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Japanese Tourists Die At Shooting Range (But Not How You Think)
You might think a shooting range could be a slightly dangerous place to visit on vacation because there's that small chance you could get shot. Unfortunately, eight Japanese tourists were killed at a Busan indoor shooting range in South Korea on the weekend, but ironically, because a fire burned the place down.
So far there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire, although they seem to think it started in a sofa near the entrance (cigarette butt, anyone?). The Japanese group was on a two-day trip to Busan, which is one of the closest parts of South Korea to Japan.
Tags: Accidents / JFK / Delta / Airline News / → All Tags
More Airplane Shrapnel Rains Onto Long Island
Earlier this year we learned all about the potential for disaster when it comes to airplanes flying with loose screws over densely populated areas. Well we’ve got another piece of airplane shrapnel to add to the list.
Over the weekend, Delta Flight 799 was on its way to Tokyo from JFK when it lost a pretty big piece. Thankfully the Boeing 777 made it to Japan without any difficulties, and the issue was actually only discovered when it had landed. Apparently the part wasn’t essential, but we doubt that Boeing felt that way when they designed the airplane.
Tags: Bridges / San Francisco Travel / San Francisco / Oakland / Oakland Travel / Public Transportation / Accidents / → All Tags
When Bridges Attack: SF's Bay Bridge Closes Indefinitely
Where you perhaps planning on driving over to Oakland from San Francisco to check out why we named Oakland as one of the Five Cities With A Bad Rap worth visiting? It's too bad you'll be cut off from the goodness for who knows how long, after steel cables snapped last night, hitting three cars on the roadway below and stopping up traffic for over two hours.
There were no injuries when the bridge cracked its metal whip, but repairs and general safety issues will keep the region's busiest bridge shut down at least through tonight. Granted, the pieces that snapped were themselves an emergency repair made over Labor Day weekend, but now we're generally worried about bridge fatigue; perhaps we should be putting pennies into boxes for "Save The Steel Bridges" instead of Ronald McDonald House?
Public transporation options, after the jump.
Tags: Accidents / Philippine Travel / Ferry Travel / Ships / Travel Safety / → All Tags
Note To Self: Avoid Ferries In The Philippines
Well we made it through a very hectic Labor Day weekend for travelers without any major mishaps, that is, unless you were spending your three-day weekend in The Philippines, where a Superferry sunk on Sunday after a mysterious clunk was heard and the ferry began listing. As a result of the tragedy, nine people lost their lives although 957 others were saved—you can even see them heading down the ladders on the side of the ship in the picture above.
As if we weren't already wary about boarding vintage-looking vessels, The Guardian UK has this to say:
Sea accidents are common in the Philippine archipelago because of tropical storms, badly maintained boats and weak enforcement of safety regulations. Last year, a ferry overturned after sailing towards a powerful typhoon, killing more than 800 people on board.
Tags: Travel Insurance / Travel Health / India Travel / Accidents / → All Tags
A Traveling Without Insurance Nightmare For Aussie Man In India
Remember how your parents pestered you about getting travel insurance before you headed off on spring break or to Europe? We admit that our own insurance coverage over the years has been hit-or-miss, but every now and again we remember why we pay for it.
This is one of those times. Recently, an Aussie tourist took an unlucky fall off a steep mountain track in India and ended up paralyzed in a hospital in New Delhi. And yes, you guessed it, this guy was traveling without any insurance, even though he was 64 years old and should have known better.
Tags: Accidents / Bangkok Air / Koh Samui / Crashes / Death / → All Tags
Bangkok Air Plane Crashes Into Control Tower On Resort Island
Note to self: never fly into Thailand's Koh Samui island during heavy tropical rainstorms. Way back in 1990, bad weather caused a Bangkok Air plane to crash into a coconut grove, killing all 37 people on board. Yesterday it was again a Bangkok Air plane that crashed on Koh Samui, but this time the only fatality was the pilot.
The flight, from resort island Krabi to the Koh Samui, another resort island, landed during heavy rains and failed to brake hard enough to stop the plane from skidding into an unused airport control tower.
Onboard were many tourists, including a British couple on their honeymoon who suffered injuries, yet only 7 of the 72 people on board needed to be transported to a hospital for treatment. Although the pilot died, the co-pilot survived with only leg injuries.
Related Stories:
· Life Fears Of Plane Crash Briton [BBC]
· Four Britons Hurt In Fatal Thai Air Crash [Times UK]
· Accidents Coverage [Jaunted]
[Video: ITN]
Tags: Accidents / Wisconsin Travel / Automobiles / → All Tags
The Wienermobile Makes A Bun Of A Wisconsin Home
After weeks of grieving for various celebrity deaths, a nation was finally able to laugh again this weekend when we learned of a Wienermobile crashing into a Wisconsin home.
The 22-year-old driver of the iconic Oscar Mayer promotional car, one of six such vehicles nationwide, was trying to turn around in a private driveway and accidentally shifted into drive, according to the Associated Press. No one was hurt and the owners weren't home, which isn't to say they didn't have a massive shock at seeing their home turned into a bun.
Twelve Weinermobile drivers are chosen yearly from a pool of over a thousand applicants, but the job requirements don't specify that would-be hotdoggers know how to drive at all, let alone handle a 27-foot-long, 7000-pound fiberglass lunch. The Hotdoggers write on their official blog that they are back on the highway, which means homeowners in St. Louis should put down the portcullis before leaving for work.
This is the second recent Wienermobile accident to make the national news, following a 2008 mishap on a snowy highway in Pennsylvania (albeit, again, with no casualties). Ironically, former chairman Oscar G. Mayer (the grandson of the founder) died two weeks ago in Wisconsin at the age of 95. His main request for the funeral? No Wienermobile.
Related Stories:
· Wienermobile crashes into Racine County home [JS Online]
· Franks For Your Concern [Hotdogger Blog]
· The Troubling History of Wienermobile Traffic Incidents [Wizbang Pop]
· Retired chairman of Oscar Mayer Foods dead at 95 [Jaunted]
[Photo: JS Online]
Tags: Accidents / San Francisco Travel / Train Travel / → All Tags
Light Rail Train Collision In San Francisco Sends 48 To Hospital
Whoever said that bad stuff happens in sets of three is way off. We had though the trio complete, after public train transportation collisions began with the fatal red line crash in DC in late June, then moved to another fatal crash of the Disney Monorail train, and rounded out with the (happily not fatal) accident involving the Houston Aquarium's tourist train.
Apparently that last one, the rear-ending of the Houston "Shark Train" wasn't serious enough to form the third accident, and so this weekend saw yet another collision, this time in San Francisco when a conductor of a Muni (Municipal Transportation Agency) light rail train miscalculated a turn and collided with a stopped train. Although there were over 40 people transported to the hospital with injuries, none were life-threatening and no one died.
Tags: Accidents / Amusement Parks / → All Tags
Houston Aquarium's 'Shark Trains' Collide; Sharks Unharmed
In some sad news that's all too similar to last week's Disney Monorail accident, a typical small amusement park train rear-ended another, injuring 31 visitors, 27 of whom who went to the hospital. The accident happened Saturday night aboard the Shark Voyage mini-train, which runs on a 10-minute-long loop through Houston's downtown Aquairum.
According to the Chronicle, the trains "never travel faster than 7 mph, and neither train left the track. Passengers were not thrown from the trains — just jolted in their seats." That hardly sounds like the type of accident which would send so many people to the hospital.
There is good news however for anyone anticipating a visit to the Houston Aquarium this summer: the trains were back up and running yesterday, and making their famous loop through an acrylic tunnel under a 200,000-gallon shark tank. Good thing the crash didn't take place in there, we say.
Related Stories:
· Accident at downtown attractions injures 31 [KTRK-TV Houston]
· Several injured after 2 trains collide at downtown Aquarium [Houston Chronicle]
· Accidents Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: waymarking]
Tags: Accidents / Disney World / Disney / Monorail / → All Tags
Disney World's Monorail Has First Fatal Crash In 38-Year History
The long weekend wasn't kind to everyone off and about on their mini-trips. For those vacationing in Orlando at Walt Disney World, they awoke to the news that the park's loved transportation system, the Monorail, had crashed around 2am on Sunday and taken the life of one 21-year old driver. The news is that one Monorail malfunctioned and backed into another outside of a station.
Onboard at the early hour—who knew the Monorail even rain at the at that hour—were only 8 guests, including a family of six who were possibly too late partying at Chef Mickey's or Goofy's A La Carte Sandwich Shoppe. This marks the first fatal accident in the history of Walt Disney World's Monorail, which began its operations back in 1971.
Service on the Monorail was understandably shut down following the accident, but was back on schedule for rush hour later on Sunday as families headed home after the holiday weekend. And now for the token Simpsons quote: "Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, bona fide, electrified, six-car Monorail."
Related Stories:
· Disney World monorail crash kills driver [CNN]
· Disney World monorail crash victim was working in his dream job [Orlando Sentinel]
· Disney World Coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: weathermanfsu/TwitPic]
Tags: Airplane Hell / Accidents / Houston / Southwest Airlines / Landings / Jetblue / Safety / → All Tags
Southwest Jet Suffers Tire Fire at Houston-Hobby
Last night was a beautiful evening, that is unless you happened to be channel surfing as we were, and come across Anderson Cooper talking between shots of a Southwest Airlines plane on fire and evacuating passengers via emergency slide.
Of course it wouldn't have been a pleasant end to the day for the passengers aboard Flight 519 from New Orleans to Houston either, as sitting aboard a flaming plane wasn't in the plans.
Upon landing at Houston-Hobby airport, the Southwest jet's tire caught fire and burned steadily through until emergency personnel arrived to the crippled plane on the runway. At that point, the rear left emergency slide deployed to get all 47 passengers and 5 crew out safely.
Tags: Accidents / Luggage / Japan Airlines / LAX / Luggage Containers / → All Tags
JAL Engine Incident Proves Airlines Do Eat Your Luggage
We're not the only ones who get sucked in by the airlines checked baggage fees. Apparently, luggage containers are now a target too. At LAX yesterday, 250 passengers were evacuated from a Japan Airlines jet after a metal luggage container got sucked into the jet's engine as it was preparing for take-off. The LA Times reports:
The accident occurred about 1:30 p.m. when Flight 61 to Narita, Japan, pulled back from Gate 101 at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Airport officials said the vacuum created by the air intake of the left outboard engine was so strong it pulled the empty container off a baggage cart that was either parked or driven too close to the aircraft.
The passengers and crew were all fine and other flight arrangements were made as the airplane was taken to a hangar for evaluation. While JAL does allow its economy class passengers to check two bags for free on flights to and out of the US, they recently put in place a new policy that will charge you $50 if your bag weighs more than 50 pounds (previously, 70 pounds was the limit.) Hopefully, anyone who had to pay the excess baggage fee on this aborted flight will get it free the next time around.
Related Stories:
· Metal baggage container sucked into jet engine at LAX [LA Times]
[Photo: MyFoxLA.com]
