8 Killed in Street Race Crash

(NEWSER) - Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed in a car crash early this morning, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hours after the 22-year-old rookie delivered six shutout innings against Oakland, his car was sideswiped by a minivan running a red light. Two others in Adenhart’s vehicle were dead at the scene, and another died later at a hospital. The driver of the minivan fled on foot, but was picked up after a police search. Today's game has been postponed, the AP adds. More»

15-year-old said he drove the van because his family had been threatened

(AP) - A 15-year-old South Texas boy has been charged with nine counts of murder after a van he was driving crashed, killing nine of the suspected illegal immigrants packed inside. The boy appeared at a probable cause hearing today, where he was also charged with 17 counts of smuggling a person, among other things. Border Patrol agents had stopped the van last Tuesday, when some of the passengers sprinted away. Agents pursued them on foot, catching one. As the foot chase unfolded, the van sped off. More»

Stress can lead to traffic accidents: researchers

(NEWSER) - As if Tax Day isn't depressing enough, it turns out you're also more likely to die in a traffic accident on or around April 15. Between 1980 and 2009, traffic accident deaths were an average of 6% higher on tax filing day than they were on a day one week before or after, according to new research in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers believe the stress, fatigue, and alcohol use surrounding Tax Day are likely to blame, Bloomberg reports. More»

Jordan Landon, age 9, was stuck upside down

(NEWSER) - A truly astonishing tale of survival out of North Carolina: A 9-year-old girl managed to survive for more than 43 hours stuck upside down after the car her father was driving crashed. Jordan Landon was trapped by her seatbelt from about 10pm Friday until her Sunday night rescue, reports the Sun Journal . "She ate Pop Tarts and Gatorade while she waited for help," says a sergeant with the NC Highway Patrol. Her father, Douglas, 39, died from his injuries. "He was curled up in a ball with his arm right across his chest and his other arm pushed out across Jordan. He was trying to hold her and trying to keep her protected," says a family friend. More»

'Massive fireball' envelopes 34-vehicle pileup

(NEWSER) - A grisly multi-car pileup killed at least seven people and injured 51 today on the M5 freeway in southwestern England, the Daily Mail reports. Enveloped in a dark fog, 30 cars and four trucks collided on the wet roadway and triggered a "massive fireball," police say. Motorists tried to pry open car doors, and emergency responders rescued injured drivers, but police say bodies left "burnt and unrecognizable" may still be trapped in several vehicles. More»