Motorcyclist Killed in Accident on Portland Freeway: Motorists Rubbernecking Presidential Motorcade

During a recent visit by President Obama to Portland, OR a motorcyclist was killed when security measures on Interstate 84 snarled traffic, causing a traffic accident. The westbound lanes were completely closed to accommodate the President’s motorcade, and eastbound traffic ground to a halt when motorists slowed down, hoping to catch a glimpse of the…

Federal Aid Once Again Denied to San Bruno, California Gas Pipeline Explosion Victims

Despite an appeal by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has once again denied federal disaster aid to the victims of the San Bruno, California gas line explosion. Thirty-five homes were destroyed and eight people killed when the PG&E gas line exploded in September of this year. FEMA maintains that local resources…

Orange County, California Woman Killed in Go-Kart Accident

An Orange County, California woman was killed when she lost control of a go-kart in a flea market parking lot and careened into the adjoining street, where she was struck by a car and instantly killed. 67-year old Fullerton resident Hwa Oh was helping her sister who was a vendor at an Orange County swap…

Notre Dame Student Killed by Fall from Hydraulic Lift, OSHA Investigation Underway

Twenty-year-old Declan Sullivan was killed while filming a University of Notre Dame football practice from a hydraulic scissor lift as part of his on-campus job. The lift was extended to a height that just exceeded the football goal posts, and either blew over or collapsed in a strong gust of wind during the team’s practice,…

Semi-truck Kills Pedestrian in Santa Ana, California

An unidentified male pedestrian was hit and killed by a big-rig flat bed truck as he crossed Harbor Boulevard in Santa Ana around 6:30 a.m. on October 15th. It was still dark when the accident occurred. The man was crossing Harbor Blvd. about 300 feet south of the intersection with Westminster Avenue when the truck…

Three Killed in Single-Engine Airplane Crash in Upper Newport Bay

A Palos Verdes Estates real estate agent and two passengers were killed in the crash of their 1968 Beechcraft Musketeer as they were returning to California from a trip to Mexico. Charles Alfred Chambers, 58, was believed to be piloting the plane that was headed to Torrance from Calexico, Mexico.  According to FAA records, he…

Desert Sands Unified School District Fined by Cal OSHA for Worker’s Death

California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal OSHA) announced that it has fined the Desert Sands Unified School District $7,700 for the electrocution death of a worker in 2009. A California man was killed on the job while working on the school district’s irrigation system in Indio, near Palm Springs. James Jeffredo, a fifty-year-old sprinkler…

LA Times Investigation Finds PG&E Gas pipeline Safety Record Questionable

A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that PG&E has more “high consequence” gas line leaks in populated areas compared to other utilities. The report was in response to the San Bruno, California gas pipeline explosion in September that killed 8 people and caused an estimated $65 million in property losses. (The eighth death occurred…