Latest news with #KiaOptima
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Delaware Memorial bridge accident: Tractor-trailer cab crashes - search underway, casualties feared
Delaware Memorial Bridge accident took place in the wee hours of Friday as a commercial vehicle reportedly plunged off the bridge and sank into Delaware river. Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA) stated that emergency personnel were working on the southbound span of the bridge and the left southbound lane is closed. The tractor-trailer fell 20 feet of water after crashing off a concrete barrier. The condition of the driver is critical. The vehicle was travelling to southbound on I-295 and out of nowhere it crossed three lanes, local media reported. Reports stated that fire brigade teams, dive teams and Coast Guard rushed to the spot. Luckily, no other vehicle was involved in the accident. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bargain Prices on Unsold Container Houses in National Capital Region - Check Them Out! Shipping Container Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo Past Accidents on Delaware Memorial Bridge The bridge has witnessed fatal crashes in the recent past. Live Events On March 2021, in a fatal truck-car collision, a broken-down Kia Optima in the southbound lanes was rear-ended around 3 PM by a Freightliner semi-trailer. Two occupants of the Kia — driver Mary Sanderlin (37) and back-seat passenger Rudolf Parish (29), both from New Jersey — were killed instantly. A third occupant suffered non-life-threatening injuries. On April 4, 2021, a vehicle on the northbound side struck trees near the Pennsville (NJ) approach. The driver was killed. In November 2023, a semi-truck reportedly struck a Toyota Camry and dragged it briefly on the southbound side before fleeing. Police are actively seeking witnesses. On May 20, 2025, there was a police response to an apparent suicide attempt on the northbound span. Multiple I‑295 lanes were temporarily closed, causing significant delays. Authorities acted promptly. Fortunately, lanes have since been reopened. FAQs Q1. Is Delaware Memorial Bridge closed today? A1. Delaware Memorial Bridge is partially closed on Friday after an accident. The left southbound lane is closed. Q2. Is there any accident on Delaware Memorial bridge? A2. Yes, an accident has taken place on the Delaware Memorial bridge.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This North Carolina woman says her car caught fire after dealership visit — while her daughter was still in it
When Tina Betterson picked up her 2019 Kia Optima from the dealership following engine repairs, she expected to drive home with some peace of mind. But instead, she found herself recording a terrifying video just hours later as her car had burst in flames in her driveway. Betterson's daughter, who was initially trapped inside the car when the fire began, was able to escape before the car was engulfed in flames. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it "She's like 'Oh my god, I can't get out," Betterson told WFMY News 2, describing the terrifying moment when her daughter was briefly trapped in the burning car. 'She then said she heard a click and the door opened and she jumped out.' The harrowing incident left the family without a vehicle, thousands of dollars in debt and locked in a dispute with the dealership over who's responsible for a car repair gone horribly wrong. Betterson had reportedly taken her car to a local Kia dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina weeks earlier due to an issue with oil consumption. The mechanics at Kia wound up replacing the engine in Betterson's car before she picked it up and drove it 10 miles back to her home. That's when the fire broke out, giving Betterson and her daughter the scare of a lifetime. Thankfully, Betterson's daughter managed to free herself before the car was completely engulfed in flames, and Greensboro firefighters responded quickly and managed to get the blaze under control. When Betterson contacted the dealership's service manager about the incident, he couldn't provide an explanation for what happened to Betterson's car. 'The service manager… he didn't know what to say, truthfully,' said Betterson. Making matters worse, it took Kia four months to complete its investigation, which eventually found that an 'improperly routed wiring harness contacted hot AC lines, melting insulation and leading to the electrical event which ignited nearby combustibles." WFMY News 2 reporters spoke with several car dealerships about standard protocols for replacing an engine, and every one reportedly said a car should be test-driven for at least 50 miles following major engine work. Betterson's car, however, was reportedly test-driven for just five miles before it was returned to her. "You [the dealership] told me you test drove it, and it literally caught fire within 10 miles of me driving home," said Betterson. 'This could have been an unimaginable tragedy. Thank God this is not a personal injury case that I'm sitting here talking about today.' Read more: You don't have to be a millionaire to gain access to . In fact, you can get started with as little as $10 — here's how While the dealership provided Betterson with a rental car and covered approximately $6,000 in rental fees during the investigation, this situation has put Betterson in a tough financial position. 'I finally said to my insurance, go ahead and pay it off so this doesn't appear on my credit,' said Betterson, who filed a claim with her insurance company after months of back-and-forth with Kia. After WFMY News 2 reporters contacted Betterson's dealership, its insurance agreed to cover the remaining $3,500 balance on Betterson's car loan. But Betterson has refused the offer as she believes the dealership hasn't done enough to fix the situation. Betterson has also indicated that she plans to pursue legal action against the dealership for negligence. For now, she joins the ranks of drivers fighting for accountability after repairs gone wrong, warning others about the potential dangers lurking under the hood even after professional work has been done. Betterson's experience highlights how vehicle repairs can sometimes turn into a disaster. While rare, post-repair vehicle fires are particularly concerning because they often occur when drivers believe their vehicles have just been made safer. For drivers worried about finding themselves in a similar situation, here are a few precautions you can take before agreeing to major car repairs: Get a written estimate before any work is done on your car. Ask about post-repair inspection protocols, including test-driving distances. Request documentation of all work performed, including parts replaced. Consider having a second opinion from an independent mechanic for major repairs. Understand your auto insurance coverage for post-repair incidents. This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
USA Today
02-07-2025
- USA Today
700 pounds of meth found in cucumbers. Feds say smugglers use fruits, veggies as cover.
Federal agents found the shipment of drugs among a cargo load of cucumbers. The seizure is the latest instance of traffickers using fresh fruits and vegetables to move drugs. Cucumber. Jalapeño. Cheese. Onion. Avocado. It sounds like a delicious spicy salad. But they're actually the ingredients of drug smuggling. Federal prosecutors say an arrest in Georgia of men charged with trying to ship 700 pounds of meth inside a tractor-trailer packed with cucumbers is the latest case of accused smugglers cooking up a scheme to hide their illegal main course. Andres Jasso Jr., 37, and Rufino Pineda-Perez, 59, were arrested in Gainesville, Georgia, after federal agents discovered they were hiding thousands of packages of drugs among 20 pallet boxes containing cucumbers, federal officials announced July 2. 'Thanks to the diligent work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, a tremendous amount of meticulously concealed methamphetamine was located, was seized, and will never hit the street,' said Theodore S. Hertzberg, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. 'Our office will aggressively prosecute criminals who attempt to use North Georgia as a distribution hub for their deadly poisons.' Cukes are one of just many fresh vegetables smugglers use to move hundreds of pounds of drugs, according to a review of cases by USA TODAY. Law enforcement has uncovered everything from cocaine hidden among bananas to heroin stashed among pungent shipments of garlic and onions. Experts say smugglers see hiding drugs amid fresh fruits and vegetables as one of the best ways to slip past customs agents. 'It's very common to smuggle drugs by concealing them in produce shipments,' said Mike LaSusa, a deputy director at InSight Crime, a think tank focused on drug cartels. 'Because produce spoils quickly and damages easily, customs and law enforcement have to inspect it both quickly and carefully, which makes it hard to do a thorough job.' The federal case in Georgia Videos of the bust shared by the Drug Enforcement Administration show a neatly packaged operation. The tractor-trailer is full of plastic-wrapped cardboard boxes containing loads of cucumbers. But in breaking apart the boxes, federal agents reveal four packets of drugs are hidden within the folded cardboard, videos show. Jasso and Pineda-Perez were discovered at the scene in a Kia Optima sedan parked next to the tractor trailer, federal court documents say. Their role in the operation was to unload the pallet boxes and remove the drugs from among the cucumbers, court papers say. Someone else was supposed to then pick up the hundreds of pounds of drugs, according to court papers. Pineda-Perez is a Mexican national with no legal status in the U.S., officials say. According to the Department of Justice, he was previously deported in 2001 for transporting marijuana and was deported a second time after being sentenced in 2015 to over six years in prison for transporting cocaine. Jasso is from Brookhaven, Georgia, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Why are fruits and veggies so popular — among traffickers Research by drug trafficking experts shows fresh fruit and vegetables are a smuggler's dish of choice for several reasons. Fresh produce is chosen because so much of it is moving between ports that authorities can't properly inspect it all, an analysis from 2019 by InSight Crime shows. Produce also spoils so quickly that customs officials are incentivized to perform their inspections quickly, analysis shows. Finally, produce is so cheap that the profits from the drugs compared to the loss of the produce are especially high, according to InSight. An entire shipment of bananas costs about 60% of the cost of a kilogram of cocaine, according to the 2019 analysis. InSight found that smuggling drugs amid produce shipments had become so common that some authorities began instead to go after fruit shipping companies suspected of being fronts for drug traffickers. Smuggling recipe substitutions News reports and analysis show that smugglers chose a range of fruits and vegetables to move drugs. Police in 2024 found 1.7 tons of cocaine hidden among a shipment of avocados in Colombia, according to reporting by ABC News. The drugs were bound for Portugal. Authorities in the Dominican Republic last December performed what was then the biggest drug bust in the country's history when they discovered 9.5 tons of cocaine in a shipment of bananas, the Guardian reported. The drugs were also bound for Europe. Heroin, marijuana, meth and cocaine have also been found among shipments of celery, cheese, jalapeño, and ginger. Authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border discovered 18 pounds of cocaine hidden within four cheese wheels after performing X-ray scans of the dairy product. The cheese smuggling method, according to Food & Wine, is more common in Italy where authorities have found hundreds of pounds of cocaine in everything from wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to Grana Padano.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
Oakland PD asks for help solving fatal shooting cold case
(KRON) – The Oakland Police Department is asking for public assistance in solving the fatal shooting of 24-year-old Bert Brigham III. Brigham's death occurred almost four years ago on July 18, 2021, in the 1900 block of Foothill Boulevard. Oakland business looted following anti-ICE protest OPD has released images of four male suspects in their 20s and vehicles that may be connected to the case (pictured below). Per OPD, a white Kia Optima, a blue Toyota Camry, and a dark Honda Accord were the cars associated with the suspects. Anyone with information regarding this homicide is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Indianapolis Star
10-06-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis family waited months for arrest in son's death. They aren't alone
The long, agonizing wait for justice didn't make sense to Alexander Melton's family. Indianapolis police knew the identity of the driver who slammed into his 2014 Kia Optima at the intersection of East McCarty Street and Madison Avenue on Feb. 22. She'd stayed at the scene. The family saw a video of the driver screaming about her phone as bystanders tried to save Melton and the severely injured woman and baby who were his Uber passengers. After being taken to the hospital, police tried to tell the woman someone died in the crash, but she kept interrupting the officer's explanation; all she appeared to care about was her phone. At one point, out of frustration, a police officer ordered her to stop talking so he could tell her of Melton's death, according to court documents. Why, then, wasn't she arrested that night? That's a question Melton's family asked themselves for months? 'We wanted to know why police would take so long to arrest her,' said his mother Laura Melton. It's a common frustration for many families seeking justice for their family members killed in fatal accidents. "While the community may understandably want quick action, investigators often need time to carefully piece together the facts and make sure any arrest is supported by solid, admissible evidence," said an IMPD spokesperson. In Melton's case, police were waiting for a toxicology report. Police had told his family they needed the report before they filed charges on the woman who killed Melton. "Which I understood after they told me, but it was still hard," Laura Melton told IndyStar. For months, Melton's family waited to see if their son would receive justice. They hoped the driver who caused the accident would be behind bars by the time the man they called a "shimmering light in this dark world" was buried. They waited even as photos of the other driver enjoying her life appeared in their social media feeds. The images of her partying in Indianapolis and Bloomington, while their son was in a grave, felt cruel and unfair. It's not uncommon for families such as Melton's to wait weeks or months to see their loved one's day of justice. However, some never experience that moment. A majority of deaths from motor vehicle crashes don't result in the driver being charged with a serious offense for the crash, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center study. Out of the 23 fatal crashes IMPD has investigated through May 2025, investigators have made only five arrests. Investigations are continuing in several other fatal crashes, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in an email to IndyStar. However, IMPD noted these investigations take time to conclude, and in some cases, an arrest may not be the appropriate action. Melton's case wasn't typical. It was one of the few cases in which IMPD appeared to have ample evidence related to the woman responsible for the crash. Once police received the toxicology report, they had everything needed before filing the case with the county prosecutor. The report showed her blood alcohol level could have been as high as 0.143% at the time of the crash, which is close to twice the legal limit in Indiana. Her test also showed that Delta-9 THC was present in her system. More: 'He knew God got him': Family searches for other victims in fatal crash Police ultimately arrested her and prosecutors charged her with 10 felonies, most of which were related to her operating a vehicle while either intoxicated and under the influence of a Schedule 1 or 2 controlled substance that resulted in death or serious bodily injury. She was also charged with reckless homicide. 'She needs to be held accountable for this. I'm glad that the process is beginning,' Laura Melton said. Laura Melton believed things would be easier after the driver was arrested and charged with her son's death. But it soon became clear the pain would never leave her. A new wave of emotions hit the family after attending the driver's initial hearing on May 13. 'My daughter Rainey, she's been one of the strongest people throughout this whole process, but when we walked out of the court today, she was in tears,' Laura Melton said. 'And this is one of the easiest hearings, it was just formal charges. I know we will have a lot more harder days ahead of us.' It's a bittersweet feeling many families will never be able to experience. 'Even if we get justice for my son," Laura Melton said, "it's not going to bring him back.' IndyStar uses discretion in naming people accused of crimes, considering the severity of charges and available information, among other factors. Suspects may not be named if ongoing reporting of the associated court proceedings is not immediately planned.
