Black Box Wasn't Recording Before Philadelphia Medevac Crash
The Learjet 55 operated by Jet Rescue Air Ambulance crashed on Jan. 31, killing all six people on board and one person on the ground while injuring several others.
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USA Today
5 days ago
- USA Today
8 people who died in Lake Tahoe boat accident were not wearing life vests, NTSB says
RENO, NV — None of the eight people who died last month after a 28-foot power boat capsized on Lake Tahoe during a sudden storm were wearing life vests, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report. Ten people, including the boat's operator, were on board a privately owned Chris-Craft vessel on June 21 when a sudden storm hit, bringing high winds, 8- to 10-foot waves, and marble-sized hail, according to the National Transportation Safety Board report released on July 23. As weather conditions worsened, the boat became inundated with water and overturned. Weather conditions in the area were mostly calm with clear skies and light winds when the boat left shortly before 12 p.m. local time on June 21, according to the NTSB. The report noted that although the local forecast showed a slight chance of thunderstorms, there were no marine warnings or small craft advisories issued for the area on that day. But about two hours after the boat went out to Emerald Bay on the western side of the lake, the NTSB said the winds, rain, and waves increased, with whitecaps captured on time-lapse footage at around 2:36 p.m. local time. Hail collected in the vessel, and waves began to break over the sides as the operator attempted to return to the marina. "The boat took on water and some of the passengers attempted to bail the water out of the boat," the report states. "At one point, a particularly large wave overtook the boat." All 10 on board were thrown into the water, and only two — a mother and daughter — were rescued. The bodies of six victims were recovered that day and dive teams found two victims submerged 300 feet under the surface on June 22 and 23, the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, previously reported. The NTSB said its investigation into the accident remains ongoing, but no timeline was provided for when a final report would be complete. The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is conducting its investigation. None of the victims killed in the boat accident were wearing life vests One of the passengers put on a life vest and started handing them out to the other nine passengers, according to the report. She was the only passenger wearing a life vest when the boat overturned, while the second survivor was clinging to a personal flotation device when she was rescued. "No one else immediately donned their (personal flotation device). Shortly after, the boat rolled over to starboard, and the passengers entered the water," the report states. "The survivor recalled that it started snowing after the boat rolled over while the people were in the water. No distress calls were made from the boat." At around 2:57 p.m. local time, hikers on shore witnessed the vessel capsize after a "large wave washed over it," the report added. About a minute later, one of the hikers called 911 to report the accident. Multiple emergency agencies responded to the scene and recovered eight people, including the two survivors, according to the report. The two survivors were transported to a hospital for medical treatment. Six people, including the boat operator, were pronounced dead at the scene. The report noted that none of the six were wearing life vests. The two other victims were recovered from the lake bottom near the casualty site the next day. Authorities recovered four life vests and one life preserver ring, which were all from the vessel, from the accident site, according to the report. NTSB report 'confirms the deep tragedy of this accident' The two survivors who were rescued from the water were identified as Amy Friduss and her mother, Julie Lindsay. Friduss' father and Lindsay's husband, Stephen, 63, of Springwater, New York, was among those killed. Family spokesperson Sam Springer said they are extended family members of the boat's owner, DoorDash executive Joshua Pickles, and his parents, Terry Pickles and Paula Bozinovich, who all died. Joshua Pickles' uncle, Peter Bayes, and family friends were also killed in the incident. Singer, who is also a spokesperson for Pickles' widow, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, shared a statement after the NTSB's preliminary report was released. 'The report confirms the deep tragedy of this accident which claimed the lives of Josh Pickles, his father, mother, uncle and friends," the statement reads. "Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard is profoundly thankful for the rescue efforts made by so many first responders and good Samaritans in the tragic situation." Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
No one killed in the Lake Tahoe boat capsizing wore a life vest, investigators say
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — None of the eight people killed when a boat capsized during a sudden and fierce storm last month on Lake Tahoe in California were wearing life vests, federal investigators said in an initial report released Wednesday. Four members of a family who were celebrating a birthday were among those who died when the 28-foot (8.5-meter) gold Chris-Craft vessel was inundated and flipped over amid 10-foot (3-meter) waves June 21 on the lake's western edge. Weather was mostly calm when the party of 10 left the marina around noon, but within about two hours winds were strong enough to create whitecaps, according to the preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board. By 2:30 p.m., as the boat was returning to shore, it began to hail and the vessel ended up sideways to the growing waves. 'The boat took on water and some of the passengers attempted to bail the water out of the boat,' the report states. 'At one point, a particularly large wave overtook the boat.' Two people were rescued immediately after it flipped over. One of the survivors was found clinging to a life vest and the other was wearing one, according to the report. Six people were found dead that afternoon and evening and two more bodies were discovered the next day. None of the people found dead had been wearing life vests, the report said. Four life vests and one life preserver ring from the boat were recovered from the accident site. Hikers on shore called 911 after witnessing the vessel capsize. No distress calls were made from the boat, the report said. Toxicology tests for alcohol and other drugs for the deceased were conducted, and results are pending, officials said. Snow was reported on the shore and a nearby weather station recorded a top wind gust of 39 mph (62 kph) at around the time of the accident shortly after 3 p.m. By 4 p.m., the weather began to clear, and the skies were cloudless again shortly before 5:30 p.m., the report said. The intensity of the thunderstorm surprised even forecasters, who had predicted rain but nothing like the squall that lashed the southern part of the lake. Drowning and other accidental deaths occur each year on the lake, but boating accidents with numerous fatalities are rare, South Lake Tahoe Police Lt. Scott Crivelli said last month. There are an average of six deaths on the lake each summer, though there were a record 15 fatalities in 2021, he said.
Chicago Tribune
22-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Chris Spear: America's truckers need a place to park — before it's too late
Every day, more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers keep America's economy on the move. They haul more than 73% of the nation's freight, ensuring that food reaches our shelves, medicine arrives at hospitals and manufacturers stay in business. But there's one thing many drivers can't count on at the end of a long shift: a safe place to park. For every 11 truck drivers on the road today, there is one truck parking space. When truck drivers are unable to find safe, authorized parking, they're stuck in a no-win situation — forced to either park in unsafe or illegal locations, or to violate federal hours-of-service rules that regulate their daily drive time to search for safer, legal alternatives. Many spend upward of an hour each day searching for parking — time that's unpaid and amounts to an average of $6,800 in lost compensation each year. In the worst cases, they're forced to park on highway shoulders, exit ramps or vacant lots, putting themselves and other motorists at serious risk. Delays in deliveries increase costs for businesses and consumers alike. Worst of all, the parking shortage contributes to thousands of accidents and dozens of fatalities each year. One of those avoidable tragedies occurred in 2023, when a Greyhound bus struck three semitrailers parked on the shoulder of an Interstate 70 rest area ramp in Illinois, killing three passengers on board the bus. In the agency's report on the accident released just a few weeks ago, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jennifer Homendy put the cause bluntly: 'Our investigation brought to light a critical shortage of safe truck parking and made clear a painful lesson: Until we address this important safety issue, lives are at risk on our nation's roads.' For policymakers and business leaders alike, the message is clear: If we want our supply chains to remain resilient and our roads to remain safe, we must invest in truck parking infrastructure. More designated rest areas. More capacity at existing facilities. Smarter deployment of real-time parking information systems. Last month, President Donald Trump's administration took a major step toward addressing this crisis, issuing project agreements to move forward more than $275 million in grant funding to expand truck parking access nationwide. Among the projects funded is nearly $180 million targeted at the Interstate 4 corridor in Florida, which will add 917 much needed parking spots across Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's leadership, backed by Trump's commitment to the trucking industry, is a clear signal that Washington is finally listening. By increasing funding specifically targeted toward truck parking, they are addressing one of the most pressing and solvable challenges our industry faces. Congress can protect American motorists by passing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Illinois Rep. Mike Bost that would authorize $755 million in dedicated funding over four years to expand truck parking capacity. These funds could have prevented tragedies such as the 2009 murder of New York truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who was shot and killed for the $7 sitting on the dashboard of his truck while parked in an abandoned lot he used out of desperation for rest. The $200 million allocated to truck parking in the House transportation appropriations bill released last week is a welcome start to preventing similar tragedies. A dedicated federal funding stream, paired with state-level grant programs, would cut through the red tape that often sidelines critical parking projects. These resources must be allocated in a targeted, flexible way that allows states to build, expand and modernize truck parking across freight corridors and logistics hubs. It's not enough to authorize projects — we must fund them with real dollars that reflect the scale and urgency of the problem. Accounting for 87% of truck parking spaces, the private sector plays a vital role in providing parking, but it cannot solve this alone. Market forces don't always align with safety and infrastructure needs. Truck stops face high land and development costs, and zoning hurdles often block new projects. That's why a public-private solution is not only prudent. It's essential. Arkansas Republican Rep. Steve Womack has proved himself a staunch advocate who was instrumental in including $200 million toward expanding trucking parking in last year's House transportation appropriations subcommittee funding bill. We need more champions like Womack in Congress who will help prioritize and accelerate funding, treating truck parking as the safety and commerce issue it is, rather than an afterthought. Truckers don't ask for much. They don't expect luxury accommodations or special treatment. What they do expect — and deserve — is a safe place to stop after moving America's economy day and night. Let's make sure they have it. Chris Spear is president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations.
