Fatal crash

[knine]

The article says "it is unknown what caused the crash" but goes on to say that the vehicles were traveling side by side when they went through a chain-link fence at the end of a dead-end road and traveled about 125 feet before striking the pipeline. I think we know what was going on. For the sake of safety, keep racing off the street.
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/11042598-417/its-horrible-horrible-horrible-2-dead-in-oil-pipeline-crash.html

Two cars crashed through a fence and into an oil pipeline in the southwest suburbs early Saturday — killing two men, critically injuring three others and setting off a fiery explosion and oil fire that burned for hours, officials said.
The fire that erupted in New Lenox Township could be seen from at least a half-mile away and wasn’t put out until 5 a.m., three hours after the explosion, and the pipeline wasn’t capped for six hours. The situation was so hazardous that even by Saturday afternoon, coroner’s officials had not been able to recover the bodies.
“This is horrible, horrible, horrible,” said New Lenox Police Chief Bob Sterba. The five men involved in the crash were all in their 20s and reside in New Lenox, Sterba said.
One of those killed was identified as Zachary Orel, a Posen firefighter. He also has worked for Trace Ambulance in Tinley Park, the company confirmed Saturday. His relatives declined to comment Saturday.
It was not clear what led to the crash at 2:05 a.m. at an Enbridge Energy pipeline in an industrial park east of Schoolhouse Road and south of Old Plank Road Trail, officials said.
A Ford Mustang with two people inside and an SUV with three occupants were apparently driving side by side when they went through a chain-link fence at the end of a dead-end road and traveled about 125 feet before striking the pipeline. The crash ignited the crude oil inside the pipeline.
A worker said the impact with the pipe appeared to have “sheared off” the top of the Mustang.
New Lenox Police Officer Eric Etchison was a half-mile from the scene when he saw the flames and rushed to the scene, Sterba said. Etchison helped three men get out of the fenced-in area, Sterba said. However, he was unable to reach the two men in the other car because of “significant flames,” Sterba said.
“He certainly was quite frustrated because the other car, the flames and heat were so intense, he couldn’t get near it,” Sterba said.
The pipeline was reportedly burning until 5 a.m. The crude oil leak was capped at 8 a.m., said Rich Adams, vice president of U.S. operations for Enbridge Energy Company.
Firefighters rushed three men to Silver Cross Hospital for treatment, Mead said. Two men were soon transferred to the burn unit at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Sterba said. One man was so badly injured he was airlifted via helicopter, he said.
Officials did not identify the victims Saturday. “The hazardous conditions have prevented us from confirming and recovering the bodies,” Will County Coroner Patrick K. O’Neil said Saturday afternoon.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said he knew two of the victims through his son, and played basketball with the men last summer. He declined to name the victims because he was not sure if their families had been notified.
“What a terrible accident. We feel badly for the families and the victims,” Baldermann said. Said Posen Mayor Donald Schupek: “I’m sorry that it’s such a waste of young life.”
Balderman said later Saturday that there was “no danger at this time to the public, the situation has been contained.”

[Mike]

The article says "it is unknown what caused the crash" but goes on to say that the vehicles were traveling side by side when they went through a chain-link fence at the end of a dead-end road and traveled about 125 feet before striking the pipeline. I think we know what was going on. For the sake of safety, keep racing off the street.
http://heraldnews.suntimes.com/11042598-417/its-horrible-horrible-horrible-2-dead-in-oil-pipeline-crash.html

Two cars crashed through a fence and into an oil pipeline in the southwest suburbs early Saturday — killing two men, critically injuring three others and setting off a fiery explosion and oil fire that burned for hours, officials said.
The fire that erupted in New Lenox Township could be seen from at least a half-mile away and wasn’t put out until 5 a.m., three hours after the explosion, and the pipeline wasn’t capped for six hours. The situation was so hazardous that even by Saturday afternoon, coroner’s officials had not been able to recover the bodies.
“This is horrible, horrible, horrible,” said New Lenox Police Chief Bob Sterba. The five men involved in the crash were all in their 20s and reside in New Lenox, Sterba said.
One of those killed was identified as Zachary Orel, a Posen firefighter. He also has worked for Trace Ambulance in Tinley Park, the company confirmed Saturday. His relatives declined to comment Saturday.
It was not clear what led to the crash at 2:05 a.m. at an Enbridge Energy pipeline in an industrial park east of Schoolhouse Road and south of Old Plank Road Trail, officials said.
A Ford Mustang with two people inside and an SUV with three occupants were apparently driving side by side when they went through a chain-link fence at the end of a dead-end road and traveled about 125 feet before striking the pipeline. The crash ignited the crude oil inside the pipeline.
A worker said the impact with the pipe appeared to have “sheared off” the top of the Mustang.
New Lenox Police Officer Eric Etchison was a half-mile from the scene when he saw the flames and rushed to the scene, Sterba said. Etchison helped three men get out of the fenced-in area, Sterba said. However, he was unable to reach the two men in the other car because of “significant flames,” Sterba said.
“He certainly was quite frustrated because the other car, the flames and heat were so intense, he couldn’t get near it,” Sterba said.
The pipeline was reportedly burning until 5 a.m. The crude oil leak was capped at 8 a.m., said Rich Adams, vice president of U.S. operations for Enbridge Energy Company.
Firefighters rushed three men to Silver Cross Hospital for treatment, Mead said. Two men were soon transferred to the burn unit at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Sterba said. One man was so badly injured he was airlifted via helicopter, he said.
Officials did not identify the victims Saturday. “The hazardous conditions have prevented us from confirming and recovering the bodies,” Will County Coroner Patrick K. O’Neil said Saturday afternoon.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said he knew two of the victims through his son, and played basketball with the men last summer. He declined to name the victims because he was not sure if their families had been notified.
“What a terrible accident. We feel badly for the families and the victims,” Baldermann said. Said Posen Mayor Donald Schupek: “I’m sorry that it’s such a waste of young life.”
Balderman said later Saturday that there was “no danger at this time to the public, the situation has been contained.”

Yeah, I read this :shake: and thought the same thing regarding the "side by side" Feel bad for their families :(

[Juice]

Must have been a slow ass Mustang. Side by side with an SUV??

[knine]

Must have been a slow ass Mustang. Side by side with an SUV??
NOTE: The purpose of this thread is hopefully to educate some that no matter how confident you are of your car and driving skills, things can and do go wrong.

The story gets much worse. I'm waiting for the press to report it as I cannot post non-public knowledge stuff.
Edit: and here it is:
http://newlenox.patch.com/articles/update-drinking-racing-were-involved-in-fatal-accident
UPDATE: Drinking, Racing Were Involved in Fatal Accident

Two men died and three more were injured Saturday when their cars hit an oil pipeline in New Lenox. Initial police reports say the men were drinking at a local restaurant and then raced their cars before losing control.


Alcohol and drag racing were involved in the pipeline explosion that killed two New Lenox men (http://newlenox.patch.com/articles/2-dead-in-fiery-new-lenox-accident) and injured three more Saturday morning, according to initial police reports.
At about 2 a.m. March 3, the New Lenox Fire District (http://newlenox.patch.com/listings/new-lenox-fire-protection-district-2) and Will County Sheriff's Department responded to a fire near Moni Drive and South Center Avenue, which is in an industrial area in the southeast part of New Lenox.
Police said two cars drove through a fence and hit the oil pipeline, causing an explosion. Two men died, and another three were injured and taken to the hospital.
Read "2 Dead in Fiery New Lenox Accident." (http://newlenox.patch.com/articles/2-dead-in-fiery-new-lenox-accident)
According to police report, the three survivors told police they were drinking at a New Lenox bar earlier in the night, then were racing their cars in the industrial area.
Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said toxicology reports aren't available yet for the five men, so she couldn't say how much of a contributing factor the alcohol was in the accident.
"We don't know who was drinking, if it was all of them or not," Hoffmeyer said. "I don't know what other factors there were, but they said the dead end was unexpected."
As of Monday morning, the county coroner had not positively identified the two victims in the accident. One of the men was identified by other familiar with the situation as Zachary Orel, 25, who was a Posen firefighter and also did clinical work with the New Lenox Fire District.
One of the men in the second car, 22-year-old Patrick Hall, was treated at Silver Cross Hospital and released.
The driver, Michael Piersma, 21, was pulled from the car by his friends and was later airlifted to Loyola Medical Center to be treated for "severe burns from the waist down," Hoffmeyer said.. William Monreal, 20, was also taken to Loyola.
Hoffmeyer said sheriff's police were going to Loyola on Monday morning to check the status of Monreal and Piersma. The crash is still under investigation.

ANOTHER UPDATED ARTICLE:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/11080561-418/drag-racing-led-to-fatal-pipeline-crash-police-say.html

Drag racing led to fatal pipeline crash in Will County, police say

By Brian Stanley bstanley@stmedianetwork.com March 5, 2012 2:22PM
http://www.suntimes.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer .cls?STREAMOID=muROx2Q1kwLwczP 72fX$P8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYtRb sHNnX$mtr1cVt_Gz_8PWCsjLu883Yg n4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoM evcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOd KL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg A flat bed tow truck moves into position to remove one of two cars at the scene of an Enbridge pipeline after an overnight accident at the end of Moni Drive in New Lenox, Illinois, Saturday, March, 3, 2012. | Joseph P. Meier~Sun-Times Media

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Maps




Updated: March 5, 2012 2:43PM



The drivers of two vehicles were drag racing when they crashed into an oil pipeline early Saturday, causing a fire that killed two men, police said Monday.
The two men riding in a 2002 Ford Mustang were killed when their vehicle struck a crude oil pipeline, while three men in a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer were also injured.
The crash happened at 2:05 a.m. when the side-by-side vehicles went through the T-intersection at Moni and South Center drives, and traveled through a chain-link fence, striking the pipeline, causing a fiery explosion.
The two men in the Mustang, who have been identified as Zachary Orel and Bart Lenz, perished in the blaze.
The two passengers of the Trailblazer, Patrick T. Hall, 22, and William R. Monreal, 20, reportedly told Will County Sheriff’s police the driver, Michael G. Piersman, 21, was knocked unconscious, but they were able to get him from the SUV and pull him to safety, sheriff’s spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said.
“As the fire spread, the three ran to the corners of the fenced-in area. Two were able to climb out at one corner and the third man climbed the fence at another corner as a New Lenox officer and a deputy arrived on the scene,” Hoffmeyer said.
Reports said Piersman and Monreal suffered “severe burns from the waist down.”
All three were taken to Silver Cross Hospital.
At the hospital, they told deputies the group of friends had been together and consuming alcohol at a nearby bar before deciding to race their vehicles, reports said.
Hall was treated and released, while the other two were transported to Loyola Medical Center’s Burn Unit in Maywood.
Hoffmeyer said Monday the crash was still under investigation.

[CBT]

I have ex in-laws that live out there on a farm. Last time I was there it was a tiny city, then nothing but flat farmland. I wouldn't race out there and I'll race damn near anywhere. Too many tractors and farmers and dips in the road. And, appearantly, on the road.

[Spectragod]

Must have been a slow ass Mustang. Side by side with an SUV??

Unless is was an SS trailblazer or SRT8 Jeep.