearest area where there is room to perform the recovery with minimal traffic blockage. I.E.. Ramp, Accident Investigation Site, ect.. their heavy duties are equipped with massive push bumpers. They usually use 2 heavies to relocate a fallen semi. One in the rear to push and one in the front. The one in the front has the 2 winches on the boom lifting the tractor slightly off the ground. Some additional chains attached from the tractor to the rear of the wrecker. The by lifting the tractor, it lessens the resistance and it helps add weight to the drive axels of the wrecker. In this case, IDOT used 2 trucks in the front only. This was because they were not able to get a truck behind the rollover. Some may also wonder �why didn�t they upright it right there instead of dragging it?� good question and the primary reason is that where the truck over turned is on the second level of a triple Decker of expressways and ramps- there is no room to raise any booms up in the air- so dragging is a necessity here. So, since they have to relocate it, they could pull it � mile to the area out from under the bridge and there by closing 2 ramps from I55 to I90/94 or they could do what they did and relocate it just under � mile to the next exit (canal port) and open all traffic immediately

Usually after relocating a rollover- IDOT will let a privet contractor take over the recovery, however, the load was so heavy, metal, and a container, that when they dragged it, it sparked severely. It actually started a very small fire. The decision was made not to wait for the privet tower, but to upright it there and let the FD put out the fire. You can see some of it in the upper rear of the trailer. the trailer was loaded with some sort of large heavy rolls, I�m guessing paper.

 

They did a nice job- remember, there goal is not �damage free� as it is with the privet tow companies. I know they go threw extensive training and they do try and avoid causing any additional damage. But with that said, even though I love these guys and respect them, they are still subject to �My Comments and Criticisms�

 

My Comments and Criticisms,

Remember, I bring these up so we may all learn from them, it is not meant to make anyone look bad- please don�t take them the wrong way

1)      my pet peeve: safety gear- they had more than most towers- they had reflective gear and steal toe boots!! But hard hats and safety glasses- (with that said, I have to admit- I was as close as they were and I did not have any on- so I am more guilty (I did not even have boots or reflective vests on)

2)      I would have used 2 heavies to upright this and a prime reason is that the way the up righted it by lifting strait up, when the rollover reaches a cretin point there is no were for the truck to go because there is no pull to finish the upright and set it down to the ground- the only option is to keep lifting higher so the tires drag towards the wrecker- this puts a lot more resistance on your wrecker and the lift points- this is weird because they had 2 heavies there.

3)      The side wall of the container is especially vulnerable and week because of the dragging. They are thinner and there are holes, so you can not count on them like you could a undamaged container.

4)      This is a suggestion, I would like to make the suggestion that anytime you are going to drag an overturned semi, especially something where it�s a metal container where there will be an abundance of sparking- have the FD wet down the path you are going to take with water or consider using the sand spreader truck to spread sand, that may also help with the sparking.

5)      I want to state that I am a big advocate of quick clearance and  dragging!! I think it is a very underutilized opportunity to open the roads. This gets into incident management and if I get started on that, this post will go on for many pages, so I will leave it at that.

6)      They used snatch blocks- very good

 

nice job guys!!!! See ya in the ditch, be safe out there!

 

The Truth about DUI

This is shocking - i have been in this indusry for over 9 years and i have seen some things that would make a grown man cry like a baby- what i am about to add to my blog shocked me- WARNING: this is NOT for kids!!!!!!

 

SHOW THIS TO DRIVING AGE KIDS ONLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

NOT FOR ANYONE OF A YOUNG AGE!!!!!

 

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE YOU CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PROCEDE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

This is a copy of an E-Mail i got From Jay at IDOT Emergency Traffic Patrol

----- This visual depiction says it all as only to many of us in the badge only know to well. Those of us who are retired and those still working should never be remiss in espousing the consequences (beyond court punishment) of drinking and driving. I hope your email system doesn't automatically erase photos. 

Subject: FW:  This  young lady was recently on Oprah and what a loving, forgiving young woman she is !  An amazing story of what she has suffered and will bear the rest of her life.  Please share this with your friends and especially your teenagers who are driving

This is Jacqueline Saburido on September 19, 1999.

This is she and her Father, 1998

This is she on Vacation in Venezuela.

Birthday party as a child.

At a party with friends.

The car in which Jacqueline traveled. She was hit by another car that was driven by a 17-year old male student on his way home after drinking a couple of hard packs with his friends. This was in December 1999.

 

After the accident Jacqueline has needed over 40 operations

Jacqueline was caught in the burning car and

 her body was heavily burnt during around 45 seconds.

With her Father, 2000.

Getting treatment.

Three months after accident.


Without a left eyelid Jacquie needs eye drops to keep her vision.

Now 20 year old, he cannot forgive himself for driving drunk on that night

three years ago.

He's aware of devastating Jacqueline Saburidos life.

Not everyone who gets hit with a car dies. This picture was taken 4 years after the accident and the doctors are still working on Jacqueline, whose body was covered with 60% severe burnings.

Please send this to as many people as you can to make them aware of the consequences of drink driving.



PLEASE PASS THIS MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

Tow Truck Hit

I found this story from philly- please be carefull out there!!!

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=3364802#

Double 3-Car Wrecks on I-95

August 20, 2005 - Delaware state police are investigating three accidents that are the result of one accident.

The first happened in the southbound lanes near the Christiana River Bridge around 2 Saturday morning. Police tell Action News the driver of a flatbed tow-truck slowed down for an apparent drunk driver. But while slowing down, another car plowed into the rear of the truck. One person was killed instantly, two others were injured.

While police were investigating this accident, another three-car accident happened just an eighth of a mile north of the first accident.

And it was during the investigation of that accident another vehicle rear-ended a car involved in the second accident. A state trooper and a driver were hurt.

Buy a Dog

buy a dog

If you want someone who will bring you the paper,
without first tearing it apart to remove the sports section

If you want someone willing to make a fool of himself
simply over the joy of seeing you:

If you want someone who will eat
whatever you put in front of him
and never says its not quite as good as his mother made:


If you want someone always willing to go out,
at any hour, for as long and wherever you want:


If you want someone who will never touch the remote,
doesn't give a darn about football,
and can sit next to you as you watch romantic movies:

If you want someone who is content to get up on your bed,
just to warm your feet, and whom you can push off if he snores:

If you want someone who never criticizes what you do,
who doesn't care if you are pretty or ugly:


If you want someone who doesn't care
if you are fat or thin, young or old:


If you want someone who acts as if every word you say
is especially worthy of listening to and loves you unconditionally

But, on the other hand,
If you want someone who will never come when you call,
ignores you totally when you come home,
leaves hair all over the place,
walks all over you,
runs around all night
and only comes home to eat and sleep,
and acts as if your entire existence is solely to ensure his happiness:


.

.

scroll down