Swarm of Bees in Diamond Bar Kills Two Dogs (VIDEO)

People can be killed by bees as well. This man's lucky it wasn't worse.

At ABC News 7 Los Angeles: 

Eleven-Year-Old Boy with Autism Dies After Being Left in Hot Car Close to Two Hours

My youngest boy's on the spectrum, which makes this story even sadder for me.

At KUTV Salt Lake City:

Developments in hot car death: Boy had autism, state investigating, center on notice https://t.co/g6WL2mRz5i

— Heidi Hatch KUTV (@tvheidihatch) July 23, 2021

Horrific Head-On Crash Near Fresno Kills 7 Kids, 2 Adults (VIDEO)

This makes me sad, really sad. I mean, I first saw the story at the New York Time and I couldn't understand why. What the hell happend. And the story only got worse. Wrong-way driver swerved into the opposite lane after driving on the shoulder and over-correcting getting back on the road.

Terrible. Horrible. Awful.

At the Fresno Bee, "CHP seeking answers after 7 children, 2 adults die in Fresno County head-on crash and fire":

California Highway Patrol investigators Saturday asked for the public’s help to determine more about what led up to a south Valley tragedy, as seven children were among nine people killed when an SUV and truck crashed head-on and the truck caught fire near Coalinga.

The children, all riding Friday night with one adult along a rural highway in a Ford F-150 truck that the CHP said had enough seat belts for six people, are believed to range in age from 6 to 15.

But the only person identified as of Saturday afternoon was Daniel Luna, 28, of Avenal, who was driving the other vehicle, a Dodge Journey.

Those who reported the crash came on the scene after the collision, prompting the Highway Patrol to solicit calls from anyone who might have seen what happened.

“When the fire was extinguished, tragically it was discovered there were eight occupants — seven of which appeared to be juveniles — inside the Ford,” CHP Capt. Kevin Clays said at a Saturday afternoon news conference in Coalinga. “We are working with the Fresno County Coroner’s Office to identify the occupants.”

What is known, Clays said, is that about 8 p.m., Luna was in a 2013 Dodge Journey traveling south on Highway 33, south of Sutter Avenue, about midway between Coalinga and Avenal. The driver of a 2007 Ford F-150 was northbound on the highway. How fast the vehicles were going remained under investigation.

As the vehicles approached from opposite directions, the Dodge veered onto the dirt shoulder, then back across the road into the opposite lane resulting in a head-on collision with the Ford.

The Ford came to a stop on the shoulder, caught fire and was fully engulfed, Clays said.

The Dodge came to rest in both north and southbound lanes...

 

Dive Boat Conception's Design Scrutinized After Catastrophic Fire (VIDEO)

So sad --- and mind-boggling, frankly.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Boat where 34 died was a ‘fire trap’ despite passing inspections, experts say. It’s far from alone":

A day of diving off Santa Cruz Island ended like countless others aboard the Conception, with dozens of divers asleep in tightly arranged bunks that all but filled the belly of the 75-foot boat.

As always, there were two ways out in case of emergency — up a curved stairway at the front of the cabin, or through an escape hatch in the ceiling over bunks at the rear.

Before dawn on Labor Day, when flames devoured the 38-year-old wooden-hulled vessel, no one below deck made it out of either exit. The only survivors were five crew members who were up top in the wheelhouse and managed to jump into the water and then onto a dinghy.

Now, as investigators search for the cause of the fire that killed everyone in the bunk room — one crew member and all 33 passengers — questions are mounting about the design of the Conception and its emergency escape routes.

By various accounts, both the design of the boat and the layout of its sleeping quarters met federal standards and both are widely popular among California operators of overnight dive and fishing excursion vessels.

Like other such commercial boats, the Conception was subject to annual inspections by the Coast Guard, most recently in February, when it was certified to be in compliance with all regulations...

Keep reading.

Three Killed in #Encinitas Cliff Collapse (VIDEO)

What a way to go, man.

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘Normal beach day gone awry': 3 killed in Encinitas bluff collapse."

Saoirse Kennedy Hill, Robert F. Kennedy Granddaughter, Dead of Drug Overdose (VIDEO)

She was just 22.

It's indeed a curse on the Kennedy family, man.

At the New York Post, "Saoirse Kennedy Hill is latest victim of the ‘Kennedy curse’."

And NYT:

Some sad news:

RFK’s granddaughter, Saoirse Hill, overdosed today on Cape Cod. She was 22.

Her death comes 50 years after Chappaquidick and 20 years after JFK Jr died in a plane crash. https://t.co/7X1BlNrItp

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) August 2, 2019

“Our hearts are shattered by the loss of our beloved Saoirse,” the family of Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died on Thursday, said in a statement. “Her life was filled with hope, promise and love.” https://t.co/cTgMMJYzku

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) August 2, 2019

Branson Duck Boat Tragedy (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "'Death traps': Federal officials have warned about dangers from duck boats for two decades," and "'I thought I was dead': Branson duck boat passenger who lost 9 family members shares survival story."

And watch, at CBS Evening News, "Video of duck boat's final moments show it struggling to stay afloat," and "Duck boats have a history of deadly accidents."

Also at NYT:

Tia Coleman lost 9 family members in the Missouri duck boat accident, among them her three children. “If they don’t make it, Lord,” she recalled praying, “take me too.” https://t.co/0jkUfIcOzM

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) July 23, 2018

Bikini Babe Gets Knocked Out During Car Wash

I saw this on Twitter, but not the whole thing.

She fell flat on her face and was out cold.

Via Drunken Stepfather, "Bikini Babe – Knocked the Fuck Out During Car Wash."

Woman 'Sucked Out' and Killed on Southwest Airlines Flight (VIDEO)

What a freakin' nightmare.

At CBS This Morning, "Southwest victim was partially sucked out of shattered window."

Video of Miami FIU Pedestrian Bridge Before It Collapsed

Following-up, "Multiple Dead After Pedestrian Bridge Collapses, Crushing Cars, at Florida International University."

Multiple Dead After Pedestrian Bridge Collapses, Crushing Cars, at Florida International University

This is unbelievable. These kinds of things aren't supposed to happen here. This is Third World disaster material. My God, what a cluster.

At the Miami Herald, "FIU pedestrian bridge collapses days after installation; police say multiple deaths, cars trapped."

What a nightmare.

U.S. Highway 101 to Stay Closed for at Least Another Week (VIDEO)

At the video from KSBY Santa Barbara above. And at USA Today below:

Many evacuated residents don’t yet fully grasp how badly their town has been damaged or how long the scars will remain. https://t.co/qTDtsIqOor

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) January 16, 2018

Death Toll from Montecito Mudslides Rises to 20

This is from yesterday's paper, too true, "Hope fades for those still buried by Montecito mudslide."

And from just a little while ago, at LAT, "Death toll from Montecito mudslides climbs to 20, as authorities continue search for the missing":

The death toll in the Montecito mudslides climbed to 20 on Sunday, as officials continued to work to clear the mud and debris-strewn 101 Freeway, which has been closed indefinitely.

The body of the latest victim, who has not been identified, was discovered as authorities continued to search for several people still missing from the deluge, officials said. At least four other people are still unaccounted for.

On Saturday, search and rescue crews recovered the body of Morgan Corey, 25, who was found in debris near Olive Mill Road about 9 a.m., officials said.

At an afternoon news conference at the Earl Warren Fairgrounds, Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Eric Peterson spoke about the difficulties and challenges faced by emergency responders in their search for survivors.

"I have felt the heartbreak of knowing that even with all of your skill and all of your training and all of your planning, you couldn't save everybody," he said. "No one could have planned for the size and scope of what a 200-year storm immediately following our largest wildfire could bring."

A candlelight vigil for the victims of the mudslide is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday in the sunken gardens area outside the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

CalTrans crews continued to work Sunday to clear a two-mile stretch of the 101 Freeway in Montecito that was initially expected to re-open Monday. But officials said cleaning up one part of the freeway at Olive Mill Road was proving especially difficult.

Aided by private contractors and the Army Corps of Engineers, crews have been working around the clock to clear the freeway, a major north south artery that carries about 100,000 vehicles through the Central Coast each day.

The cleanup is focused on what CalTrans calls "dewatering" — using pumps to suck up the mud and rainwater. Once all the mud and debris is removed, the pavement and overpasses must be evaluated for structural safety, and then signs and guardrails reinstalled and lines repainted.

"It's really an overwhelming situation, and we don't want to give an estimate that isn't accurate," said Colin Jones, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, said about the freeway re-opening.

In addition to the 101, many local roads are blocked. Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Pat McElroy said the big push on Saturday was to clean roads in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas in order to improve vehicular access.

"As it stands, we're still having to go in on foot in many areas," he said.

State Route 192, which cuts across the foothills, is also unsafe in places, and officials are trying to establish an alternative route as soon as possible.

With the 101 closed, hundreds of people have taken to traveling the coast by boat. Two sightseeing companies, Island Packers in Ventura and Condor Express in Santa Barbara, have worked together to turn their vessels into a ferry service between the cities.

Tickets on the Condor Express, a 75-foot catamaran that normally takes tourists whale watching, were in high demand last week, with many trips packed with the maximum 127 passengers, assistant manager Katie Fitts said.

The 90-minute trip over the water was significantly shorter than the more than four-hour detour on the 5 Freeway, and ferry passengers included firefighters, city workers and medical personnel from Cottage Hospital, she said.

"There are people trying to get to their families that have been struck by this tragedy and people trying to get to work … surgeons and nurses," Fitts said...

More at that top link.

3 Killed as Amtrak Train Derails Over I-5 in Washington State (VIDEO)

At the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "NTSB: Train was traveling twice the speed limit before derailment: 3 confirmed dead after incident near DuPont; National Transportation Safety Board investigating":

DUPONT, Wash. -- An Amtrak passenger train that derailed with deadly results Monday morning was traveling at more than twice the speed limit of the track, the National Transportation Safety Board reported later that night.

Bella Dinh-Zarr, a National Transportation Safety Board member speaking to reporters before midnight Monday night upon her arrival at the Sea-Tac International Airport, reported that data from the train's rear engine marked the train's speed at 80 mph. Sound Transit confirmed to SeattlePI that the Interstate 5 overpass south of Tacoma where the crash occurred carries a 30 mph speed limit.

Amtrak president Richard Anderson told reporters that positive train control — the technology that can slow or stop a speeding train — wasn't in use on the stretch of track in Washington state where the deadly derailment occurred.

Anderson spoke on a conference call with reporters and said he was "deeply saddened by all that has happened today."

NTSB crew members arrived in Seattle shortly before midnight and said their first full day of investigation would begin Tuesday.

They had yet to interview any of the train's personnel. Investigators planned to collect on-scene information preserved by local authorities for the next seven to 10 days and issue a report with their findings, possibly up to a year or more from now...

Keep reading.

Older People Heavily Represented in Fatalities in Northern California Fires

They can't get out fast enough. Some of them can't hear, or had spotty cell phone coverage. They never got evacuation warnings.

What a nightmare. And sad.

At LAT, "California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly; average age of victims identified so far is 79":

California firestorm takes deadly toll on elderly; average age of victims identified so far is 79 https://t.co/WU3YhPipnX pic.twitter.com/oQml737JpD

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 13, 2017

As authorities begin to identify those killed in the wildfires raging across Northern California, a grim pattern is emerging.

Among the dozen people identified by Sonoma and Napa county officials as of late Thursday, the average age of those who died was 79. The youngest victim was 57, the oldest 100.

“The bulk of them are in their 70s and 80s, so there is that commonality,” Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano told reporters at a news briefing.

A majority were found inside their homes, unable to escape as the fire bore down. At least one was confined to a wheelchair. Another was lying next to a vehicle.

The trend highlights a risk for elderly people when a natural disaster strikes: Health problems may limit mobility. They may no longer drive, and often live in areas with unreliable cellphone service.

In Sonoma County, where most of the fatalities occurred, 18% of the population is over the age of 62, compared with 11% for all of California.

“With any sort of disaster … the elderly may not have transportation, they may not have access to evacuate as fast as possible,” said Sonoma County spokesman Scott Alonso. “They may be wheelchair-bound, they may have access issues — those folks may take more care to evacuate safely.”

That’s why, he said, police officers were going door-to-door Sunday night alerting people to get out. But he said it’s too early to tell whether the elderly were disproportionately affected.

That was the case two years ago when the fast-moving Valley fire ripped through Lake County and took the lives of four people. They were a 72-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis trapped in her home, and three men over the age of 65, two of whom decided not to evacuate.

The Butte fire that year didn’t spread as quickly, though the two people killed were seniors: a one-legged 65-year-old man who stayed home to protect his property and an 82-year-old man.

A 2008 report criticized disaster response systems in California. The state Department of Social Services subsequently launched functional assessment service teams, which consist of government workers and volunteers who deploy to shelters to observe conditions and identify what’s missing. The teams assess the needs of seniors and those with disabilities, working to get them the services and equipment they need.

On Sunday night when the Atlas fire erupted, Sara and Charles Rippey were home in Napa with their caretaker, Maria Sandovar. Strong winds made the lights flicker. Sandovar looked out the back window and saw that the home’s fence was on fire.

She ran to lift Sara, 98, out of bed and onto her wheelchair. Charles, 100, was in the hallway.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

In a matter of minutes, black smoke had filled the house...

Burning Man Dies at Burning Man

Really.

At LAT, "Man dies after rushing into Burning Man festival flames."

A Burning Man festivalgoer has died after running into the towering blaze, officials in Nevada say https://t.co/4UCd1UZU9L pic.twitter.com/imblifFqLe

— CNN (@CNN) September 4, 2017

Survey Says: Yes

— Kinda Bored (@lamblock) September 4, 2017

10 Sailors Missing as USS John S. McCain Crashes Into Oil Tanker East of Singapore (VIDEO)

At the official Pacific Fleet Headlines, "USS John S. McCain collides with merchant ship near Strait of Malacca" (via Memeorandum).

"10 sailors missing" likely means "10 sailors trapped below the water line and presumed dead," but I'll update. Either way, it's unconscionable. This is like Groundhog's Day for the Navy. It's unacceptable.

Water Wheel: Deadly Flash-Flood in Arizona (VIDEO)

At the Water Wheel swimming hole, about an hour-and-a-half north of Phoenix.

At the Arizona Republic, "The Payson flash flood: How did this happen?":

It happened in a flash.

A wall of black water mixed with fallen trees, ash and debris swept away 14 people Saturday, killing nine, at a swimming hole at Cold Springs near Payson.

The search for another person, Hector Miguel Garnica, continued with no success Monday and was to resume Tuesday.

Sgt. Dave Hornung of the Gila County Sheriff's Office said finding Garnica alive would be a "miracle."

As searchers and investigators worked through the day, questions persisted, beginning with, "How did this happen? And could it have been avoided?"

Officials said they are not sure exactly what led to the flood, but attention turned to an area upslope of the flood site, where a wildfire blackened 7,198 acres in June along the Highline Trail.

“We’re actually still trying to evaluate whether damage from Highline Fire contributed,” said Carrie Templin, a spokeswoman for Tonto National Forest.

After a wildfire

Wildfires leave scars. Some of the scars are obvious — blackened stumps, charred hillsides, fallen trees — but others remain hidden from view.

One such scar is the sudden inability of the forest to absorb rain and runoff.

A summer monsoon storm can trigger flash floods such as the one that swept through Ellison Creek on Saturday. Ordinarily, vegetation, both dead and alive, mitigates the effects of heavy rain. The forest floor, full of trees, brush, grass, roots and duff, absorbs water, so that it moves downhill slowly.

Wildfire strips away brush and branches. Trees can be reduced to ash. Not only does that raindrop flow downhill without interference, it picks up speed.

“After fires, there’s nothing to stop that raindrop," Youberg said. "There’s nothing to slow down that velocity.

“There’s nothing there that breaks the fall.”

The result can be what happened on Ellison Creek — a deadly wall of water filled with mud, ash, rocks and trees, the flotsam of nature swept downstream.

Flash floods can develop miles away and come with no warning — it’s possible to be hit by rushing water under clear skies. The wall of water that struck Saturday was said to have been 40 feet wide and 6 feet tall...

More.

Also, "Arizona swimming hole flash flood: What we know now."

Instagram Model Rebecca Burger Killed by Exploding Whipped Cream Canister

It's actually not a "freak" accident.

Those lethal whipped cream canisters were taken off the market, but apparently in Ms. Burger's case some rogue containers slipped through the regulatory cracks.

At USA Today below, and at Drunken Stepfather, "DEAD INSTAGRAM MODEL OF THE DAY."

Rebecca Burger was reportedly hit by an exploding whipped cream canister that was withdrawn from the market in 2013. https://t.co/zoCe2dm4yE

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 22, 2017

Police Say 58 People Are Missing, Presumed Dead in #GrenfellTower Fire (VIDEO)

At the Guardian U.K, "Grenfell Tower fire: 58 'missing, presumed dead' says Met amid protests at May's leadership - latest."

And at Sky News.

Met Police says first #GrenfellTower victim has been identified; 58 people are missing and are assumed to be dead - the number may increase pic.twitter.com/gjyi28sJHM

— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 17, 2017