Latest news with #closecalls
CTV News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Slow down, move over for emergency vehicles: police, fire, EMS
Edmonton's first responders are reminding drivers to move over when they see emergency vehicles on the road. While Edmonton has exceeded its yearly fatal collision average with four and a half months left of 2025, emergency services are asking drivers to take it slow when passing ambulances, fire trucks and police cruisers. 'We've had a summer of close calls,' said Insp. Brad Mandrusiak with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) Traffic Services Branch. 'So now more than ever, it's important to remind everyone how to properly respond to emergency vehicles travelling to a call as well as those parked roadside with their emergency lights engaged.' At a press conference on Thursday, Mandrusiak said responders are often working within inches of active traffic on busy roadways throughout the city. 'We've had officers clipped, tow operators nearly struck, and countless close calls that never make the news,' said Mandrusiak, adding that EPS cruisers have been hit by civilian vehicles 42 times so far this year. EPSCRASH An Edmonton police cruiser is seen after a vehicle rear-ended it on Dec. 20, 2024. (Supplied) 'There are many factors at play here, but we can say that speeding, driving and general lack of attention behind the wheel are often contributing factors.' Mandrusiak said an officer was sent to hospital last week after getting hit by a civilian vehicle while parked in a marked cruiser with emergency lights flashing. 'Given the speed and type of vehicle involved, we're very fortunate that one of our officers wasn't seriously injured or killed,' said the inspector. EPSCRASH A crumpled vehicle that rear-ended a Edmonton police cruiser is seen on Dec. 20, 2024. (Supplied) Edmonton Fire Rescue Services (EFRS) experienced a similar incident on Anthony Henday Drive where crews were responding to a crash when a vehicle hit a ladder truck at 100 kilometres an hour. No one was injured. Acting deputy chief Jamie Amiel said when EFRS asked the driver what happened, they said they didn't see the fire truck. 'I find this hard to believe. It's a 50-foot truck, it's bright red, it's got flashing lights, there's broad daylight,' said Amiel at the news conference. Kaylee Pfeifer, a paramedic and acting public education officer with Alberta Health Services said these close calls are often preventable. 'We need you to look, pay attention while driving, looking and watching for emergency lights and listening for our sirens,' said Pfeifer. 'By being aware, you will give yourself more time to make a calm, smooth decision.' EPS, EFRS, EMS and AMA are hoping drivers can remember three steps when they see an emergency vehicle on the road: Look Always be aware of other roadway users, looking in all directions including behind you to see where an emergency vehicle is approaching from. Move Signal your intentions and move to the right to make room for the emergency vehicle to pass. Stop Stop – not in an intersection – and make sure all emergency vehicles have passed. Signal to merge back into traffic when it is safe to do so. 'These small, but confident actions can help us help others as quickly as possible,' said Amiel. Alberta's Traffic Safety Act requires drivers to slow down to 60 kilometres per hour or less on the highway when passing an emergency services vehicle or tow truck. Police are advising Edmontonians to be extra cautious on inner-city high-speed roads like the Henday, Yellowhead Trail, Whitemud Drive and the QE II. While the province largely ditched photo radar last year, Mandrusiak said it's too early to tell if the policy change has had an impact on the number of crashes. 'But I can say that speeding in general is up to a concerning level,' he said.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘I am completely dead now': Pilot, 72, who died in a crash pens his own obituary detailing his close brushes with death
A 72-year-old man who died in a small plane crash had the foresight to write up his own obituary before his death, and he packed it full of charm and stories of his close calls in life. "I am completely dead now," Gary Wolfelt wrote in his obituary. "I am surprised that it took this long to happen." On May 5, Wolfelt left Lafayette, Indiana, in a small plane that he spent 17 years building. The plane never made it back, and Wolfelt did not survive a crash in Ohio. When his obituary was published, readers were likely surprised to see that it was penned by Wolfellt himself. 'I had several close calls throughout my lifetime. I guess that I was just lucky that something didn't get me long before now,' he wrote. According to Wolfelt, he'd had a "long series of events and mishaps" that "should have killed me long ago." Wolfelt knew his audience would want some examples, and he delivered. In one story, he recounted taking a fly ball to his skull during a Little League game. Sadly, his bodily sacrifice for the game did not translate into luck for his team, which he said lost 20-0. In another tale, Wolfelt describes an unfortunate encounter with his sister's horse. The animal kicked him in his gut noting that 'any lower and I'd be singing soprano for the rest of my life.' Gravity almost got Wolfelt twice before his final plane right. In one instance a brick chimney collapsed and nearly crushed him. In another he took a tumble down the stairs, and a metal safe came tumbling down after him. Despite the parade of mishaps, Wolfelt remained positive and gave thanks for the important things in life. "Thank goodness for pain killing drugs," Wolfelt wrote. Wolfelt isn't all jokes though. Buried beneath the humor, Wolfelt spends some time in his obituary pondering the decisions he made in life. For example, Wolfelt never had children, but he did love dogs. 'Generally a dog will only bite you when you have it coming. This is not the case with many people," he noted. At one point, the 72-year-old apologized for past wrongs, noting that he "was far from a perfect human," and allowed that he did try to "learn from my mistakes and shortcomings as I grew older." He also shared his pride at another decision he made — remaining faithful to his wife Esther for the entirety of their 40-year marriage. "I stayed lovingly married to the same woman for a long time," he wrote. "Hopefully if there is a life after death, I will end up with Esther and all of our dogs in a sunny field of tall grass with music playing all around me."
