Train Wreck Pics
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Man killed in Dunes accident over weekend
DARIN FENGER, SUN STAFF WRITER
February 18, 2007 - 11:16PM
A 24-year-old male was killed Saturday evening following an accident within the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.
The death was announced Sunday by emergency officials with the Bureau of Land Management's station located at the dunes area, west of Yuma.
Public information officer Steve Razo said he was unable to release the name of the victim Sunday evening, but he did confirm that the victim was a resident of Sun Valley, Calif., and that the victim died after driving over a 6-foot drop and breaking his neck.
Razo said that Saturday's death marked the second fatality so far this Presidents Day weekend, which began Wednesday at the dunes and runs through Monday. He added that fatalities so far this season have been fewer than in past years.
Wednesday's fatality, which also involved a male from California, occurred when the victim's vehicle rolled over.
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V PRESS TODAY
GLAMIS — A 31-year-old San Bernardino man died Wednesday in a fiery dune buggy crash here, the California Highway Patrol said.
Carl Planton died at the scene of the 3 p.m. crash after his vehicle launched over a sand dune and overturned at the dune’s base.
A woman in the vehicle, Janet Mojica, 25, of San Bernardino, escaped the fire that erupted when the vehicle’s gas tank ruptured.
The crash occurred in the Imperial Valley Sand Dunes Recreation Area as Planton drove his dune buggy up a large dune.
Highway Patrol said Planton didn’t realize the dune had a steep fall on the other side and ended up launching his vehicle into the air.
The vehicle crashed at the base of the dune, landing nose-down on its left front wheel and overturned. The crash caused the fuel tank to rupture and the vehicle caught fire.
Mojica reported to authorities that she was able to undo her harness and escape.
She reported to officials that Planton was unconscious and she was unable to undo his harness.
Mojica suffered what the Highway Patrol called moderate injuries and was taken to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley. Her condition was unavailable this morning.
The official cause of Planton’s death was pending an autopsy.
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Incident: 0547 Type: Possible Fatality Location: GLAMIS Zoom Map: 6265 3J info as of:
2/19/2007 3:17:23 PM
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
3:08PM OFFICER BACK W/ VEH S
1:29PM PER ICSO CORONER ENRT F/OFFICE FOR 40 MINS NOW
1:29PM WILL BE LEAVING UNITS AT
PAD #4
1:29PM REQ ICSD ETA FOR CORONER
12:42PM 1039 ICSO FOR CORONER
12:41PM ALSO REQ
CORONER TO RESP
12:20PM INJURY TO ABDOMEN AND IS BLEEDING ALOT
12:05PM RP IS AT PAD #4
12:05PM SUBJ IN A MC
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
1:18PM CHP Unit On Scene
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I believe there was one more death out there this weekend and countless Serious Injuries... the emergency medical chopper was flying non-stop. Tell me, how do all these accidents look to someone at a hospital working while accident victim after accident victim come rolling in...??? Off-Roaders must look like a bunch of friggin' R-tards that cant even be responsible for their own actions which end up causing injury/death to themselves or others.
Sorry about the RANT, but this stuff really gets to me, its all totally preventable.