NEWS ABOUT: car accident
car accident stories: 43 news briefs
People Jun 18, 09 7:03 PM CDT
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Dangerous work, this teenage heartthrob business. Twilight star Robert Pattinson got clipped by a cab outside a New York City bookstore while fleeing a horde of fans, reports People . Pattinson is fine: He walked away from the mishap, in which the cabbie reportedly grazed his hip before slamming on the brakes. Pattinson was filming a scene for his movie Remember Me inside the bookstore.
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They reduce fatalities by up to 73%
USA Today Jun 15, 09 9:50 AM CDT
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Highway safety advocates are pushing for a federal transportation bill to include incentives for states to make safety belts mandatory for all passengers, but opponents say the move would set a precedent for the government to tell citizens what to do, USA Today reports. Though studies show that rear seatbelts reduce fatalities for all passengers, only 21 US states require them by law.
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Tries to direct rescuers to her car in 10-minute call
Associated Press May 19, 09 6:17 AM CDT
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A 911 tape released yesterday reveals the last moments of a woman desperately trying to direct rescuers to her car as it submerged in floodwaters, the AP reports. The 49-year-old Oklahoma woman told operators she had her nose against the car’s roof. “Please hurry, because I'm running out of air and if I climb out of this car I'm going to go down,” she said.
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She hit a motorcyclist yielding at a signal
Chicago Tribune May 4, 09 4:46 AM CDT
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A woman who fatally rammed into a female motorcyclist yielding at a yellow light said she was painting her nails before the accident, the Chicago Tribune reports. The driver was ticketed for failing to slow down and could face more charges. Authorities say the deceased biker was wearing a helmet and did nothing to contribute to the crash.
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Bolt has only minor scratches
Guardian (UK) Apr 30, 09 7:46 AM CDT
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Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt walked away from a car accident in Jamaica with no apparent injuries except a thorn in his foot. The world champion sprinter crashed his BMW M3—a gift from sponsor Puma for his performance in Beijing—after speeding down a wet highway, the Guardian reports. But Bolt, 22, may miss an invitational meet this weekend as a result.
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People Apr 27, 09 9:56 AM CDT
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Casey Aldridge, father of Jamie Lynn Spears’ daughter, was hospitalized following a car crash early yesterday, People reports. The 19-year-old was charged with careless driving after flipping his truck during a Louisiana bachelor party. Police found no evidence of drugs or alcohol, TMZ notes, adding that three of the five passengers—including Aldridge—were ejected from the truck. No one else was seriously injured.
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Dad faces trial for 'intoxication manslaughter'
Houston Chronicle Apr 20, 09 2:27 AM CDT
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A Houston driver was charged with four counts of intoxication manslaughter yesterday after his car careened into a flooded ditch, killing three of his kids and two others. The 32-year-old dad was arrested after failing an on-the-spot sobriety test, said police. The body of a 4-year-old girl is still missing, reports the Houston Chronicle. The driver was on his cell phone when the accident occurred, according to law enforcement authorities.
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Elderly woman dies, 4 others injured in Good Friday accident
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Apr 11, 09 5:54 AM CDT
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A woman was killed and four were injured when a priest lost control of his car and drove into Good Friday churchgoers in eastern Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Witnesses said the priest, 79, had finished assisting with services at St. Maurice Catholic Church and was driving around to the entrance when he plowed into a group of parishioners outside the building.
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Los Angeles Times Apr 9, 09 11:26 AM CDT
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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.
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Plaintiff says he offered her a place to stay
Commercial Appeal (Memphis) Feb 26, 09 10:50 AM CST
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The woman suing Morgan Freeman for damages after a car crash says the actor was drinking all night before getting behind the wheel, the Commercial Appeal of Memphis reports. Demaris Meyer also denied that she was his mistress but said they were headed for his home when they piled into her car. She also said the actor "has provided extremely minimal financial assistance" since the August 2008 accident.
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Woman who slammed into victim at 70 mph said phone wasn't involved
Times (UK) Feb 2, 09 3:04 PM CST
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A UK woman who sent more than 20 text messages while driving before crashing into a stopped car and killing another motorist has been sentenced to 21 months in jail, the Times reports. Philippa Curtis, 21, said she was not using the phone when she plowed into Victoria McBryde at 70 mph in 2007 and was able to text while keeping her eyes on the road.
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Vehicle spun out after making a U-turn, witnesses say
Newsday Jan 22, 09 1:57 PM CST
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Two preschoolers were killed and 11 other people were injured when a van jumped a curb and ran into a crowd in Manhattan’s Chinatown today, Newsday reports. The gray van went out of control after making a U-turn, witnesses said. The dead children were identified as a 4-year-old girl and a 3- or 4-year-old, the New York Times reported. One of the injured is hospitalized in serious but stable condition, police said.
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Home of carnival balks at cultural shift; corruption, lack of funds also hinder effort
Washington Post Dec 23, 08 3:20 PM CST
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Brazilians have mixed feelings about recently adopted drunken-driving laws that threaten to undermine their carnival lifestyle. The 0.02% alcohol limit—much stricter than America’s 0.08%—aims to curb the 35,000 deaths that occur on Brazil’s roads annually. But with just 900 breathalyzers for a nation of 200 million, police have had more than a few hiccups in getting the debauchery under control, the Washington Post reports.
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Later school start times improve sleep, decrease car accidents
CNN Dec 15, 08 2:06 PM CST
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Sleepy high-school students slumped over their desks just can’t help it, CNN reports. Most school start times play havoc with teens’ circadian rhythms: Teens naturally go to bed later than adults, and need more sleep. A new study finds pushing the high-school start time from 7:30am to 8:30 increased the number of students getting 8 hours of sleep dramatically.
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Actor not liable for photographer's injuries
People Nov 3, 08 4:35 PM CST
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A jury has found Keanu Reeves not liable for a paparazzo’s injuries sustained when the actor allegedly hit him with his car, People reports. Photographer Alison Silva said he injured his wrist after Reeves struck him while leaving a parking space, and the mishap left him unable to work. But Reeves’ attorneys countered by showing the jury footage of Silva climbing down a fence after filming Britney Spears.
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OPINION
Government's priorities elsewhere, but cars that can't top 75 would save gas, too
New York Times Sep 8, 08 1:27 PM CDT
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Speeding contributes to 13,000 US road deaths each year, and, at 30% of traffic fatalities, places only slightly behind alcohol, at 39%, Kent A. Sepkowitz writes in the New York Times . While preventing drunk driving is a complex problem requiring cooperation of motorists, police, and educators, speeding can be prevented easily: by making cars that cannot physically exceed the speed limit.
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Tallahassee Democrat Aug 22, 08 12:50 PM CDT
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Tropical Storm Fay is heading west across Florida, having pummeled the southern part of the state with flooding from 20-inch rainfalls and soaked areas farther north, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Authorities have linked the storm to the deaths of six Floridians, including a 21-year-old woman who drowned while swimming in the Atlantic, which has experienced unusually strong undertows related to Fay.
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Weekend wreck left actor, 71, with broken bones, other injuries
Associated Press Aug 7, 08 2:08 PM CDT
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Morgan Freeman was discharged today from the Tennessee hospital where the Oscar-winning actor was treated for broken bones and other injuries sustained in a weekend car crash in Mississippi, the AP reports. A spokeswoman for the hospital gave no details other than that Freeman had checked out.
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People Aug 5, 08 10:01 AM CDT
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Morgan Freeman “has a broken arm, broken elbow, and minor shoulder damage but he is in good spirits," his publicist told People . The actor underwent successful surgery to correct the damage from a car accident Sunday night in Mississippi, the Jackson Clarion-Ledger reports. "He's worried about his golf swing," said a business partner.
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Transformers sequel will be altered to include star's injury
Associated Press Aug 1, 08 8:53 PM CDT
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Shia LaBeouf's hand was "crushed" in the wreck that flipped his truck last weekend, and he still runs the risk of infection and other complications after a four-hour surgery, his lawyer said today. The actor has been recovering at a Los Angeles hospital since the surgery and "will need regular medical supervision until his doctors clear him to return to work," Norris' statement said.
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