Your thoughts? Regina woman bothered after police car mows down ducklings on Ring Road

LEADER POST

SASKATCHEWAN - An incident last week involving a police cruiser and some ducklings has ruffled the feathers of one Regina resident.

On Wednesday Jessica Dennett was driving on the Ring Road to her job on the city’s south end, when she said she witnessed the untimely demise of some ducklings at the wheels of a Regina Police Service cruiser.

“Both the cop car and I were in the left lane and there wasn’t really any other cars and the ducks began crossing from the right-hand side and he just went right through them,” she recalled. “By the time they got to the left lane, he just mowed them down.”

Dennett didn’t see the driver of the police cruiser flash his brake lights to indicate that he even slowed his speed.

“Either he wasn’t watching the road and what was going on, or he just didn’t care,” said Dennett.

She was so upset to see four or five little ducklings “smooshed” that she cried all the way to work.

“The mama bird turned around and she started flapping her wings. She looked devastated, as much as a bird can look upset, she looked upset,” said Dennett. “The other babies just scrambled. It was just horrible.”

She wrote an e-mail detailing what happened and sent it to the Regina police that evening, but as of Monday morning she received no response from the police.

“These are the people who are supposed to protect us,” said Dennett. “I guarantee if someone else had mowed down a bunch of birds they would pull you right over and give you all sorts of tickets.”

Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said the department has received the e-mail and are aware of Dennett’s concerns. She said the shift that was working on Wednesday are on days off.

“One of our district inspectors is going to follow it up and look into her concerns,” said Popowich.

Dennett believes the incident was completely avoidable because she was able to slow down and pull into the right lane to avoid hitting the ducklings.

“I understand that it’s Ring Road but it’s not like it was busy, there were no other cars other than him, me and another car way behind us,” Dennett said. “There was ample time to stop or slow down. There was no reason he should have had to run over those birds. That kind of disregard for life just bothers me.”

Man of the year right here, folks! Man who dragged Calgary officer 100m headed to court

CALGARY HERALD

ALBERTA - A driver who sped away with a city police officer hanging from the window after a routine traffic stop two months ago will have his case heard at Court of Queen's Bench.

Andrio Martin's case has also been adjourned until Thursday to set a date for a preliminary hearing, after a request by defence lawyer Adriano Iovinelli.

Court previously heard that Martin, 24, tried to avoid a speeding ticket and being caught for having a small amount of marijuana. Martin allegedly "bolted" and "zigzagged" down the road with Calgary Police Const. Sean LaBrie hanging from the window of the Chevrolet Impala the suspect was driving.

Martin faces 10 charges, including dangerous driving causing bodily harm, stemming from the April 10 incident at the 16th Avenue and Deerfoot Trail overpass.

He remains in custody since being denied bail on April 24 by provincial court Judge John Reilly.

Iovinelli had sought his client's release. He disagreed with the prosecutor's description of the events, denying that the vehicle was swerving when the officer was trying to gain control.

LaBrie separated his shoulder and suffered numerous other scrapes and bruises on his body as he tried to stop the car while being dragged for more than 100 metres.

Court heard the vehicle wasn't stopped until LaBrie's partner, Jordan Barrett, blocked his escape with a police cruiser.

Martin also faces three counts of obstructing police for showing three fake driver's licences with fictitious names, escaping lawful custody, failing to hold a valid driver's licence, using a fictitious licence, possessing more than one licence and possession of a controlled substance.

Fatal rollover on Highway 16 in Prince George. Driver tossed violently from car as it rolls. No seatbelt worn.

RCMP have released the name of the man who died in a motor vehicle collision, which occurred on Highway #16, west of Prince George on June 8th, 2009. Kenneth Alan FLYNN, 41 years of age, of Prince George, was pronounced deceased at the scene of the collision when paramedics arrived.

SceneThe collision occurred when the vehicle, driven by Kenneth FLYNN, was travelling eastbound on Highway #16 at the Mud River Bridge. The black 2007 Hyundai passenger car was reportedly driving erratically prior to the crash occurring. The vehicle appeared to be out of control when it crossed into the eastbound lane and left the roadway. The vehicle tumbled a number of times, before coming to rest on its wheels in a brush covered area.

Kenneth FLYNN was ejected from the vehicle after it left the highway. An examination of the vehicle reveals there was clearly survivable life-space in the car and police feel he may have survived the crash had he been wearing his seat belt. FLYNN was found approximately fifteen (15) metres from the point where the car came to rest.

Police are currently have established that Speed, Aggressive Driving and Failing to Wear Seat Belt are all contributing factors in this crash. The investigation continues to determine if drugs or alcohol were a factor. Police investigators are speaking with witnesses to learn the pre-crash activities of the 2007 Hyundai. They are also examining the physical evidence at the scene and on the vehicle to establish the collision dynamics.

North District RCMP and the B.C. Coroner's Service examine a car which went off the road on Highway 16 near Mud River Bridge, Monday afternoon. The young male driver of the car was thrown from the vehicle, which rolled several times, and killed.
Arthur WILLIAMS

RCMP-BC - One man is dead after a single-vehicle crash on Highway 16 near Upper Mud River Road — approximately 20 km west of Prince George, yesterday.

North District RCMP spokesman Sgt. Pat McTiernan said the crash occurred at approximately 1 p.m. The car crossed the bridge, went left off the road and rolled down a step embankment.

"There was a witness who saw him come over the bridge and he appeared to be out of control at that time," McTiernan said. "We are looking into the possibility he had problems on the bridge... but we are investigating what that problem may have been. There is no indication alcohol was a factor at this time."

The young man was the only occupant in the car, which is registered in Prince George. Police are working to identify the driver, who was not carrying any identification (this includes no driver's licence - fyi).

"He was ejected from the driver's window. It appears he was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash," McTiernan said. "Had he stayed in the car, this was a survivable crash."

The driver was thrown approximately 20 m from the vehicle, and declared dead at the scene.

One man killed in collision with semi

LANGLEY TIMES

BC - A 33-year-old Langley man died in a fiery crash between a semi-tractor trailer and a car on 264 Street and 24 Avenue on Monday morning [08 JUN 09].

Police have learned that a northbound car driven by the 33-year-old victim collided with a southbound semi-tractor trailer around 7:40 a.m.

Passersby and area residents attempted to extinguish the vehicle fire caused by the collision, said police. The driver of the semi wasn't injured but was emotionally shaken.

Anyone with information about this collision who has not spoken to police is asked to call Langley detachment at 604-532-3200.

Sounds like someone needs to spend more time looking at the road and less time looking elsewhere. 19 year old driver charged after school bus crash

LONDON FREE PRESS

ONTARIO - A teenage driver was charged at the scene of a school bus crash northwest of London today after his car struck the bus, causing five children and an adult to be sent to hospital in ambulances.

Christopher Oliver, 19, of Mt. Brydges, was charged with failing to yield for a stop sign, Middlesex OPP said.

The collision occurred about 2:45 p.m. at the intersection of Egremont Drive and Coldstream Road in Middlesex Centre, police said.

The school bus was transporting 20 children, ages eight and nine, and four chaperons from a day trip to Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London back to Metcalfe Central Public School in Strathroy, police said.

It was northbound on Coldstream when it was struck by a westbound car on Egremont, police added.


"I think we owe the bus driver a lot of credit for defensive driving," said Constable Doug Graham.

The bus driver took evasive action and "did a tremendous job of keeping the bus upright," said Graham.

The bus ended up in a ditch with one of its rear wheels sheered down to its steel rim and its drive shaft broken and touching the ground. Its path was recorded with a long skid mark travelling from one side of the road to the other.

Five pupils were sent to the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario and the adult to London Health Sciences Centre's Victoria Hospital, said Chris Darby, duty manager of Thames Valley Emergency Medical Services.

None of the injuries were considered to be serious but the patients were sent to hospital as a precaution, said Darby.

Twelve other children were sent to hospital on another school bus with a paramedic on board, again as a precaution, said Darby, adding EMS had 10 ambulances at the scene — eight from London, one from Oneida First Nations and one from Huron County.

"We never want to be under-covered by ambulance care" at such a scene, said Darby.

Sometimes what appear to be minor injuries later turn out to be major, he said. Graham said minor injuries suffered by eight-and-nine-year-old children can be major to them.

"A lot of emotional support was needed," Darby said, praising teachers for doing an "outstanding job of keeping the children calm" and firefighters and paramedics for contributing to that as well.

"Our paramedics are trained in pediatric care," he said.

The Middlesex Centre Fire Department dispatched rescue crews on three trucks and the OPP had several officers on site.

Langs school bus officials arrived quickly on the scene and brought other buses to the scene, police said, adding Metcalfe school staff notified parents, some of whom came to the scene, too.

Residents of the house where the school bus came to rest played host to the children and their chaperons until they departed.

Police and firefighters closed off Egremont and rerouted traffic around the collision location for about two hours.

Police said the driver of the car received only minor injuries although one side of his vehicle was crunched.

Smithville man dies in collision with deer

Note the comments about speed and a driver's responsibility to be vigilant about animals at night. Because one driver failed to do so, another driver paid for his mistake. The deer had been hit by a sedan driven by a 71 year old. The impact sent the deer flying into the windshield of the 29 year old man's car. Police have not released a name, yet. - Editor

TORONTO STAR

ONTARIO - A Smithville man was killed in a collision with a deer outside Grimsby last night.

The 29-year-old driver was travelling on Regional Road 20, near the township of West Lincoln, when a deer collided with his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

The impact of the collision drove the truck off the road, shattered its windshield and sent the mangled animal into the truck's cab, striking the driver.

The driver was pronounced dead on scene after a passerby pulled him from the totalled truck, which ended up in a field beside the road.

Amid the wreckage in the field, police found bits and pieces of the deer, which was ripped apart during the accident.

Animal collisions causing death are rare in Ontario. Last year, the OPP only recorded two incidents out of close to 10,000 reported accidents with animals.

Const. Graham Williamson of the OPP noted that while these bloody events are infrequent, there is potential for more fatal accidents with animals if drivers are not cautious.

Animals, like deer and moose, carry the bulk of their weight in their upper bodies, which align with most vehicles' windshields.

Depending on the force of the impact, the weight of the animal can break through the windshield.

Collision forces are largely determined by a driver's speed and climb exponentially with an increase in speed.

"If you're driving at 110 km/h and you hit an animal, you will not experience only 10% more of an impact than if you were travelling at 100 km/h," said Williamson, "it will more likely be an increase in collision force of 50 or 60 per cent."

Deer, moose, bears, coyotes and wolves are the most common animals that are involved in collisions.

Driver killed in head-on collision with truck

LONDON FREE PRESS

ONTARIO - A man killed in a head-on crash on Hwy. 40 near Sarnia has been identified as a 30-year-old Corunna man.

Lambton OPP said Kenneth John Cowan Jr. was killed when the car he was driving pulled out from a long line of southbound vehicles and collided head-on with a dump truck driven by 24-year-old Matthew Schaller, of Leonard, Michigan.

The car swerved into a west ditch, hitting another vehicle. Cowan was dead when police and paramedics arrived.

The driver of the second car, 55-year-old William Bunce of Sarnia was shaken, but not injured, police said. A passenger in Bunce's vehicle, 45-year-old Joyce Brown, also of Sarnia, suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Bluewater Health-Mitton site for treatment.

Schaller wasn’t injured.

Highway 40 remained closed until shortly after midnight so police could continue the investigation and the roadway could be cleared.

Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has other any knowledge that could assist investigators to contact them at the Point Edward Detachment at 519-336-8691.

The investigation is continuing.