Talk about FREAKY.
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 7:59 pm
First off, I feel bad for the family who has lost a loved one.
Now for the FREAKY:
Letter: If you drive badly, step off your soapbox
Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 11:00 pm
Before we all get on our collective soap boxes to condemn the 17-year-old whose rash actions resulted in the death of a young nurse, please stop and ask yourself the following:
Do you ever almost, but not quite, stop at a stop sign?
Do you go ahead of your turn at a four-way stop because the person whose turn it is wasn't fast enough?
Do you ever accelerate when the traffic light is amber or even red?
Do you consider the speed limit to be the posted limit plus 5 miles per hour?
Do you go faster than the posted limit because that limit is just stupid for that road?
Do you ever get focused in cell phone conversations, what the kids are doing in the backseat, how that guy in the pickup just cut in front of you, which fast food place has the easiest entry, etc.?
When behind a car that is turning left, do you ever accelerate while passing it on the right, assuming that they haven't also stopped for a kid on a bike?
Do you routinely drive right through a crosswalk whether or not there are pedestrians waiting to enter the crossing? (Amazingly, I once witnessed three cars not allow a boy who was walking his bike to enter the crosswalk in front of Highland School - and later stop for ducks crossing the street on Virginia Lane - the ducks were not in a crosswalk.)
From my personal observations, there shouldn't be anyone who drives in Billings climbing on that soap box.
Merry Jane Trewhella
Billings
and...
Accident victim identified; pickup driver’s earlier encounter disclosed
Gazette Staff | Posted: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:16 pm | (10) Comments
Authorities investigate a fatal accident on King Avenue West and South 29th Street late Monday, Feb. 22, 2010.
The driver of a pickup truck that authorities think caused a wreck that killed a woman on King Avenue West on Monday night was found without her keys in her vehicle by police two hours earlier, said police Sgt. Kevin Iffland.
The woman who was killed in the wreck has been identified as Merry Jane Trewhella of Billings.
Trewhella, 59, was driving north on 29th Street West when the driver of a Ford Ranger pickup ran a red light at the intersection with King Avenue West at high speed, slamming the truck into Trewhella’s Subaru passenger car, police said.
Iffland said the driver of the truck, Tawny Fisher-Jones, appeared to be intoxicated at the scene of the accident, and will be charged with felony vehicular homicide. She and a passenger were taken to St. Vincent Healthcare with injuries after the accident.
Fisher-Jones, 33, was involved in an incident with police about two hours before the accident at 4:53 p.m. In that incident, police said they found Fisher-Jones in the driver’s seat of the same truck, which was stuck in a driveway, without her keys.
A witness had taken the keys to the truck and was trying to get Fisher-Jones home, Iffland said. The witness gave the keys to an officer.
Iffland said the keys were eventually returned to the witness, who offered to drive Fisher-Jones home. That witness was not involved in the later accident.
Police Capt. Joel Slade, who is in charge of professional standards, will investigate whether the officers did everything required of them, Iffland said.
Now for the FREAKY:
Letter: If you drive badly, step off your soapbox
Posted: Saturday, April 26, 2008 11:00 pm
Before we all get on our collective soap boxes to condemn the 17-year-old whose rash actions resulted in the death of a young nurse, please stop and ask yourself the following:
Do you ever almost, but not quite, stop at a stop sign?
Do you go ahead of your turn at a four-way stop because the person whose turn it is wasn't fast enough?
Do you ever accelerate when the traffic light is amber or even red?
Do you consider the speed limit to be the posted limit plus 5 miles per hour?
Do you go faster than the posted limit because that limit is just stupid for that road?
Do you ever get focused in cell phone conversations, what the kids are doing in the backseat, how that guy in the pickup just cut in front of you, which fast food place has the easiest entry, etc.?
When behind a car that is turning left, do you ever accelerate while passing it on the right, assuming that they haven't also stopped for a kid on a bike?
Do you routinely drive right through a crosswalk whether or not there are pedestrians waiting to enter the crossing? (Amazingly, I once witnessed three cars not allow a boy who was walking his bike to enter the crosswalk in front of Highland School - and later stop for ducks crossing the street on Virginia Lane - the ducks were not in a crosswalk.)
From my personal observations, there shouldn't be anyone who drives in Billings climbing on that soap box.
Merry Jane Trewhella
Billings
and...
Accident victim identified; pickup driver’s earlier encounter disclosed
Gazette Staff | Posted: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:16 pm | (10) Comments
Authorities investigate a fatal accident on King Avenue West and South 29th Street late Monday, Feb. 22, 2010.
The driver of a pickup truck that authorities think caused a wreck that killed a woman on King Avenue West on Monday night was found without her keys in her vehicle by police two hours earlier, said police Sgt. Kevin Iffland.
The woman who was killed in the wreck has been identified as Merry Jane Trewhella of Billings.
Trewhella, 59, was driving north on 29th Street West when the driver of a Ford Ranger pickup ran a red light at the intersection with King Avenue West at high speed, slamming the truck into Trewhella’s Subaru passenger car, police said.
Iffland said the driver of the truck, Tawny Fisher-Jones, appeared to be intoxicated at the scene of the accident, and will be charged with felony vehicular homicide. She and a passenger were taken to St. Vincent Healthcare with injuries after the accident.
Fisher-Jones, 33, was involved in an incident with police about two hours before the accident at 4:53 p.m. In that incident, police said they found Fisher-Jones in the driver’s seat of the same truck, which was stuck in a driveway, without her keys.
A witness had taken the keys to the truck and was trying to get Fisher-Jones home, Iffland said. The witness gave the keys to an officer.
Iffland said the keys were eventually returned to the witness, who offered to drive Fisher-Jones home. That witness was not involved in the later accident.
Police Capt. Joel Slade, who is in charge of professional standards, will investigate whether the officers did everything required of them, Iffland said.
