Blacksmith killed when tractor tyre he was inflating explodes in his face
Martin Robinson
29th September 2011
A blacksmith has been killed after a tractor tyre he was inflating exploded in his face. Arwyn Rees, 35, was using a high pressure hose when the tyre suddenly burst sending a loud bang 'like a bomb going off' across the small village of Pumsaint, near Carmarthen, West Wales. His two nephews heard the explosion and went running to the village forge where they found Mr Rees unconscious. After calling 999 their uncle was flown by air ambulance to hospital but he died several hours later.
The freak accident happened at Thomas Rees and Son, a firm of metal workers and welders in the village. Jan Watkins, of a nearby caravan site said: 'We all heard an almighty explosion, it sounded like a bomb going off. There was an aftershock and everything. We rushed outside and saw the helicopter and emergency crews. It was a rear tractor tyre and they can be lethal. It's an incredibly tragic accident and everyone in the village is very upset.'
Mr Rees had won awards in the All Wales Truck and Transport Show and was very popular in the tiny village. Villager Eiry Griffiths said: 'It's such a small community and this is an incredibly tragic loss which we we are all hugely upset about.'
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue service confirmed two fire crews were sent to the scene. A spokesman said: 'We were called to an incident following a tyre explosion, which occurred while a man was operating machinery. We liaised with paramedics before the casualty was taken to hospital via air ambulance.' Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed they had launched an investigation alongside the Health and Safety Executive. No other persons are involved and the scene does not present a danger to other members of the public,' the spokesman said. 'The deceased's family have been informed and trained police family liaison officers have been deployed to support them.'
Swansea's coroners officer Howard Davies added: 'I can confirm that a death has been reported but a post mortem is yet to be taking place.'
When DIY goes bad Builder stuck to a floorboard for four hours after slipping and firing a five-inch nail through his HAND
By Anthony Bond
20 March 2012
When men attempt a spot of DIY around the house, it can often go disastrously wrong. But rarely does it go quite as badly as it did for builder Alan Williams. The 46-year-old was at his home in Market Drayton, Shropshire, when he slipped at the top of the stairs and accidentally fired a five-inch nail through his left hand.
Mr Williams was left nailed to the floor for nearly four hours unable to move or get help. It was only when his partner and staff nurse Suzanne Amos got home from work at around 11pm that he was found - shivering and going into shock. Miss Amos had been expecting a cup of tea and her dinner after finishing her shift but instead found herself dialling 999 to get help.
Mr Williams said: 'I slipped at the top of the stairs and put my left hand down, and then the nail gun in my right hand went onto it - bang. I was pinned to the floor, I couldn’t move, but actually there wasn’t much blood and I wasn’t in pain. After three hours though my leg was starting to go numb and I was very cold, I was grateful when Suzanne walked through the door.'
As these pictures show, the high-powered bolt had gone right through Mr Williams' hand but amazingly it missed vital tendons and veins. The fire brigade had to lift off the whole floorboard to take him to the City General hospital in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. After just one hour in theatre, Mr Williams was freed from the nail.
He said: 'The fire chief said he hadn’t seen anything like it in 40 years, I ended up having to go to hospital with a floorboard attached to my hand. When I got to hospital the doctors weren’t sure if they should push or pull it out, I had to go into theatre for an hour for them to remove the nail. The doctors said I was very lucky I hadn’t hit a nerve or any of the circulatory system.'
Seven dead after van plunges 100 feet from flyover Seven people, including three children, have been killed after the people carrier they were travelling in crashed and fell 100 feet from a flyover by a zoo in New York City.
Mark Hughes
29 Apr 2012
The incident happened on the Bronx Parkway, just south of the Bronx Zoo, between 1pm and 2pm on Sunday. It is understood that the van hit the central reservation of the parkway and then skidded across three lanes of traffic before plunging about 100 feet. The zoo itself was reportedly not hit, and the van, a white Honda Pilot, is thought to have fallen into an old industrial rail yard.
All seven people – four adults aged 30, 45, 80 and 84, and three young girls aged seven to 12 – are thought to have been travelling in the vehicle. The 84-year-old, a man, is understood to have been driving. It is not yet known whether the victims were members of the same family or related.
A spokesman for the New York Police Department (NYPD) said that the van was travelling southbound, towards Manhattan, when the incident occurred. He said that police believe the van hit the central barriers dividing the road and bounced back across three lanes of traffic before somehow becoming airborne and leaving the road. The spokesman said that the incident was being treated as an accident and that police were still not clear on the identities of the victims. He added that no other vehicles were involved in the collision.
Athletics official, 75, dies after being speared through the throat by javelin
Alan Hall
27 August 2012
A 75-year-old referee speared through the throat with a javelin at an athletics meeting in Germany has died from his injuries. Dieter Schmidt had gone to measure the throw of a previous athlete when the javelin from the next contestant hit him in the throat and exited out of his neck.
Paramedics revived the victim at the scene and an emergency doctor escorted him as he was taken to the Dusseldorf's University Hospital, where he was operated on after losing a lot of blood from his main artery. Emergency services reported the referee had severed his carotid artery.
Seven spectators in the 800-strong crowd who witnessed the accident yesterday and a 17-year-old javelin thrower were given counselling at the scene as police evacuated the stadium. The annual Wilhelm Unger Games event for young athletes was cancelled after the tragedy.
Dusseldorf fire department spokesman, Michael Sandforth, told German website, The Local: 'He was bleeding very badly and lost a lot of blood. Our emergency doctor administered first aid and then he was taken to hospital. There was a helicopter at the scene but the doctor made the decision that there was an urgent need to bring him back round so he was taken nearby to the university clinic in the emergency doctor's vehicle.'
Schmidt has been described as a 'highly experienced international javelin judge'. His 18-year-old granddaughter Fiona was due to compete at the championships.
Monster Truck kills 13 and injures 70 in Mexico
6 October 2013
A monster truck that drove off course and into an audience at a show in Mexico yesterday has killed 13 and injured more than 70. The incident happened at the 'Extreme Aeroshow' in Chihuahua, Mexico yesterday. The monster truck was leaping over a pile of cars when the driver seemed to lose control of vehicle and it drove straight into the audience attempting to flee.
Witnesses say they saw the truck driver lose control of the vehicle after hitting his head on the inside of the truck. 'The driver hit his head and his helmet flew off,' recalled spectator Daniel Dominguez, 18. Dominguez's 11-year-old sister was taken into surgery for injuries to her legs, and his mother was also treated for minor contusions.
41-year-old Jesus Manuel Ibarra was hurt in his arm and hip. 'I fell over, and when I turned around I saw the tire very close. It hit me and threw me to the other side,' he said.
Authorities are also investigating whether a mechanical error might have occurred, causing the gas pedal to remain engaged. Six people were killed at the scene of the truck show Saturday, and another three people died receiving medical attention. Later, four more bodies were found under the monster truck's wheels. Marco Quezada, the mayor of Chihuahua, initially said 47 were injured but that number has grow to 70.
The monster truck driver survived the incident and has been arrested. After the accident, the air show was cancelled. It was the second day of the three-day show.
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