"Toxicology tests are pending", guilty until proven innocent...You know things are too far the other way, when you are questioned about drinking alcohol in every traffic stop these days.
Fire kills infant, puts father in burn center
A 2-month-old boy was killed Sunday morning in a house fire, according to the Richmond County Coroner's Office.
The fire in the 900 block of Flythe Drive, off Washington Road, began about 3:45 a.m., according to Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen. Arthur Anderson Jr. was taken to Medical College of Georgia Hospital, where he died less than three hours later. An autopsy will be held today at the GBI-Augusta Crime Lab.
The boy's father, Arthur Anderson Sr., was in critical condition Sunday night at Joseph M. Still Burn Center, according to spokeswoman Beth Frits.
The baby's mother, Nicole Stokes, and two other children were treated at MCG and released. The fire is under investigation by the Augusta-Richmond County Fire Department.
62-year-old dies in Aiken County wreck
A 62-year-old man died in a traffic accident in Aiken County on Sunday morning.
Roger G. Smith was driving north in a 1999 Mazda 626 sedan in the 600 block of New Holland Road when the car left the road and overturned several times before coming to rest on its roof, according to the Aiken County Coroner's Office.
Though Mr. Smith was wearing a seat belt, he was partially ejected and died at the scene, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Toxicology tests are pending, the coroner's office said. The crash is being investigated by the highway patrol and the coroner's office.
It is Aiken County's second fatal crash this year.
Traffic update
Richmond County
- There will be a lane closure on both sides of Bobby Jones Expressway between Interstate 20 and Wrightsboro Road from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. today through Thursday. There will also be a closure on both sides of I-20 between Warren and Wheeler roads during that time.
- Crews will be pacing traffic on I-20 between Warren and Wheeler roads Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. They will also be pacing on Bobby Jones Expressway between Scott Nixon Memorial Drive and Wheeler Road during that time.
- There will be lane closures on River Watch Parkway, Broad Street and Greene Street this week as crews continue work on the downtown St. Sebastian Way project. The closures will occur from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Columbia County
- Crews will close a portion of Old Evans Road from today until Friday while they work on the road . The closure will be for all westbound traffic between Columbia Industrial Boulevard and Washington Road. A detour will be in place . Eastbound drivers will be able to drive through but m ight be subject to a traffic shift.
Comments
"Toxicology tests are pending", guilty until proven innocent...You know things are too far the other way, when you are questioned about drinking alcohol in every traffic stop these days.
A sixty two year old man wrecks a car and dies, even though he's wearing a seat belt. The article doesn't say why this wreck qualifies as an accident since only one car was involved, but the "belt of invulnerability" theory takes another blow.
Thank you both for your takes on this article.....now shut up.
my prayers go out to this family from the fire, the father was a true father to go back in and try to save his baby, now he is fighting for his life, god be with you and your family.
A neighbor went back in to get the baby, I wonder if they were also injured and how they are doing. My prayers go out to this family, I heard that they believe it was caused by electrical problems.
In my 22 yrs in EMS I worked several partial ejections that were cause by improper use of the restraints. A lot of people wear the lapbelt but slide harness behind their back which was a main cause of the partial ejections I have observed. Other causes of partial ejections I have observed are from irresponsibly excessive speeds in rollovers. The seatbelt restraints in family cars were not designed for "racing" speeds some of these fools like to do. Seatbelts worn correctly save lives the vast majority of the time. I started wearing my seatbelts at least a dozen years before it became law because of what I was observing while working EMS. So many times I have arrived at an accident and find a driver or passenger section of a car fully intact but find the occupant had been ejected and slammed against a tree and was DOA. Witness that a few times and see how many of you would quit whining about seatbelt use.
Reality, it's standard procedure to run a toxicology test when the cause for the accident is unknown. It no way implies the victim was "guilty" just trying to determine cause for the accident. As for the 62 year old man who died in the accident..." PT, "belt of invulnerabilty" theory" isn't perfect but I can guarantee you that more people have died "not" wearing a seat belt, than people who buckle-up. I am hear today instead of 6 ft under due to wearing a seatbelt.
I have found that responsible, defensive driving is a wonderful way not to wreck your car. I have found that not wrecking is even better protection than wearing multiple seat belts. While seat belts, and helmets, and shin guards and mouth guards are safer than no protective equipment, safe responsible and defensive driving is still best. And, InChristLove, every time there's a stat list of people killed in traffic accidents, more than half of them were wearing seat belts.
As far as running a toxicology test goes....if 1st responders arrive on scene and notice a strong odor of alcohol or observe alcohol containers within the accident scene there WILL be a toxicology test performed. In my book a crash involving a DUI is not an accident.
I have to dispute PT's comment regarding seatbelts. In Aiken County and SC the vast majority of fatalaties were not wearing seatbelts. When I took National Highway Safety Council's course on restarints they also reported in my class the majority of those who die in motor vehicle accidents were unrestrained. I don't know where your statistics came from but I do know the federal highway administration would not aree with your claim. Most will not wear them because they do not like government telling them what they can and cannot do. And, it does not matter how safe a driver you are or how defensive you are, if another driver decides to speed through an intersection and you are in his/her way you are going to get hit. I seen it to many times. The "it will never happen to me" mentality has killed many people.
absolutely curly, and nothing promotes that mentality more than the seat belt of invulnerability. Obviously, using safety equipment is safer than not using it, but the endless seat belt of invulnerability commercials have led to a negligent driving attitude. I know a lot of confused people think I support not using seat belts, but the truth of the matter is that what I support is radically changing the promotion of the seat belt. It's doesn't compare with safe driving habits for keeping you alive.
There are some crashes that you just aren't going to survive,seat belt or not. They are not a 100% guarantee. But what a lot of people don't realize is that if you don't wear seat belts, your chance of serious injury in an accident goes up alarmingly. You may survive it, but the chances are very high that you will be terribly injured.
All of this road work is beginning to drive me crazy. Will it ever end? Will they ever finish I-20 and Washington Rd.? Please?
Please wear your seat belts and if you are on a motorcycle or bicycle, your helmets. They've saved lives in my family.
If the government would promote responsible behavior in the same manner they promote seat belts, the subject would never come up in a conversation again...and the Dem party would collapse from lack of participation. The mantra of "act responsible, be responsible" would be the response to all comments.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
