Latest news with #WCBS
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
4-year-old girl killed on sidewalk in Hudson Valley DUI crash: cops
A 4-year-old girl was killed in a suspected DUI car crash on Saturday night in the Hudson Valley, authorities said. Golda Eisenbach was walking on a sidewalk in Spring Valley along with a 31-year-old man and two other children when all four were struck by an out of control vehicle, News 12 Westchester reported. Golda was the daughter of Spring Valley Trustee Yisroel Eisenbach. 'My heart breaks for Trustee Eisenbach and his wife on the tragic loss of their 4-year-old daughter, Goldy, who was killed by a drunk driver,' state senator Bill Weber wrote on social media. 'Drunk driving is a plague on our society and must be confronted — but today, we mourn.' Axel Lopez-Santiago, 41, was identified by police as the driver, according to WCBS. Lopez-Santiago was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated. Lopez-Santiago was arraigned Sunday and remained behind bars, unable to post $750,000 cash bail, WCBS reported. He also had a prior DWI conviction. The victims were walking next to Old Nyack Turnpike after exiting a nearby park and were struck near Zachary Court, according to authorities. The other two children were identified only as a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old boy.
IOL News
06-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Western Cape Blood Service reviews race-related questions on donor forms
The Western Cape Blood Service is reviewing the blood donor questionnaire and plans to add an 'other' option, and we are considering a 'prefer not to say' option after concerns were raised by the group People Against Race Classification calling for the blocks to be scrapped. Image: Independent Newspapers photographers The Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS) is reviewing its donor questionnaire following pressure from People Against Race Classification (Parc) to change the requirement to state your race when donating blood. The service said they now plan to add an 'other' option, and is considering a 'prefer not to say' option. Parc had flagged their concerns with the WCBS through several letters, saying they took offence that the questionnaire to be completed by those who want to donate blood asked for racial information. 'I have been a blood donor in this country for many years. I am not a Coloured, Black, Indian or White person. Why don't you also add an option for a person not to complete his race data? Or why not add more ethnic identities like, Khoi-San, Zulu, Afrikaner, Pedi, etc. 'The arguments regarding the need for this data is commonly known but not accepted. The WCBS as part of the science and medical fraternity, has no obligation to report on which blood was donated by which race. The necessity to know a person's race has no medical implication on what patient could use whose blood. You have no legal leg to support this practice. The Population Registration Repeal Act of 1991 has repealed all uses of race criteria,' Parc founder Glen Snyman wrote. On March 13, Parc's action team visited the Western Cape Blood donation Service's Head Quarters in Cape Town where they held a demonstration with placards in hand calling for the race blocks on the donation forms to be removed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Initially the organisation in a letter responding to Snyman's concerns on March 27, outlined the reasons why it collected the data and also noted that the matter was discussed at a board meeting and would be brought up again following consultation with an expert. On June 2, WCBS CEO, Greg Bellairs wrote another letter, stating that the board had explored whether there may be any ethical issues around asking the race of blood donors and had engaged with a 'respected bio-ethicist'. 'We have also fully considered your position, and decided the following: when next we revise the blood donor questionnaire's options regarding race, we will add a block called 'other', and we are considering adding another block called 'prefer/choose not to say'. We will add further information about why we ask for the race of blood donors, on the blood donor questionnaire, on the Service's Privacy Statement (which all blood donors sign), and on WCBS's website,' said Bellairs. On March 13, Parc's action team visited the Western Cape Blood donation Service's Head Quarters in Cape Town where they held a demonstration with placards in hand calling for the race blocks on the donation forms to be removed. Image: Supplied Approached for comment on Thursday, WCBS spokesperson Marike Carli said the organisation did collect race data but was open to continuous engagements. 'Race data is still collected. However, we are reviewing the blood donor questionnaire and plan to add an 'other' option, and we are considering a 'prefer not to say' option as well. Blood donors who wish to not disclose their race may freely donate blood. We do not discriminate based on race or gender. We welcome constructive dialogue and remain open to continuous engagements and improvements. 'Every decision we make, including the information we request from blood donors, is… grounded in both medical science and ethical responsibility. We ask blood donors to self-identify their race so that we can select donations for extended testing for additional blood group systems (other than the ABO and Rh systems). This enables us to provide blood-group compatible blood products to multi-transfused patients such as those with thalassaemia, and sickle cell disease – as well as to identify donations of rare blood types, which are reserved in a national repository for patients with rare blood types,' said Carli. Snyman said this was still not enough. 'This is a small 'victory' for PARC. The WC Blood Service agreed to amend their blood donation questionnaire form by adding to the race options the 'other' box, and also an option for people to 'not disclose their race'. However, we will continue our fight to have all the race blocks removed from all forms,' he said. Stellenbosch University, Emeritus Professor in Health Systems and Public Health, Usuf Chikte said there is no 'credible genetic or biological foundation for these categories'. 'Racial classification, particularly in South Africa, is a social and political construct, not a scientific one. It emerged from a brutal system of segregation and inequality, not from any meaningful understanding of human biology. To continue relying on these categories in medicine, especially in something as sensitive and vital as blood donation, is to perpetuate a deeply harmful legacy devoid of any scientific basis. 'Proponents argue that such data may help match rare blood types. But even where this is medically relevant, ancestry-based screening, not racial identity, is the appropriate approach. 'Race' is simply too crude, inaccurate, and politically loaded to serve as a stand-in for complex biological or genetic markers. More importantly, the use of race on medical forms undermines patient trust. Most people filling out these forms have no idea why the information is being collected or how it will be used. In a country still grappling with the trauma of institutionalised racism, this is not a trivial issue. Medical institutions must be held to the highest standards of ethical transparency and scientific validity.'
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crew on Mexican Navy tall ship seen clinging to rigging after collision with Brooklyn Bridge, video shows
Crew members were hanging onto the rigging of the Mexican Navy tall ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night, video footage shows. Two sailors were killed and nearly 20 others were injured when the Cuauhtémoc ship struck the bridge at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night. Everyone who was injured was on the boat and none of the 277 people onboard fell into the water. "No one fell into the water, they were all hurt inside the ship," an NYPD official said, according to WCBS. "The ship, from what I was informed by the supervisors of the ship, it was disembarking and going to Iceland." Video of the crash from the Brooklyn side of the East River shows the 150-foot-tall Mexican Navy training ship's three masts snapping after hitting the bridge. Officials said early indications suggest a mechanical issue may have caused the ship to veer off course and collide with the bridge, but the incident remains under investigation. Ntsb Launches 'Go-team' Of Specialized Investigators After Brooklyn Bridge Struck By Mexican Navy Ship Footage also shows sailors hanging from the rigging ropes on the damaged masts, but none of them fell into the water. Read On The Fox News App "We saw someone dangling, and I couldn't tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for at least 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them," eyewitness Lily Katz told The Associated Press. Another witness, Nick Corso, had his phone out to capture the backdrop of the ship and the bridge against a sunset when he heard what sounded like the loud snapping of a "big twig." At Least 2 Dead After Mexican Navy Sailing Ship Collides With Brooklyn Bridge In Dramatic Nyc Crash People around Corso began running and "pandemonium" ensued aboard the ship, he said. He later noticed a handful of people dangling from a mast. "I didn't know what to think, I was like, is this a movie?" he said. The bridge did not sustain any damage from the collision. "We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn't much worse," Adams said at a news conference on Saturday night. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum offered "solidarity and support" to the families of the deceased crew members after the crash. "We are deeply saddened by the loss of two crew members of the Cuauhtémoc Training Ship, who lost their lives in the unfortunate accident in New York Harbor. Our sympathy and support go out to their families," she wrote Saturday night on on X. The Cuauhtémoc was built in Bilbao, Spain, in 1981 and has won the Tall Ships' Races twice, according to Sail Training International. The ship was in New York City as part of a promotion for an event next year that celebrates America's 250th article source: Crew on Mexican Navy tall ship seen clinging to rigging after collision with Brooklyn Bridge, video shows
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Newark ship fire that killed 2 firefighters caused by improper vehicle
The Newark ship fire that killed two firefighters in 2023 was caused by crews using an unsuitable vehicle to push cars onto the ship, federal investigators said Tuesday. Augusto 'Augie' Acabou, 45, and Wayne 'Bear' Brooks, 49, were killed while responding to the blaze on the Grande Costa D'Avorio at Port Newark on July 5, 2023. The fire started with a Jeep Wrangler, which was being used to push nonrunning vehicles onto the ship, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its report. Investigators said the Jeep had been recalled because its transmission could cause fluid to catch fire if overheated, according to WCBS. Hours before the fire started, at least one crew member spotted smoke coming from the Jeep. However, it was used throughout the day to push vehicles onboard despite not meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. 'Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,' one National Transportation Safety Board investigator said Tuesday. 'Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn't be used in that manner.' Eventually, the Jeep caught fire and started 'dripping fireballs,' one worker said. Two more factors led to Acabou's and Brooks' deaths, according to the NTSB, which does not prosecute criminal cases but instead issues safety recommendations. The ship's fire control plan was inadequate, because it required one exterior door to be closed from the inside, safety board investigators said. If the door had been closed, a carbon dioxide suppression system could've stopped the fire's spread. Additionally, the feds said, Newark's fire department had inadequate training for cargo ships and should not have sent smoke-eaters onboard. Acabou and Brooks died after getting lost on the ship. Newark firefighters were sent in even though all 28 crew members had been safely evacuated and accounted for. 'I hope that Newark fire department leadership is listening,' National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said. 'This isn't just a failure of communication. This was a failure of leadership.' With News Wire Services
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
A helicopter crash left a Siemens executive, his family and their pilot dead. Here's what we know
A sightseeing helicopter plunged from the sky into the Hudson River on Thursday, turning a family outing above Manhattan's misty skyline into a tragedy. The helicopter carried six people, including three children and an executive from Siemens — a German multinational technology conglomerate. It lifted off from a Manhattan heliport and followed a familiar route: circling the Statue of Liberty, gliding north along the Hudson toward the George Washington Bridge and then turning south. About 16 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft crashed into the water, according to analysis by CNN and FlightRadar24. Witnesses described the helicopter flipping and spiraling before crashing near the New Jersey shoreline upside down, scattering debris across the river. 'The helicopter was a little bit like nose down, slightly, and I saw the propeller separating from the helicopter. It kept spinning in the air alone. Nothing was attached to it,' Sarah Jane Raymond Ryer, who saw the crash unfold, told CNN affiliate WCBS. A video obtained by CNN shows the rotor blades detached from the helicopter and flying through the air. Jersey City resident Jenn Lynk recalled hearing a startling noise. 'It sounded honestly like an engine came out. I looked outside my window. I saw a few people running towards the water, and some people were acting pretty normal. So I was like, 'It might not be anything.' Then I started to hear all the sirens come outside,' she told WCBS. Here's what we know about the crash that killed everyone on board: The victims include Agustín Escobar, 49, a Siemens executive, and his family. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the family was visiting from Spain. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic helicopter crash in which Agustin Escobar and his family lost their lives. Our heartfelt condolences go out to all their loved ones,' a Siemens Mobility spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. Escobar served as CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, the transportation solutions division of Siemens. 'Our hearts go out to the family of those who were on board,' Adams said during a news conference. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, expressed his condolences, calling the incident 'an unimaginable tragedy.' The pilot was also killed, though officials have not yet released their identity. CNN has reached out to the New York Police Department and the US Coast Guard for more information on the victims. The cause of the crash remains unclear, but its sudden descent stunned witnesses as first responders raced to rescue the victims. The helicopter took off at 2:59 p.m., from Manhattan's downtown heliport, following a popular sightseeing route, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. After circling the Statue of Liberty, it flew north along the Hudson River, reaching the George Washington Bridge by 3:08 p.m. It then turned south along the New Jersey shoreline, where it lost control shortly after, Tisch said. Visibility at the time was 10 miles, though the region was cloudy with winds of 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. A weather system was expected to bring light rain later in the afternoon. At 3:17 p.m., multiple 911 calls reported a crash near Pier A Park in Hoboken, New Jersey. Witnesses said the helicopter appeared to stop midair before pieces broke off, consistent with preliminary emergency reports, Tisch said. Jersey City resident, Ipsitaa Banigrhi, described the sound as 'such a loud sound. It felt like thunder,' she told WCBS. 'Then I saw black particles flying. Again, I thought maybe it's just dust or birds, and then we heard all the emergency vehicles and sirens go by. I think that's when it was like, 'OK, what's happening.'' First responders from NYPD and New York City Fire Department teams pulled six people from the water. Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others succumbed to injuries shortly after, Tisch said. Two children were transported to Jersey City Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop said on X. The aircraft's main fuselage was retrieved from the river on Thursday evening, though officials have announced that dive operations will continue Friday, WCBS reported. The company operating the helicopter was previously involved in two safety incidents investigated by federal aviation authorities. In 2015, a pilot for the New York Helicopter Charter company was forced to land in New Jersey after hovering 20 feet in the air for a short time. An initial inspection showed there 'may have been corrosion removed' from sections of the helicopter and that some of the helicopter's component parts may have been deformed to an extent to be 'considered unairworthy,' according to an FAA inspector at the time. The same helicopter was previously involved in a crash in Chile in 2010. In 2013, a pilot for the company was forced to land a helicopter carrying four passengers on the water near Manhattan after hearing a 'bang' that was followed by the 'Engine Out warning horn.' The pilot inflated the helicopter's floats and got the passengers to safety on an approaching boat. 'The only thing I can tell you is that we are devastated,' Michael Roth, the CEO of the company operating the flight, told CNN of Thursday's crash. 'I'm a father, a grandfather and my wife hasn't stopped crying since this afternoon.' When asked about the helicopter's maintenance, he said, 'That's something my director of maintenance handles.' The director of maintenance declined to comment. Maintenance records are not publicly accessible, and the NTSB restricts what companies can disclose during an ongoing investigation. The helicopter, a Bell 206L-4 LongRanger IV, was built in 2004 and held an airworthiness certificate issued in 2016 that was valid through 2029, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. Maintenance records are not public and during investigations NTSB rules prohibit companies from releasing certain information relating to the accident. The investigation into the cause of the crash will pore over documentation on all the work that was done on the aircraft. That would include the company's compliance with two recent Federal Aviation Administration issued airworthiness directives. One directive from May 2023, required the testing and possible replacement of tail rotor drive shafts on eight different Bell 206L models, including the 206L-4. That directive was prompted by an incident in which a Bell 206L helicopter experienced the loss of a tail-rotor drive due to a joint failure. The FAA also issued a December 2022 airworthiness directive on Bell 206L models with specific parts requiring inspection and possible replacement of the helicopters' main rotor blades because of 'delamination.' That refers to layers within the blade separating due to material fatigue, damage (from bird strikes, for example), or manufacturing errors, potentially leading the rotor blade to fail. It remains unclear whether any of these issues played a role in Thursday's crash. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The NTSB has dispatched a 'go-team' to the site to examine the wreckage and review maintenance records, it said on social media. The helicopter was flying within New York's Special Flight Rules Area in New York, where air traffic control support is limited, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in a post on X. Duffy added that the helicopter had received air traffic assistance from LaGuardia Airport shortly before entering the uncontrolled zone. CNN's Mark Morales, Alexandra Skores, Matt Stiles and Audrey Ash contributed to this report.
